Editorial: The 90% Project, we can do this!

Editorial

The company that owns Midweek is behind the push for almost total Covid-19 vaccination for all New Zealanders who are eligible.

It's the NZME 90% Project and its aim is to make this country a safer place by having a 90 per cent vaccination rate. Is it achievable?

Most of us have no problem with the idea of vaccination.

We know how some diseases have been rendered extinct by that means and some of us are old enough to remember young friends with disabilities caused by polio.

We all got the jab and knocked it on the head so later generations would not suffer. Our part of the Pacific was declared polio-free in 2000.

Despite the efficacy of vaccines in ridding the world of debilitating diseases and the mountains of proof that they worked, there are still naysayers who "do not believe" in vaccination.

To my horror, I discovered people who were against it for political reasons — "Jacinda's not going to tell me what to do!"

Perhaps those people could be persuaded otherwise. I hope so.

Then there are the conspiracy theorists who believe so much twaddle it's a wonder their brains can function. They're a lost cause.

But there are also members of some mainstream Christian religions and others whose teachings preclude or discourage the use of vaccines. For them, even the conversation is not an option and many of them will be filling out forms to get an exemption on religious grounds.

There are some who will argue that there is no such thing as a mainstream Christian religion, suggesting attrition, defection and modern education have reduced their numbers.

Nevertheless, those numbers make up a significant portion of the population, and when we're aiming for 90 per cent double dose vaccination, they will have an effect.

To be fair, most religions have embraced vaccination as a means of keeping their congregations well, so anti-vaxxers for religious reasons are part of an extreme minority.

Bearing all that in mind, I still think 90 per cent is achievable, if we pull our weight, so all we need are the procrastinators to get a wriggle on.

Speaking as one who has been received both vaccination doses, all we can do is hope common sense prevails and the health of the nation takes precedence.

■ October 1, this Friday, is International Day of Older Persons, but what does this mean?

That we suddenly dig up old episodes of The Golden Girls and Last of the Summer Wine, have a good laugh and forget all about it by Saturday?

Or that we take a closer look at how we, as a society, treat our older citizens?

Elder abuse is rife, approved and perpetrated by many, either through ignorance, convenience or profit.

Financial abuse is commonplace, in which unscrupulous people exercise the strength of their youth to bully their elders into parting with their money. It's easily done and can often be explained away.

However they do it, there are still older people left destitute while their progeny profit.

Too many senior citizens are unwilling to dob in the younger members of their family, so they get away with it.

There is physical abuse, too, which, if discovered, has serious consequences for the perpetrators. Still, there are people who think their elders are for them to control through fear and threats.

But there are other forms of elder abuse.

Forcing unwanted and expensive technology on to the cyber illiterate is a big one, but it's okay because it's good business, and the search for profit always overrides decency.

Manufacturing packaging impossible for older, arthritic hands to cope with is another, but this has come about because bureaucrats striving for customer safety and product hygiene can't see beyond the rules.

Elder abuse can take many forms, and in the world of business, while it is often identified, it remains unopposed.

There are always going to be younger people treating their elders badly and relieving them of their money and comfort, but it is the everyday, insidious abuse that perpetrators get away with.

Making older people struggle with everyday life is not okay, but there are examples of it all around, some of it innocent and unintended. Overly secure packaging is one, and as we work towards saving the planet, reducing the use of plastic and other ecologically disastrous materials, things will get easier for older people, albeit accidentally.

Coincidentally, this is also Mental Health Awareness Week.

■ Lockett Gallery community event, What's Under the Hat, Aunty?

Illustrator Kristy Wilkinson-Smith in tandem with author Lois Rodler will present this book at Lockett Gallery, 62 Guyton St, on Sunday, October 3 at 2pm.

Compiled in memory of 'Aunty Leah' and dedicated to her nieces and nephews, the book is an appreciation of how much more there was to their aunty than the struggles associated with being unwell.

Profits from the book and art sales will be donated to the Child Cancer Foundation.

All are welcome to support the cause. Drinks and light refreshments will be served 'al fresco' to conform with level 2 requirements.