Care for the Elderly - Provision for A strong support system

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The Need For A Strong Ageing Support System

• Puan Nur Syahidah binti Abdul Jalil
• January 3, 2017
  

The advent of the new calendar year inevitably adds one’s age. For those in the middle aged group, they are acutely aware that when God has let them live this long, they are apparently advancing towards old age, barring any unforeseen circumstances along the way.

Indeed, old age is usually associated with several physical and mental dysfunctions. Physically, the elderly may be compromised in strength even though they are in good health. Hearing and sight problems may set in while others may have mental issues like Alzheimer’s, Empty Nest syndrome, depression and others. According to Nikmat and Almashoor, about 50,000 suffered from Alzheimer’s in Malaysia in 2012.

The physical and mental deficiencies of the elderly resemble the weaknesses of man during childhood. Sophocles, a dramatist of ancient Greek in one of his plays, The Lost Dramas once said, “…for he who is growing old becomes a child once more.”

Malaysia is fast joining the global ageing population. According to the United Nations, by 2030, those aged 60 years and above reach 15 per cent of the population. Thus, we need to be prepared in terms of facilities, development planning, economy and social support system, and others. If these are not done for others, then consider it to be done at least for ourselves once we reach old age.

Countries like Japan, Italy, Greece, Germany, United Kingdom and others already have more than 15 per cent of the elderly. These developed nations have a great ageing support system. Germany, for example, has a Long Term Care Insurance (LTCI) system which is financed both by the public and private sectors. For public LTCI system, a mandatory percentage of payroll tax is shared by employer and employee according to certain stipulations.

The long-term care insurance for the elderly in Japan, on the other hand, is differentiated from medical insurance so it may cover and collect premium from both retiree and employee. The insurer must be the state or public corporation that has authority to ensure all targeted people participate in the scheme.

In Malaysia, several schemes for the elderly are available to cater to different needs. Bantuan Orang Tua for example is designed by providing RM300 cash per month to the elderly without income in the community, while Rumah Kenanga accommodates the elderly with neither heirs nor income but able to manage themselves. For those without both heirs and income and bedridden as well will be placed at Rumah Ehsan. The three schemes come under the Department of Social Welfare which has other schemes or help available under public or private agencies.

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The shared value from the three different countries on the ageing support system practiced is that they try as much as possible to place the elderly among their own family members. No one should ever be separated from their own family without any valid reason especially children and elderly parents. However, nowadays, other socio-economic issues lead the family members especially the children to abandon their old parents. Among them are poverty, shelter, time, bad childhood experiences and others.

Today, the younger generation needs to face challenges that they cannot overcome by themselves. For example, years of income stagnation in addition to the increment of living cost, inappropriate shelter like a one or two-bedroom due to escalating house prices, double shifts or dual career to sustain themselves and their children and many more.

Despite the challenges, children must be responsible in caring for their old parents, even when the challenges they encounter may affect their treatment of their elderly parents. In some cases, the children as caregivers to elderly parents suffer mental depression and financial difficulties. Research by Prof. Dr. Brooke Hallowell of the University of Ohio found that 80 per cent of dementia caregivers have very high stress levels.Without proper help, the children may end up abandoning their own parents. Such an act without valid reason is not only against religion, but also the norm and humanity. In Islam, such a mistreatment is considered “derhaka” (disobeying one’s parent) and in inscribed in a Malay fable,Tanggang, so-named of the son whose mistreatment of his mother after marrying a princess and becoming rich turned him into stone as punishment.

Indeed, besides providing direct support system to the elderly, we must also address how to help the young generation to support their own parents. We need to preserve family values even though we live in a modern global world nowadays. This can be done by focussing on issues that influence the elderly to ask for non-family support system.

For example, the cost of living needs to be cut down by appropriate intervention in the economy. All stages of income especially that of the middle-class need to be revised. At present, the minimum wage policy is implemented. The policy reduces the wage gap between those of the middle-class income and the lower-class income, but differences in terms of position, skill, job scope, talent and experience still pose a huge gap.

Several initiatives that encourage the young to help take care of their elderly parents can be implemented. For example, a new housing scheme can be established for those who care for and take their own parents to live with them especially in big cities like Kuala Lumpur, Johor Bahru and Pulau Pinang. In addition, awareness campaigns on “kindness towards family members” may be created to assist those who suffer from family dysfunctions during childhood and grow up holding grudges towards their own parents. They can be helped by providing counselling while talk programmes can be conducted to help young parents on how to raise children amidst the modern challenges.      

As the fertility rate keeps declining and life expectancy increasing, the number of the ageing population will continue to increase relatively. Indeed, population ageing matters since it challenges the nation’s economy, social support system and most importantly, it challenges our humanity. The elderly should be treated with wisdom, love and mercy especially among their own family members. In Islam, parents are ranked highly and the responsibility of taking care of them rests on the children especially when the parents reach old age and become infirm. Neither a little “ah” nor harsh words can be uttered to them, but only good words to address them (the Quran,17:23).

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so , kita akan tertanya kepada persoalan  tentang  tanggungjawab kepaad ibu bapa daripada perspektif islam:

a) ap ayg ditakan bentuk penjagaan  atau dimaksudkan dengan frasa ' berbakti' kepaad ibu bapa ? mengikut pandangan Islam ?

b) apakah terdapat kriteria tertentu yg penjagaan ibu bapa yg lanjut usia ditambah pula dengan mereka , ada dalam kalangan mereka yg mempunyai penyakit tertentu yg memerlukan penjagaan yg rapi dan pantauan sepenuh masa?

i) dalam konteks ini - adakahislamically permissible and acceptable kalau ada  sokongan seperti respite house / care  ditawarkan dengan SYARAT - anak anak itu hendaklah terlibat dalam penjagaan secara langsung dan tidak langsung   dan beterusan


ii) apa yg berlaku di barat ialah - wow pusat penjagaan dewasa lanjut usia memang bagus , high quality tapi ....golongan di hantar untuk menghabiskan sisa hidup dan peranan anak dalam  aspek penjagaan  amat amat terhad ...


so ...yups

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atau ini mungkin membuka peluang keusahawanan bagi merek ayg mempunyai kelayakan yg melayakkan mereka membuka pusat sokongan dalam apa apa bentuk kepada golongan ini ? secara berbayar ataupun atas dasar amal jariah - amal bakti  / kudrat ?