The plight of Bermuda's seniors could be much worse than the recent survey on trends showed says Shadow Health and Seniors Minister Louise Jackson as she hit out at faulty statistics.

She said by including the 60-64-year-old age category in the survey, it could inflate the health and wealth of a struggling group.

Mrs. Jackson was speaking on a motion to debate Ageing Trends, a report produced by Government's Statistics Department for the National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged.

Conducted between November 2007 and April 2008, 695 seniors were interviewed for the survey which revealed seniors had a median annual income of $37,000 and spent an average of $450 on groceries each month and $227 on health insurance.

More than one half of seniors owned their own home with no mortgage, while nearly one fifth had a mortgage with the median cost of $2,100 a month.

One quarter of seniors had an income of less than $25,000 said the survey while one in five had incomes over $50,000.

Mrs. Jackson attacked the way the statistics were produced, questioning why 60 — 64 year olds had been interviewed.

She said: "Most of them work, most of them have health insurance, most of them drive, most of them have reasonable health.

"Government should be concerned with the older, poor seniors not the employed."

She said Government had not included a large number of pensioners in FutureCare, the new Government health coverage scheme for seniors, and those left out were paying bills of up to $1,500 a month.

However Health Minister Nelson Bascome pointed out that seniors could get private insurance similarly priced to the Health Insurance Plan (HIP) and offering similar benefits, from two insurance companies.

Mrs. Jackson noted that 19 percent of seniors had not stated their income. "Seniors are very proud people, many did not state their income because they were ashamed."

She said some of Government's breaks for seniors, although welcome, would not necessarily help those worst off.

Mrs. Jackson said free car licences and free passports would benefit those who had cars and could afford to travel, not necessarily those who needed financial help the most.

She noted the report had shown six percent of seniors had foregone buying food in order to pay a bill again she wondered how that figure had most likely been lowered by throwing wealthy, working "seniors" into the statistical mix.

She noted only four in ten seniors were satisfied with the health system.

Culture and Social Rehabilitation Minister Dale Butler said the number of seniors was rising at an alarming rate.

Bermuda has 8,155 people aged over 65 this year, representing 13 percent of the population.

But by 2020, seniors will number around 11,129 according to projections, making them 17 percent of Bermuda's population.

And by 2025 seniors will be one fifth of the population, numbering more than 12,000.

"That's an increase of nearly 5,000 while the population will only go up by 1,500.

"Clearly now is the time to assess resources needed to meet seniors' needs in the future."

He noted seniors were concerned about safety as he warned about con men going door-to-door begging for money from kind-hearted seniors, using bogus reasons when they needed the money for drugs.

Mr. Butler advised seniors to get a dog as they were great pets but were also useful protection.

And he lamented seniors were falling prey to other cons, such as repairmen overcharging them.

Sometimes the cheaters were within the senior's own family, said Mr. Butler, who added they were signing over houses to younger relatives who then did not care for them.

He urged seniors to investigate reverse mortgages, also know as home equity loans, which allowed them to unlock capital in a house for medical expenses or even a cruise or a convertible.

Mr. Butler said seniors should not feel guilty bequeathing homes which still had a mortgage, as their relatives were still getting a house which was mostly paid off and thus a bargain.

Opposition MP John Barritt called for the creation of a separate Government Department for Seniors to assist in these matters.

He said sometimes seniors could find themselves having their homes pulled from under their feet after transferring ownership of the property to relatives.

"Seniors have been burned by their own family," he said.

"After transferring ownership of the property to their children, five years later they find themselves out in the cold and not being looked after. And they've given away the asset and the leverage they have."

He added: "A lawyer is not someone they can readily afford. I'm pleased to say Age Concern have a clinic once a year which is oversubscribed by seniors looking for advice on transfer of property."

He said: "This is one area where seniors really need help, someone to whom they can go for advice.

"I always thought the National Office for Seniors would fulfil this but it hasn't happened as far as I know.

"The National Office for Seniors today in my view has become an abject failure. I don't even know what it's current status is.

"In the current case I'm involved with, it wasn't even mentioned. That I think, is appalling because there is a critical and important role which that office and and should play as a centre for advocacy for seniors, an ombudsman for seniors.

"I think seniors find this very frustrating. They are referred on and it's as if the problem is too challenging."

Mr. Barritt said: "If we have that National Office for Seniors doing what it should be doing it could help fill this role, but maybe it's time to put that office out of Government and in an organisation like Age Concern.

"It could help seniors when they have a problem to walk through the various stages, to be there to represent them."

He also called for more investment into 'assisted living'. "Instead of seniors conveying their homes to their children we should advocate families staying together. In homes where they have the capacity we should encourage the building of apartments where families can live side by side."

Mr. Barritt called for a Government department for seniors.

He said: "It's time to recognise a separate department is necessary so we can pull all this stuff together and not have it shunted from one minister to another.

"We need a national office for Seniors. Let's get on with that because this is a real area we need. We need to have a specific department and a minister who's responsible to pull everything together. It is long past time."

But Government backbencher Walter Lister said the onus was on family members to look after seniors.

"Family members have the responsibility because senior people have paid the price for all of us to get to the stage we're at today.

"I think we have a responsibility to do all we can to ensure seniors have that quality of life."

He said: "This Government respects the contribution seniors have made and at this stage we see no need to have a specific department for seniors because we are addressing their needs."

See Monday's Royal Gazette for the continuation of last night's debate.