ENCOURAGING the old to be independent and to harness the use of technology are the best options to address the fact that Malaysia would be an ageing nation. By 2030, 15% of the population will be aged 60 and above.
As fertility rates drop while Malaysians live longer and compounded by the damage triggered by Covid-19, becoming an ageing nation is a trend which the country must accept, earlier than later, said Elite Elder Services chief executive officer Irene Lee.
Lee, who manages the country's first old folks' outsourcing services firm, told The Vibes that creating more nursing homes may be unsustainable. It will only antagonise the elderly if they are forced to relocate from the comfort of their own homes.
Lee said this after the pandemic exposed the huge shortcomings that old folk nursing and care centres faced. Especially after state exco for welfare Phee Boon Poh pointed out that the majority of such facilities were ill-equipped to handle the virus outbreak.
The pandemic aside, Lee said that for the middle to long term, there is a need to revamp policies governing old age and the care services.
"We need more trained people, besides doctors and nurses, on geriatrics treatment. It is not just facilities, but [also about] staffing them with capable people."
But with the improvement in healthcare and life expectancy, Lee said that the elderly can be coaxed into becoming independent if they are not bedridden.
"There is also the technology which can be utilised from constant monitoring which can be connected remotely. The use of CCTV and social media as well as the new medical applications and monitoring devices. It must be fully utilised in the old care needs."
She also urged the younger generation to begin planning for old age. Besides the financial aspects, they must make decisions about how to cope with old age.
To make it appealing, Lee said that developers should also focus on building retirement villages with a range of services for the old to enjoy.
Apart from affordable housing, there is great potential in constructing facilities for the old to tap, including places for activities, said Lee.
"But such services must be tailored to make it affordable for the old, as they are mostly not working. So there is no source of income other than their retirement savings.
"However, the focus should be on allowing the old to stay at home instead of being confined at nursing homes. We can provide support services to keep them preoccupied and their mind sharp. We support daycare but we want the inmates to be independent."
She added that there is a need to outsource services in areas such as medication, nutrition, proper diet, exercise and utilising products and equipment for old age, so the costs can be brought down.
To remain at home, she said there is also a need to deploy nurses to check on the old.
Elite manages three nursing homes at Pantai Molek, Changkat Minden and in Bukit Mertajam on the mainland with a total of 55 inmates.
But it also prefers if the senior citizens can remain in their own homes, hence the range of outsourcing services it will provide.
For Lee, the notion that Malaysia is just nine years away from an ageing society status has not received widespread attention because people are preoccupied with Covid-19.
"But growing old is inevitable. We must accept it as a society."
Earlier, National Population and Family Development Board director-general Abdul Shukur Abdullah said that based on the projections of the Department of Statistics, the country is expected to achieve ageing nation status by 2030 when 15% of the population is expected to be aged 60 and above.
“However, with the pandemic, the status could be attained much earlier. In an opinion poll conducted last year, it was found that 53% of respondents expected that this pandemic would increase the number of births. But, the majority of the respondents (61%) decided to postpone or re-plan their pregnancy."
It was reported that last year, those aged 60 and above increased from 3.4 million (2019) to 3.5 million, representing 10.7% of the population. – The Vibes, November 12, 2021
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