BY 2030, 15.3% of the Malaysian population will be aged 60 and older. However, the voices and concerns of this demographic are often overlooked.

New trends elude them, and politicians focus on attracting the youth vote because the young are the hope and future of the nation.

In contrast, the elderly are often viewed as unproductive and requiring higher spending on their health and welfare. They are called “dependent”, “burdensome”, “conservative”, and “rigid and stubborn”. We forget that they had once contributed to nation building.

Everyone ages. We will all grow old one day.  There is a saying that one can expect to be treated in their old age the same way one treated the elderly when one was young.

It is not true that older people cannot be productive, healthy, vital, active, and independent. 

However, society and government must plan for older people to reach their full potential and lead meaningful lives rather than become obstacles whose needs are unsupported.

It is unfair to ask older people to behave like teenagers (even if they may still have the teen spirit) just as we do not ask young children to behave like adults.

Policies must be inclusive, especially of vulnerable and minority groups.

In 2023, the official “old age dependency ratio” was estimated at 10.6%, or one elderly person for every 10 adults aged 15-64.

Regardless of the statistics, each situation is different and old people do not always have family members to depend on.

Data from 2019 show a gradual increase in the number of single households with an elderly person (aged 60 and over), reaching 3.3%, while multi-person households with only older people reached 4.9%.

These are the “independent” older people, some of whom remain so by choice and others who are forced into the situation.

In the 2022 documentary “Grey Scale”, director Evelyn Teh tells the story of her aunt who lives alone in Penang. She shows her aunt coping on her own with daily challenges from grocery shopping to going to the government clinic. She even had to face a severe flash flood in her house.

Teh’s work also touched on the mental health of an older person living alone. Health is not just about physical illness; loneliness can have a big effect on an older person’s wellbeing.

“Meniti Senja”, a 2020 documentary directed by Lily Fu, showed a private elderly care home in Puchong, capturing the daily routine of the residents. Some of the residents and the home founder were interviewed for their stories.

Another problem is the growing number of elderly people being abandoned by their families who may lack the knowledge, skill, time, or money to care for their elderly relatives.

Many of the elderly living in homes long for visits from their children.

Fortunately, the Puchong home is in the good hands of a former, experienced nurse who has trained the staff to give the elderly residents a sense of purpose and community.

It saddens me to receive many appeals for donations from old folk’s homes to help them with their many bills.

Small donors can only do so much.

Homes must not be left to fend for themselves as public generosity wanes in the face of inflation.

It is time for the government to step in and provide support, including funding, to help the elderly meet heir most basic needs of shelter, food, and health.

The growing trend for more licensed but financially unstable homes to accommodate the elderly is a worrying sign that more elderly people could suffer the trauma of inadequate care.

The government must look ahead and prepare for an ageing population.

Infrastructure, funding, policies, and legislation must be in place for planning and execution.

Politicians, you must be inclusive as you are elected to represent everyone. Do not just think of the old people when you are campaigning for their votes. – July 2, 2024.