There are plenty of initiatives under way to improve the quality of life for seniors in Bermuda, but it appears not all of them are directly linked to last year?s Social Agenda pledge list.

In response to a report card-type assessment of which pledges have been met and which appear not to have been, Minister of Health and Family Services Patrice Minors has issued her own checklist of completed and ongoing initiatives for the older generation.

It follows on from Age Concern Bermuda?s announcement that it has been keeping track on pledges for seniors mentioned exactly a year ago in the Government?s Social Agenda and claimed to have found some had been completed but could not find evidence of other pledges being tackled.

In reply, Mrs. Minors thanked Age Concern for recognising the work done by her Ministry in providing wellness clinics for seniors and a health summit, but added: ?However, I can?t let some of the other criticism pass without comment or clarification.?

She said that completed initiatives include home assessments, risk screenings, medical supplies and equipment, and current ongoing work for physiotherapy management for osteoporosis, home maintenance and home modification.

The Ministry has also completed initiatives on long term care insurance, elder abuse legislation and a five-year strategic plan for the National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged.

Mrs. Minors pointed out that, in some instances: ?Social Agenda initiatives did not simply create new programmes, but rather saw the Ministry of Health join with existing programmes to improve and enhance all-round services to seniors and avoided the duplication of existing services while better utilising the existing funding.?

She said it is her hope that Age Concern and the NOSPC will work in a more collaborative fashion for the benefit of all the Island?s senior population.

Mrs. Minors added that a collaborative initiative between her Ministry and Age Concern was the initial intention when meetings between the two groups took place over a year ago.

She said: ?I regret that these meetings were not regularised, but it is the Ministry?s intention to try and put behind us any dysfunctions of the past so that we may forge ahead with a renewed relationship that best supports the varied needs of our valuable senior?s population.?

According to the Ministry?s own statistics the NOSPC has provided services to 7,385 seniors and 2,832 disabled people of mixed age, during the past year.

Mrs. Minors laid out the Ministry?s current record on assisting seniors as Premier Alex Scott urged his ministers to do more to inform the public of their success.

Speaking at the start of the 38th annual Progressive Labour Party conference he read out a list of achievements relating to seniors? care and well-being programmes.

Claudette Fleming, executive director of Age Concern Bermuda, said many of the initiatives mentioned by Mrs. Minors were not on the Social Agenda although she welcomed them.

?If all these things are part of the next Social Agenda we would be happy to see them,? she said.

She feels there has been a lack of communication or coordination between the Ministry and the Government.

?The Government was responsible for the Throne Speech and the Ministry obviously has other expectations and all the things they have mentioned are good but the Premier has, in the Social Agenda, said different things that have not happened.?