August 21 is World Senior Citizens Day, so it seems appropriate to take inventory and see how we are doing.

Seniors make up about 26 per cent of our population. They comprise a majority of financial assistance recipients and are often the cause of bed shortages at our hospital.

That said, let’s be clear — this is not the fault of our seniors, it is the fault of our society.

For decades, demographic projections have warned of an upcoming tsunami of challenges we would face as 25 per cent of our population enter their senior years, requiring access to more healthcare services, appropriate housing, long-term care, nursing facilities, legal public protections and financial assistance.

Over the past several years, there have been many initiatives — but few tangible deliverables to provide what is needed when it comes to dealing with the problems we now see and all saw coming.

In April 2022, a former Progressive Labour Party MP was appointed to lead a $60,000 project to produce a paper on establishing an office of the public guardian for seniors. It’s 2026 and there is still no progress.

Regularly, hospital beds that should be available for admissions from the emergency department and for elective surgeries are occupied by non-medical patients, specifically seniors, many of whom are ready to be discharged but need adequate community medical supervision and services, which are woefully unavailable.

The lack of respite and community long-term facilities has now led to a call by the Bermuda Health Council for property owners to consider converting their premises to facilities for seniors’ services. These include rehabilitation, long- term care and nursing homes to provide essential services to an ageing population, while easing the crisis of our overcrowded hospital.

Recently, there has also been much discussion about the expanded role that advanced practice nurses could play in helping to deliver essential healthcare.

I am not going to weigh in on the medical arguments for or against expanding the role of APNs in Bermuda, as APNs are not a unique concept and those arguments can be resourced elsewhere. However, I do believe that where there is an urgent need — as we see today, there should also be a deliberate will to make improvements that are within reach.

Given the complex issues we face, no aspect of our medical service provision should be looked at in isolation. Our problems are clearly systemic. Often collaborative, well-thought-out changes in one area can yield benefits across a linked-up chain of activities and services, incrementally improving overall results.

I believe that finding a way to enabling APNs to work at their optimum could be an asset in helping to solve many issues affecting our healthcare system.

If seniors requiring certain levels of medical supervision and treatment could be serviced at home and/or within the community by APN visits, it would free up hospital facilities and could improve healthcare affordability within a significant segment of our community.

Perhaps it’s time to ease up on developing and talking about initiatives, and time to find the fortitude and energy to make incremental changes that can bring tangible benefits and improve people’s lives.

• Linda Smith is the Shadow Minister of Seniors and One Bermuda Alliance MP for Southampton West Central