By Klao Bell, Senior Staff ReporterEASTON DIXON had a stroke six years ago. After hospital he checked himself into a nursing home where he stayed for seven months, until his savings dried up. Without a family, and driven by the determination to "not be a bother to anyone," he sought residency at the Manchester Infirmary.
In his younger days, as a mason, "doing a little work here and there," Mr. Dixon, now 71, was able to earn his keep. But also, being a single man, without a wife or children, didn't absolve him of familial obligations. In fact, they might have been greater, as other relatives turned to him for financial assistance.
"You know, because you single, you help out here, you help out there. I couldn't really save much, save for the future," Mr. Dixon explained.
Based on statistics, it appears that men are more likely to end up in infirmaries than women. And often these men were labourers, who either did not have children or who did not settle with one partner; or who spent a considerable amount of their earnings providing for their relatives.
INFIRMARIES
A 1999 survey conducted by the Programme Co-ordinating and Monitoring Unit of the Office of the Prime Minister showed there were 1,553 residents in infirmaries across the island; 851 were men. The gap in the distribution was as wide as 64 men to 44 women in the St. Thomas Infirmary and 71 men to 45 women in St. Ann.
Today in 2003, the figures may not be that different due to the residency status of clients at those homes. For example, of the 104 clients in the Manchester Infirmary (as of November 2003), 57 are men and 47 women. In 1999, there were 59 men and 35 women.
But this is not simply because these men failed to plan, or were reckless. Instead, their situation is an indirect result of socialisation.
"Most of the people in infirmaries are men and if you ask where their children are they will say they don't have any, which may not always be true," said Dr. Denise Eldemire-Shearer, chairperson for the National Council for the Senior Citizens and community health expert.
SUPPORT SYSTEMS
She is worried that men do not devote enough time to developing strong support systems, which includes caring for children and participating in community activities such as church groups. As a result, "when men are old and not able to contribute much they often find themselves alone."
And this applies to men of all social groups, as wealthy men also end up infirmed, alone and miserable in their homes, having spent most of their lives devoted to work.
"I'm just as worried about the business men who work 14 to 16 hours per day. The situation men find themselves into is not just because of lack of money, it's about care, social arrangements and support systems. Elderly men have a greater need for people to care for them. Look in church it is the women who are there, it is the women who care for the children. Men lock themselves out of opportunities to strengthen their social network while they are still able to contribute to a relationship, so when the time comes that they can't then they are alone," Dr. Eldemire-Shearer observed.
She pointed out that even in economically depressed communities, where there is little to give; the women take care of each other.
"You may notice that you don't find as many inner-city women in infirmaries and that's because women look out for each other. In those communities, they care for and support each other."
SOCIAL NETWORK
For men, who devote their lives to work rather than family or building their social network, illness can have a devastating effect. They lose their ability to earn and thus become dependent.
"I was a mason, a steel man, I work all about. I even work on Jamaica house," said Alphanso 'RJR' Webb proudly, a resident of the St. Catherine Infirmary. He is called RJR because of his booming voice and the many stories he tells. And the 90-year-old man has quite a few sad stories.
"One night I go to bed and I feel my toes scratching me...," he said describing the first time he became aware that he was diabetic; unfortunately, that itch came too late. "...I remember they operate on me the Saturday and when I wake up the Sunday morning and don't see the foot, I cried."
Despite his charisma and talent, the loss of his leg meant exclusion from his normal way of life.
But he didn't look lonely that Tuesday morning, amidst a circle of men discussing current affairs as they listened to a talk show on the radio. Although for many, despite the loss of freedom and life as they know it, the infirmary provides family, friends and an environment of security which did not exist.
As the men eat together, sleep in beds inches apart from each other as well as see, smell, hear and share in the symptoms of their age and circumstance, they often have little choice but to develop affection for each other and the people who care for them.
"We are all here, we live like friends and brothers. We don't have anywhere going. The Matron very pleasant, she talk with me every day," said 63-year-old Hubert Robinson who looked up at the calendar by his bed as he stated that he had been at the infirmary for three years and six months.
Mr. Robinson was a carpenter, but he hasn't worked since 1973 when he fell off a roof. His mother cared for him, until she died.
As many of the men look toward the end of their lives, Matron Hilda Richards of the St. Catherine Infirmary is pondering the future of the younger generation of Jamaican men.
"I have found that most of the people here are unskilled people or labourers. You will find one or two professionals as well. But most of my clients don't have any record of tax or NIS contribution. This is why the Government has to step in to ensure that there are opportunities for the young men of today or you can see where they will end up," the Matron said.
