The Government needs to get the message – Seniors and the rising costs of basics

LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Editor:

The press conference of President Eric Hammill of the P.E.I. Senior Citizens Federation on Friday covered in The Guardian pointed out the serious problems seniors face with rising costs. He said seniors on P.E.I. are in desperate need of basic necessities.

Some of the basic needs Hammill pointed out are assistive devices for seniors with disabilities. According to Statistics Canada, 9,000seniors on P.E.I. have a disability as of 2006. That’s almost half of all seniors.
Assistive devices include wheelchairs, walkers, hearing aids, glasses, grasping tools and bathroom aids. None of P.E.I.’s seniors qualify for these devices with the Disability Support Program, which is a travesty of provincial politics. According to Statistics Canada as of 2006, 1,600 seniors on P.E.I. need help with a wheelchair, walker, hearing aid, glasses or other assistive device.

The P.E.I. Senior Citizens Federation made a presentation to the Disability Services Review Committee this spring to support including seniors in the DSP. They were supported by many groups including the P.E.I. Council of Persons with Disabilities, the P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women and P.E.I. Disability Alert. Let’s hope the government gets the message. We expect the government’s response in September and it will be none too soon for the 1,600 seniors with disabilities who need help today.

Stephen Pate,
P.E.I. Disability Alert