One of Bermuda's most crucial tasks is to work out a long-term strategy for how it will serve the needs of older people, according to Age Concern executive director Claudette Fleming.

The fact that the seniors population is growing quickly and will make up 11.4 percent of the Island's population by 2011, in contrast to 9.8 percent five years ago, means the issue has become a hot potato in the election campaign.

Mrs. Fleming said the problem has been staring the Island in the face for years, but that little had been done in terms of a fundamental investigation as to how to address the plight of older people, who are increasingly being left out of the loop when it comes to finding suitable accommodation and affording medical care.

"No one has ever talked about a national strategy," she said. "The implications are reactionary. We will end up with more services and more money being thrown at it when we should be finding out exactly what we need so we can make more efficient use of the tax payers' dollars."

Health and Social Services Minister Nelson Bascome said there had been pension increases under the PLP's tenure, including a rise of three percent in last year's budget, as well as land tax reduction on homes with an Annual Rental Value over $90,000 for seniors.

On top of that, Government this year added an annual prescription drug benefit of $1000 to the Hospital Insurance Plan (HIP) for older people. This will be a help, although HIP only covers a limited numbers of doctor visits and local hospital expenses but not major medical, which is needed for overseas operations.

On the crucial issue of nursing homes, Mr. Bascome said a new design had been agreed by Government, which is first being implemented at the new St. George's Rest Home. The old facility was closed in March, 2000 because of inadequate facilities and $5.9 million was put towards a new home this year.

Yesterday's Royal Gazette reported that 20 nurses had left the Government nursing home at Lefroy House in Somerset over a period of two years because of "out of date" care practices.

Government's response is that standards in nursing homes had risen in recent months and they are being adhered to. Premier Jennifer Smith said: "We introduced standards for private rest homes as well as Government homes. And these are standards that can be tied to licences because if anyone has an elderly parent and wants to contract for care, you would want to know that the care lives up to certain standards. That was not required prior."

Another major step, according to Ms Smith, was the introduction of home care givers for people who stay with their aged parents.

Both parties have pledged to raise the mandatory retirement age above 65, while they also stressed the need for more affordable assisted-living facilities for seniors.

Mr. Bascome said a visible achievement by the PLP was the completion of the 18-unit Ferguson Park cottage colony at Southside, which allows seniors to live independently but with access to medical assistance.

The Opposition's Hillary Soares said there were plans for more such places in the UBP's platform.

Mr. Bascome said the creation of a National Office for Seniors and the Physically Challenged was a "crowning point" for the PLP. It is one-stop shop where people over the age of 65 can go and ask for medical advice.

On the UBP's side, proposals include piloting a senior healthcare clinic to provide free preventive and basic care to those whose insurance limits doctor visits. It would be part of a package that will look at providing free prescription drugs and eyeglasses to people who cannot afford them, a review of pensions and negotiations with insurance companies to improve benefits overall.

Mr. Bascome said: "When it comes to being serviced by physicians, I think our seniors feel very comfortable being able to attend the office of their choice. When you start saying that you've got to go to one physician, you run into problems. One area we have moved away from is just trying to stockpile people."

In the longer term, he said the emphasis was on preventive healthcare, and that a study of oral health for seniors had been commissioned, as well as the promotion of the use of generic drugs "so seniors recognise their true value".

Mrs. Soares also emphasised preventive treatment as the way forward and said: "By taking medication, people offset future problems, and in that sense preventive medicine is worth pounds and pounds of cure."