Elderly willsuffer ifhomes fined

THE EDITOR: The existence of 216 illegal homes for the aged shows that the needs of older people in TT are largely being met. But if these homes are fined as the law mandates, the elderly will be worse off.

According to officials from the Ministry of Social Development, out of 217 such institutions, only one has been licensed so, according to a law passed 11 years ago, the remaining 216 can be fined $25,000 and their owners jailed for two years. But how does this help the aged?

The existence of so many homes shows that there is a market demand which is being supplied. When the State imposes a licensing requirement, it is always accompanied by a set of regulations which invariably raise the costs of operating such a facility and which (by no coincidence) also opens avenues for bribery if (as is usually the case) the costs of bribing an official to overlook certain requirements is less than the costs of meeting said requirements.

If the law is enforced, the burden of meeting the demands of the Homes for Older Persons Act will lead to the closure of many of these homes and/or a rise in fees that will make it unaffordable for the present residents or their relatives. The fact that only nine of the homes receive State subventions shows that the rest are making a profit by fees.

The premise that enforcement of this law will magically improve the situation of the residents is nothing but wishful thinking. Instead, the more homes that are allowed to operate freely, the more likely it is that competition will impose high standards in order for these homes to keep their residents for fear of losing them to some other facility.

ELTON SINGH, Couva