Sometimes it’s the smallest things that can trigger us.
Mine involved $25.
Two things happened that were annoying.
Thing number one was the government clawed back my Guaranteed Income Supplement by $22 because my CPP went up slightly.
Of course, this made me very angry, yet another slap in the face to a senior.
Now I know some of you might say, “really Carole, it was only $22.”
When you live below the poverty line, $22 represents much more, it can feel like $100.
But then add that to thing number two, which was a large electronic organization being cheap with a gift card after I spent hours and four trips going back and forth to their smaller store in the mall.
They are going to give me a big $25 for my angst and time apparently.
This, after using up about seven hours of my time, trying to sort out the new phone I bought from them, and after (at their suggestion) changing to another server.
So, between those two things, with both of them making me feel ‘less than’ – (1) senior being shorted by government and (2) senior not being taken seriously by big box store.
Happens a lot with seniors. Starts when they are called “sweetie," or "dear” – diminishes them as adult women.
Then, shortly after that the feelings of invisibility begin, as people don’t hear what is said by the “dear," or "sweetie,” or if they take that at face value, then the words the senior uses apparently don’t count.
Hey Ottawa – we vote! We will no longer be quiet little seniors. We demand to be heard and seen and treated with respect.
We want change – not charity.
The government needs to attend to the poverty that is rampant in the senior population.
In 2017 the Government of Ontario predicted in a paper, entitled Seniors and Poverty, that this was Canada’s next crisis. We’ve arrived! Hear us and see us and listen to us.
Do not tell me that the dental plan is recognition of that. It isn’t – because a lot of dentists will charge more than what the government pays, so the senior still has to find the extra money. That is not ‘free’ dental. That is subsidized dental. “Free” means we don’t have to pay a thing. So, to the person who is advising our prime minister, please ask him to stop using the word “free.”
It’s interesting to see the response that Seniors Tin Cup gets. A seniors facility in downtown Vernon refuses to put Seniors Tin Cup posters on their bulletin board because one person who lives there doesn’t like it. We are all volunteers and our only quest is to help low income seniors’ benefit. It really does boggle the mind as you would think they would be supportive of this, as half of their facility is very low income.
Maybe we need to open our hearts and minds and care. If you care, go to www.seniorstincup.org and sign the petition to increase pensions for low income seniors. We can all make a difference if we join together.
Carole Fawcett is a freelance writer, retired counsellor carolef@shaw.ca
