?Growing old in Bermuda is not necessarily a good thing ? in fact Bermudians are penalised for their age,? according to Shadow Minister of Community, Cultural Affairs and Seniors, Louise Jackson.

Mrs. Jackson spoke out after hearing of an increasing number of seniors who have called complaining either of the lack of housing, increased rents or in some cases being forced to live in absolute squalor.

Mrs. Jackson said she knew of an elderly blind woman who lived in a Government-owned apartment in Hamilton which was not only rat-infested, but had had no repairs made in several years.

Mrs. Jackson feels appointing a seniors? advocate is the solution who can represent the 7,000 seniors in Bermuda.

The present Government, she said, was totally uninterested in the plight of seniors and their behaviour was proof of that.

?They knowingly increase the rents on Bermuda Housing Trust properties, knowing full well that those properties were created to help the elderly who are on fixed or limited incomes,? she said, adding that to ?callously? raise the rents ?shows that they have no sensitivity to the elderly?.

Another caller to said her 75-year-old stepfather was forced to sleep on park benches in Hamilton because she could not find him anywhere to live.

Wishing to remain anonymous for fear of retribution, the caller said her mother had recently ?kicked? her stepfather out of the house when she could find nowhere else for him to go.

She said that he stayed with her for a short time, but she had a six-month-old baby and did not have a big enough apartment for everyone.

?His not even my real father, but what can I do?? she said.

She called numerous organisations including the Salvation Army. But Major Lindsay Rowe said the Salvation Army has a policy of only taking in those between the ages of 18 and 65.

He said at the age of 60, the charity would start looking for somewhere new for older residents to go.

While some would be transferred to the Mid Atlantic Wellness Centre, others would be moved to nursing homes, or return to live with family.

Major Rowe said it took the organisation quite some time to find accommodation, which is why he started looking when one of its residents turned 60.

He said the majority of those currently living at the Salvation Army were relatively young and they have never had to move anyone before.

?There are a variety of agencies who work with us, but it?s not as simple as saying we?ll send them to a certain place,? he said, adding that the Salvation Army simply could not take responsibility for anyone over the age of 65 at its facility.

?Emergency housing is not somewhere a 75-year-old should be and it?s certainly not a long-term solution,? he said

Growing old in Bermuda has another drawback in the form of health insurance ? or the lack of it.

?Once they retire, seniors don?t have medical insurance anymore and this means they have to go on Government insurance, which also raised its fees, so they can?t afford that either anymore,? Mrs. Jackson said.

She said despite the fact that pensions had increased, the cost of living had increased too.

?What makes an already bad situation worse is that doctors were not getting their money from insurance companies so they insisted that patients pay cash up front and put in the claim themselves,? she said.

And even though it?s only between $80 and $100, many seniors could not afford this, not to mention the cost of medicine.

Financial assistance is the Catch-22 in an already bad situation in that anyone applying for aid has to have a permanent address ? which did not help the 75-year-old man sleeping on a park bench said Mrs. Jackson.

She said the United Bermuda Party had planned on building homes for seniors at Rockaway and while the PLP said it would ?see what it could do? nothing ever came of it.

?They need to find housing, not just for seniors but for everyone ? it?s a scandal that you have a 75 year old with nowhere to live and there are no shelters here,? she said.

Mrs. Jackson said the Salvation Army had done a ?sterling job? over the years and was in essence doing what Government should be doing.

?Government depends way to heavily on charity work and they can?t spare a dime for seniors, but spent huge amounts of money on the environment and parking lots for their Ministers ? even the dogs at the SPCA get more than the seniors in Bermuda do,? she said.

Another point of contention is the current state of Lefroy House.

The nursing home sustained extensive damage during Hurricane Fabian two years ago. The roof, which, was badly damaged forcing staff had to move up to 16 seniors to other parts of the building, was never repaired.

?What if another hurricane hit Bermuda? What would happen to Lefroy House and the old people living there?? Mrs. Jackson asked.

She said once again it proved that Government considered seniors to be a low priority.

A spokesperson for the Ministry of Works and Engineering said on Friday that the Ministry was fully aware of the extent of the damage and is planning a major overall of the entire building.

She said requests for proposals had already gone out to tender, adding that the Ministry was addressing the problem as the entire building was in need of work.

?It?s in the works,? she said.

While Age Concern is considered the advocate for seniors in Bermuda, Mrs. Jackson said this was not its role and would never come out and fight for the rights of seniors.

She said seniors need someone to come out and tackle some of these issues with Government.

?We need an ombudsman for the seniors, that?s the way to go,? she said.

Meanwhile Claudette Fleming from Age Concern said on Friday that the 75-year-old homeless man, and other seniors in need of assistance, should approach the National Office for Seniors in Victoria Street.

Ms Fleming said the office had case workers who could assess their individual situations and if they determined that accommodation was needed, the organisation would be the one to use its resources and help find emergency housing, adding that if this system was not working, then the public should be asking why.

She said Age Concern was born back in the 1970s after a Government study revealed the need for such an organisation.

But she said an advocate of seniors in Bermuda needed the support of the Government, resources and more importantly, a mandate.

?We have never been utilised the way we were supposed too,? she said, blaming former UBP Health Ministers for ?dropping the ball? on seniors.

Ms Fleming said Age Concern never had a lot of ?clout? when it came to advising the Government on important issues, but wanted to see this change.