After hearing of a particularly unfortunate situation this week, I felt compelled to write about it as I asked myself: are we truly caring for Bermuda’s ageing community?

The measure of a society is not simply how long its people live, but whether they can live their later years with dignity, security and peace of mind.

As Bermuda considers the needs of its ageing population, we must ask ourselves an uncomfortable question: are we truly looking after those who have spent their lives contributing to our community?

For our seniors, the essentials of life are not luxuries. Health insurance, affordable housing, electricity, water, nutritious food and reliable transportation are fundamental necessities. Yet when pensions and financial assistance fail to keep pace with the cost of living, older people can find themselves facing choices no one should have to make in their later years.

Consider a distressing situation brought to my attention involving an 80-year-old woman whose housing allowance was reportedly reduced. According to the account, she began saving towards a deposit for another apartment, in the hopes that she could find more affordable rent - this however has left her current landlord without rent.

What an unfortunate dilemma for both parties!

The elderly tenant faces uncertainty over where she will live, while the landlord has a mortgage to pay and financial commitments of his own. Unpaid rent can lead to arrears, mounting financial pressure and potentially the loss of a property.

Meanwhile, the tenant risks further housing insecurity at an age when stability matters enormously.

This illustrates the domino effect that can follow when financial assistance does not adequately account for the circumstances of those it is intended to help. Could an early review of the allowance, appropriate transitional support or better coordination between relevant agencies have prevented hardship for both tenant and landlord?

Now I certainly don't know the facts of the situation and why the housing benefit was reduced but I do know that it should not have ended up in the senior citizen's benefit being reduced, as it wouldn’t take a brain scientist to know that this would cause extreme hardship.

In my opinion, we as a society must do better … in 2026 there’s no excuse for cases like this to be happening, especially in our small island of Bermuda.

Islam placed social responsibility at the heart of religious life, making care for those in need a matter of duty rather than goodwill alone. Zakat, the obligatory form of charitable giving, directs resources towards designated categories of people in need.

The Koran repeatedly calls for justice, compassion and practical responsibility towards the vulnerable.

Although welfare arrangements existed in earlier civilisations, Islam established a strong religious framework for organised social support and made caring for those in need an integral part of faith.

What might this mean for Bermuda today? Bermuda must do more than express concern.

First, we need a comprehensive review of the adequacy of financial assistance available to our seniors. Housing allowances and other benefits must reflect the realities of Bermuda's cost of living. Any changes to assistance should be assessed for their likely impact before implementation. An adjustment that appears modest on paper can have devastating consequences for someone living on a fixed income.

Second, we need a more coordinated approach to preventing hardship. When an older resident faces the prospect of losing their home, there should be a clear pathway for early intervention, bringing together the relevant housing, financial assistance and social support services.

The objective must be to prevent arrears, homelessness and unnecessary distress wherever possible, rather than waiting until a situation becomes a crisis.

The reported case of the 80-year-old tenant raises important questions. Was her individual situation properly assessed? Was there an opportunity to review her circumstances, help her secure a new tenancy or provide transitional assistance? And was the financial predicament of her landlord considered as part of the wider picture?

These are reasonable questions that deserve answers, not assumptions about the motives of those involved.

Third, Bermuda must confront the cumulative burden of growing older on a limited income. Housing is only one part of the equation. Health insurance premiums, prescription costs, electricity, water, groceries and transportation can leave very little for anything beyond survival. A senior may qualify for assistance in one area while remaining unable to meet the combined cost of living.

Government should therefore work with seniors, charities, healthcare providers, landlords and community organisations to identify gaps in existing support and establish measurable ways to address them.

This should include clear information about eligibility, accessible application procedures, timely decisions and a process for urgently reviewing cases where someone's housing or essential needs are at risk. Of course, they would say they do … but I beg to differ.

We must also recognise that our older residents are not simply recipients of public assistance. They are people who have worked, raised families, cared for others and contributed to the Bermuda we know today. They deserve to grow older without the constant fear that an unexpected bill, a change in benefits or a rise in essential costs could undermine their security.

The responsibility extends beyond Government. Families can remain attentive, neighbours can look out for one another, businesses can support community initiatives, and religious institutions can help identify unmet needs and direct people towards appropriate assistance. But goodwill and charitable giving cannot substitute for a reliable and fair system of social protection.

Islam reminds us that caring for the vulnerable is a responsibility, not merely an act of kindness.

In Surah Al-Ma'un (107:1–3), the Koran warns against neglecting the orphan and failing to encourage the feeding of the poor. In Sahih Muslim (2699), Prophet Muhammad (pbuh) teaches that whoever relieves another person of hardship will have hardship relieved by Allah on the Day of Resurrection.

These teachings challenge us to examine not just what we believe, but what our actions make possible for others.

Bermuda should be able to demonstrate that its older residents can access adequate food, safe housing, essential utilities, healthcare and transportation without being pushed into impossible choices.

That requires more than sympathetic words. It requires a clear assessment of need, effective support, coordination between services and a willingness to correct policies when their consequences create avoidable hardship.

The question is not whether we can afford to care for our elders. The question is what it costs our society when we fail to do so.

If an 80-year-old woman can find herself caught between saving for another home and meeting her present housing obligations, we must ask whether our safety net is doing what it was designed to do. No senior should be left to navigate such a dilemma without timely, meaningful support.

How we care for our elders today is a reflection of the society we are - and the society we intend to leave to our children and grandchildren. Something immediately has to change … to avoid irreversible disaster.

May we all have a blessed week. As salaam alaikum (peace be unto you).

• Linda Walia Ming is a member of the Bermuda Hijab Dawah Team, a group of Muslim women who reside in Bermuda and have a goal of educating the community about the religion of Islam