I am one of the old people that one of our media houses has dubbed us “old folks”. To whoever came up with dubbing us “folks” probably thinks that makes us feel younger. We are folk not persons. Sorry it makes no difference. We are persons no matter what you want to re classify us as!

Other good willed folk add the letters “er” to “old” for the same reason. It sort of doesn’t sound like we are OLD!

Ha.

Yes we are as old as we feel and I feel old. We all of us will get to that stage in life unless something worse happens – we die before we get there.

Osbourne Bodden, our minister that looks after us old persons, is setting up a committee to embrace us but the committee is called a “council”- yes a “Council for Older Persons”.

“It will encompass all aspects of life, including lifelong education and training on ageing, family and community-based support services, levels of autonomy and self-fulfillment, gender issues, health, employment, and legal protection,” said Bodden.

There was input from many stakeholders.

Huh. He didn’t ask me and I saw him and spoke to him only last week. But we were deciding on what sweet to eat at a government function and that was of the utmost importance. We both had to make a decision immediately and not set up a committee to discuss it.

And we now are going to have some more legislation to support all the new policies government is introducing. As if we need more legislation. It is a wonder we don’t have a meter strapped to our bodies to regulate the amount of air we breathe in. If we go over the legal limit we will be fined.

“Critical to the implementation of this policy, the establishment of a Council for Older Persons and a supporting secretariat will be identified and enshrined in the older persons legislation,” Bodden went on to say. ”The key focus of this council will be to promote the needs and welfare of older persons, monitor policy implementation and advocate for legislative reform where necessary. It is expected that the council will be comprised of older persons, civil society stakeholders and public/private sector representatives.”

I will be waiting by my telephone to await his call.

If it does come it will probably be the Devil and I am dead. That is when I know I am in Hell. An invite to go on a committee – sorry I mean council.

As the Minister said he hoped to have everything in place by March of next year I have a few months respite.

When it comes to health I can tell him now. The government CINICO insurance scheme is useless when you are old. The limits they set are so ridiculous you would be better off paying the fee into a private account. You wouldn’t be cut off when you have reached your couple of thousand dollars limit. And THEY (CINICO) decide if it is an emergency.

I wonder if any stakeholder our minister asked told him about that?

But there probably was a limit on how old you are. I probably have already reached it.

There is old and older. I now realize the difference.