The Opposition tried to highlight the plight of Bermuda’s seniors while Government argued it is doing its best to help them during a stormy debate in the House of Assembly.Shadow Minister for Seniors and Social Assistance Louise Jackson kicked off proceedings a few minutes into Saturday morning, and MPs continued to butt heads over the issue until nearly 3am on Saturday.Mrs Jackson’s motion asked that MPs “take note of the challenges faced by Bermuda’s seniors in maintaining a healthy and secure quality of life”.Although she was later forced by Government to change the wording into something more positive, the Opposition continued to press their concerns.Mrs Jackson said her ‘take note motion,’ which was tabled to spark debate rather than bring in legislation, was “designed to point out that there are significant gaps in our programmes for seniors; in our legislation for seniors”.She said this has impacted on the quality of life for many of Bermuda’s elderly people.In addition, she said: “Senior abuse is unfortunately still a problem in Bermuda today. You all know here in the House that we have the Senior Abuse Register Act, 2008. Not one person has been convicted under this act.”The legislation allows for a list to be kept of abusers but no names have been added.Deputy speaker Randy Horton had to remonstrate with hecklers several times as Mrs Jackson proceeded with the motion.Deputy Premier Derrick Burgess spoke on a point of order, telling Mrs Jackson: “If anyone is abusing you, you go to the police.”Mrs Jackson responded that Government had failed to grasp the “depth and complexity” of abuse in the community.She added that the One Bermuda Alliance was committed to getting discrimination on the grounds of age outlawed under the Human Rights Act.She also criticised Government’s FutureCare programme as unsustainable, called the Island’s facilities for Alzheimer’s patients inadequate, and said money allocated for the refurbishment of quarters at the Lefroy House rest home had still not been spent.Saying that a number of residents at the Sandys facility remained in alternative accommodation in the Sylvia Richardson home at the other end of the Island, Mrs Jackson added that she had recently gone to visit Lefroy House and been denied entry.Health Minister Zane DeSilva responded that Mrs Jackson was misleading the House.“She took a reporter with her,” Mr DeSilva said. “My people were not happy with that at all.”Mrs Jackson said: “What did they want to hide?”She went on to say that other countries have comprehensive legislation protecting the elderly and surprise inspections of facilities, and questioned why Bermuda does not. She went on to highlight the risks posed by uneven surfaces in public parks, and criticised the closing of the medical clinic at King Edward VII Memorial Hospital, saying that the OBA would reopen it.Buses and taxis that could accommodate the physically challenged were few in Bermuda, she said, and said purpose-built buses with wheelchair lifts were not in use. Mrs Jackson also said that family members of elderly people were having to give up their jobs to care for them.Mr DeSilva then moved to amend her motion, to read that the House “take note of the Government’s initiatives to assist Bermuda’s seniors with the challenges they face in maintaining a healthy and secure quality of life”. The amendment was passed by a majority vote, and Mr DeSilva went on to discuss studies of Bermuda’s seniors.In the 2008 Age Concern survey, he said, 90 percent of seniors reported having access to all the services they needed.“All in all, for the most part, seniors are doing reasonably well,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that all are doing well. We as Government know that some are struggling. Some are having troubles paying their rent.”He said: “In short, we get it.”Mr DeSilva said that Government understood the issues faced by seniors, and that the National Health Plan, of which the National Ageing Strategy would be a subset, was also addressing the issues.United Bermuda Party MP Kim Swan hailed Mrs Jackson as “a champion on behalf of seniors” and praised her consistency.Shadow Education Minister Grant Gibbons also threw in his appreciation. “She has been absolutely consistent since she was elected in 2003,” Dr Gibbons said. Noting that the elderly population is increasing, he added: “FutureCare is unsustainable when you have almost a doubling of seniors and a declining younger population over the next 20 years.”Shadow Business Minister Patricia Gordon-Pamplin said: “The Minister indicated that our seniors are doing well. The ones doing well are not the ones who come up on our radar screens.”She asked when the next study of Bermuda’s elderly population would be done, and said that, in the case of homeless seniors, “we can’t take for granted that every one of them has found their way to the Minister’s office. A lot of seniors are proud, and don’t want to go cap in hand and beg for assistance.”She went on to ask how strictly nursing homes are being policed, and said she has come across Alzheimers patients tied to chairs to stop them wandering and seniors sitting in wet clothing during visits to her own mother, who is in a home.“To what extent are the regulations being implemented and what sort of system exists for there to be inspections?” she asked.Government backbencher Walter Lister said Government spends up to $80 million per year on seniors, not including Financial Assistance payouts.“You can’t just go and criticise Government loosely,” he complained. He said people have duty to plan for their old age, but when they unavoidably fall into financial difficulty, Government helps. He said new accommodation in Rockaway, Southampton, is housing 100 seniors who have a “good quality of life”.Earlier this month, Government increased pensions for the tenth time since it came to power in 1998. Mr Lister, who is 69, added: “If I had known it would be such fun, I would have been a senior citizen years ago.“I don’t have to pay to license my car thanks to this Government. I don’t have to pay the tax on the residence in which I live thanks to this Government. I could go on and on.”