I have learned you can tell a lot about a person by how they deal with the following three things: an approaching hurricane, lost luggage and old people.

What a crying shame that The Pines are at it again, cap in hand.

How demeaning that our old folks' home has to constantly be on a begging prowl so that our elderly can live out their lives in dignity. While our Department of Agriculture has its hands full with the recent discovery of the Pink Hibiscus Mealybug, the Pines have had an even  more difficult 'pest' to deal with since its inception in 1983; the 'Meanie Bug'!

Perhaps we are so accustomed to lack of compassion these days, world wide, that one or two more sad stories really don't rock the sympathy boat. One of the problems as I see it, and know from personal experience, it is always the same people who step up to give a hand, the rest simply don't care, which is why they haven't helped in the first place.

But, we should all be so lucky to end up at The Pines.  The residents there are not dead; they are very much alive ... only forgotten.

Contrary to the image one may conjure up, the Grim Reaper does not stand by the front door of The Pines with scythe in hand ready to cut people off at the knees and wrinkles aren't catching, merely earned. What you will find is a first class retirement/nursing home with absolutely no offensive smell and about 35 underpaid caring individuals tending to the residents' special needs including fun-filled daily activities.

To be brutally honest for a moment, their needs are not unlike babies:  feeding, bathing, dressing and lots and lots of love, hugs and kisses.  We wouldn't deny a helpless infant these basic requirements so why are we making it so difficult for our aged to acquire these key things?

Recently The Pines' manager Sue Nicholson was on Crosstalk radio with Barrie trying to solicit money and provoke compassion from the public.  For goodness sake what's it going to take? A geriatric parade featuring the country's elderly dressed in cute Tweety Bird and Sylvester PJs with some beggin' pans outside a supermarket on a busy Saturday!

Is anyone getting that pathetic visual yet? Harsh as it may sound, their days of shouldas, wouldas, couldas are over... That's just the sad reality of it.  It really should not matter why or if these old people are unable to pay their way; the reality of it all is that they have lost the ability to "sing for their supper".

Unfortunately there are not many bright sides to this week's topic unless you take into account that these old timers' joints are probably more accurate in predicting the rain than John Foster! 

But joking aside, because this is not a laughing matter, let's talk dollars here. I believe The Pines' monthly shortfall currently stands at fifteen thousand dollars.   Not much in the grand scheme of things when you consider the multi-million dollar companies that are established here.

Yes, The Pines has a good chunk of money put aside for a new building, (thanks in part to an enormous hand out from Maples and Calder), but those funds are earmarked for such and cannot be used for the home's day to day expenses.  I'm not for one minute suggesting that we're not a bighearted nation - it's just that our charity may be a bit misplaced.

Now  I don't want to make a scene, but this year there was zilch in the budget for The Pines and last year, as in all previous years, it was a mere pittance.  Amazing but true. Perhaps our leaders think that given the sensitivity of this charity, the public will dig deep into its pockets but that isn't happening. Government's decision not to subsidize The Pines is coldhearted, misguided and just plain dumb because if there was no Pines the country would have to fund an old folk's home on its own. 

I continue to beat this horse to death hoping it will spur some fat cat companies into a conscience call but I don't seem to have the touch.  Does anyone? I wonder what it would take to tear at the heartstrings of Dr. Sook Yin.

When this woman (a recent recipient of a certificate and Badge of Honour), takes on a project, she doesn't joke. She reminds me of a dog ragging a bone.  Look what she recently accomplished with the Cancer Society for a state of the art mammography machine. 

Another deserving charity, Cayman HospiceCare, has a wonderful new home at the Conch Shell House thanks to two, (you heard me right TWO), generous individuals George and Susan Craig.

We need more people like the Craigs to jump on board the sinking Pines boat and I know that they're out there. In the absence of securing one or two heavy hitters like the caring Craigs, all it would take is for 30 or so biggish companies to tack on an extra $500 to their
payables each month. It could be as routine as paying CUC or Cable and Wireless.

We never forget those two players now do we?  Alternately, we could give this cry for help a different twist, corporations or businesses could sponsor or adopt an old person by paying their way.  Call it a "shred of dignity" fund, call it whatever you want, but make the call ... Please.

At Fosters Food Fair one often sees a Pines employee gathering the week's shopping. It's not easy to shop for 35 plus people each week who have different needs ... forget the wants.

But, come to think of it, it is actually the little wants that need addressing as well, and nothing brought that home more than a little episode I witnessed about four years ago.

A Pines employee was out grocery shopping and as she juggled two full carts up and down each aisle, I noticed one lone pack of sugar free strawberry flavoured wafers tucked in the top compartment beside her handbag.   She saw me looking at the cookies and for some reason offered the following explanation, "It's Miss So and So," she said, "these old people love sweet stuff you see but they're not supposed to have it - I can't go back without bringing her a little something."  Makes you want to cry doesn't it?

Anyway, back to today's argument, we as a community needs to stop subjecting the Pines' management team to all these heart rending cries for help. After hearing Crosstalk's show I can guarantee you one thing; The Pines will never again pay for a call out from Hay Electric.

Not on my watch it won't. That, Cayman, is a challenge for others to step up to the plate......... Any takers?