ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Shirley Moore-Parsons is no stranger to writing letters to the government.
She has written to Kathy Dunderdale, to Steve Kent and, most recently, to John Haggie.
The theme has always been the same: health care for seniors.
Moore-Parsons, 69, got her dentures almost 20 years ago.
Jaws and teeth tend to change shape as a person ages. Bones can lose their mass as people age, which means old dentures might not fit as well as they used to. Not only is it uncomfortable, but it can be embarrassing to go to a restaurant and have to fish food out from ill-fitting teeth, Moore-Parsons says.
She says she has tried to get her dentures replaced.
“I didn’t have $1,800 at the time,” she said.
So, instead, she put $300 down on a lower cost pair, but those didn't work out.
“The ones he did for me weren’t suitable, so I’m still wearing the ones I had done in 2001. I told him to keep the $300 towards the work he did. I didn’t expect to have anything done for nothing,” she said.
Moores and her husband, Wade, live in a 60-plus seniors' apartment building on Torbay Road in St. John’s. They have a fixed income, so there’s not much room for surprises.
When The Telegram opened submissions to its 2019 candidates’ survey, Moore-Parsons submitted a hand-written letter, asking the four party leaders for answers about what they would do to support seniors in her position, who are worried about their teeth, their eyes and their ears.
The Telegram sent Moore-Parsons’ letter to each party leader, asking for a reply. Each one took the time to write back.
The full letters from each party leader will be published online at thetelegram.com. Here’s an excerpt from what each leader had to say.
Liberal Leader Dwight Ball:
“The needs of seniors are important to our party and our government, and we have taken significant steps to try to address those needs.
“With respect to the items you listed in your letter, there are a number of ways our government can help based on a given person’s personal set of circumstances.
“Our Department of Advanced Education and Skills provides assistance to many seniors to meet specific needs you listed. To be eligible, a person must complete an application within the Income Support program to confirm eligibility for support.
“In addition, people who are over 65 years of age, and who are in receipt of a subsidy for long-term care or community support services through the regional health authorities, are eligible for assistance for a hearing aid through the Provincial Hearing Aid Program.
“But our government’s supports for seniors go far deeper and broader than that. In Budget 2019 we put $123 million toward our NL Income Supplement and NL Seniors’ Benefit. That would provide up to $1,300 annually to adults aged 65 and older, of which approximately 70 per cent of single beneficiaries are women.”
Progressive Conservative Leader Ches Crosbie:
“I am not prepared to make empty promises to win a vote. I will promise only what I reasonably expect to deliver. Having said this, I believe we have an obligation to assist those in need. Many of the chronic and costly health problems we see in our communities are the consequences of not doing more earlier by way of prevention. I believe early intervention can not only reduce costs, but – more importantly – improve people’s quality of life.
“I am proposing that we develop a new Poverty Reduction Strategy to build on the tremendous work the previous strategy did a decade ago. When that program started, our province trailed the country. A decade later, we had the lowest rate of child poverty in Canada. National anti-poverty leaders said the strategy made the difference. The strategy involved broad suites of initiatives that addressed poverty in many different ways. The different ideas were considered by people with knowledge of the needs in the community and the benefits of each option.
“Better coverage of the kinds of things you mentioned would be considered under such a strategy. I think this is a sound, progressive approach that has been proven to work.”
New Democratic Party Leader Alison Coffin:
“I can say with confidence that the N.L. NDP takes your issues to heart. We know it’s important that all seniors in our province receive essential health care services when and where you need them.
“An NDP government would do a better job of covering eye exams, glasses, hearing aids and dentures. The coverage would be extended to all low-income people, including seniors, and based strictly on income.
“When it comes to dental care and over-the-counter drugs, for example, we will continue to fight for the reversal of the cuts that the government made in 2016 to both those programs for low-income people. Low-income seniors and working people urgently need to be reinstated on the Adult Dental Health Program. When they were dropped in 2016, there were hundreds of people on the wait list for dentures — one indication of the widespread need for more dental care in our province.”
N.L. Alliance Leader Graydon Pelley:
“I know first-hand the challenges facing the seniors of this province. My mother and mother-in-law are both living in personal care homes. Every time I visit or call them I ask questions to ensure they are cared for and are living comfortably. It is our duty to listen, support and care for our seniors in whatever capacity we can.
“Seniors should not have the worry of whether or not they can have the basic necessities such as eyeglasses, dentures, hearing aids, etc. that enables one to live normal everyday lives. I realize we are in a financial crisis right now, but we must work together with seniors, families of seniors, as well as other agencies to ensure essentials are available to those solely depending on their monthly (old age security) payment. To those who are on fixed incomes these are real needs and we must do whatever we can to help our seniors get them.”
Graydon Pelley's full response.
Twitter: @DavidMaherNL
