Punishing those who neglect the elderly

WHAT'S YOUR STATUS?

Friday, 27 Sep 2019 2:47 PM MYT

By Danial Rahman

EARLIER this week, a news item caught my eye. Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Dr Wan Azizah Wan
Ismail had announced that a Bill for senior citizens was expected to be tabled in Parliament in 2021, citing
a need for legislation to protect the rights of the elderly.

This, she had said, was due to the increasing number of neglect and abuse cases.

Once the Bill is passed, one of the aspects mentioned was that children who neglect, abuse or abandon
their elderly parents could be penalised by the law.

How very sad that it has come to this.

To me, and a lot of others I know, looking after our parents who had looked after us is the cycle of life. So,
to come to the stage where our evolving society needs legislation to protect parents is a reality that is
emotionally
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In a February news report, Dr Wan Azizah – who is also Women, Family, and Community Development
Minister – said that many children neglected their parents due to their work commitments as they
themselves were under pressure for their and their families’ economic well-being and livelihood.

This brought to mind one of my earliest columns more than four years ago, about the exemplary
behaviour of the son of one of the secretaries in my of ce who had stopped working for two years to care
full-time for his ailing grandfather.
“It is my duty... what’s two years after the many years Atok cared for me while my mother was working?”
he had told me at his grandfather’s funeral.

So, some family units hold together and thrive with loving sacri ce, while others fall apart.

You can read in the newspapers or portals and over social media the various abuses towards the elderly –
parents being abandoned at old folks homes, in hospitals; or of children living off their parents’ pensions,
EPF or savings.

There are also cases of elderly parents signing deeds to their homes to their children, only to be “kicked
out” later. Heartbreaking.

I know of an 80-year-old elderly gentleman who lives by himself in his house worth RM1mil but nds it
dif cult to meet his monthly bills. Fortunately, he has supportive friends but his aging years are not
carefree. He cannot mortgage his home, nor can he move from the area that he has become accustomed to
for over 30 years. Living in dignity is a challenge.

His former work colleagues are looking for a way in which he can monetise his home, possibly to get some
“rich Samaritan” to pay forward in buying the home with a partial payment and to allow him to live there
for his remaining years.

Mobilising well-being of society

I had recently written about “Digitally empowering the Silver Economy”.

To brie y recap, Malaysia’s ageing population is growing at a rate of 2.4% annually. As of 2018,
approximately 6.5% of the population (about 2.10 million) was aged 65 or above.

According to the World Health Organisation, when this reaches 7%, Malaysia will be deemed a nation
with an “ageing population”.

We will reach that stage within 15 years, with more than six million “Warga Mas” (the golden generation).

I did write that while we embrace technology, which can greatly uplift the lives of the elderly, we should
also think about the human applications that will be required – better town and country planning, and
better support services like comprehensive health and yes, nancial aid.

In Japan,Home
for instance, public parks
For You have elderly-friendly
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equipment (hey, the elderly like leisurely strolls in the park).

Technology cannot replace the face-to-face aspect. Yes, Apple Watches help us monitor the elderly (very
useful fall-detection, for instance) and Paro the therapeutic robot seal uses arti cial intelligence to help
provide company and reduce stress, but nothing replaces empowered humanity.

We often speak of the need to make teaching the best paid profession (and we should!), but how about
doing the same for elderly carers?
And I don’t just mean nurses or social workers, but also children who care for their parents. Consider it a
more targeted form of universal basic income (UBI).

Conclusion

So, it was great to hear from Dr Wan Azizah that both Universiti Malaya and Universiti Kebangsaan
Malaysia had been appointed to conduct studies on sustainable and integrated models for the care of
senior citizens encompassing these elements.

One practical suggestion would be to have government-monitored and jointly-run day centres and
homes in residential areas where the elderly in the area can be taken care of.

Malaysians are a caring and generous lot and there are many citizens who would be eager to volunteer
their services near their homes.

The baby boomers are not quite babies anymore. Most of them have played their role in creating the
foundations for the development and prosperity we have today.

Charity and well-being, after all belong at home and, by extension, in our neighbourhoods.

Danial Rahman
Danial Rahman has education close to his heart. He tweets at @danial_ari and welcomes
feedback at danialrahman0330@gmail.com.

https://twitter.com/danial_ari

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