Whenever we talk of marginalised groups, many of us tend to think of migrant workers, Orang Asli, refugees, plantation workers and squatters, people with HIV/AIDS.
Often, we tend to overlook the fact that many of the senior citizens among us are no less marginalised, whether at home or in public life, while the young take centre stage.
It is a sad fact that the contribution of senior citizens to society and their wisdom are rarely recognised. Many of them receive only a few hundred ringgit a month in pension or have long since used up their meagre EPF savings and have to rely on their children for financial support. For most of them, it is a daily struggle to balance their budget.
I had a long chat with William, a sprightly senior citizen, several months ago. He told me about the deep loneliness and insecurity that accompany old age and the alienation that senior citizens often feel. It prompted me to write a piece for the Malaysian Herald, an excerpt of which is reproduced below:
When you consider that the cost of living has soared, it is hard to imagine how retirees make ends meet. This is especially true in the case of health care. On the one hand, private hospital treatment is so expensive, while on the other the queues at government hospitals are so long. If Jesus were around, he would surely have pity on the crowds, many of them senior citizens, waiting to see doctors, waiting at the pharmacy to get their medicines, waiting for buses to take them to hospital. If they need to see a specialist or need specialised tests such as an MRI, they may have to wait for weeks if not months. God help those who need urgent specialist attention and who don’t have the money. Even if the serious ill are admitted to hospital, how are the bed-ridden treated there and what is the quality of nursing care like?
But getting to the hospital itself is another challenge. They either have to rely on family members and friends for transport. Taxis are of course expensive, especially for those struggling to make ends meet. Our public transport, on the other hand, is hardly friendly to senior citizens and the disabled nor does it take you up to the hospital doorstep. For senior citizens to use public transport, it has to be safe, accessible, efficient, caring and inexpensive. Can that be said for the public transport we have in Malaysia?
Moreover, to use public transport, you have to first walk along the road and cross at junctions. Crossing a busy road can be a nightmare for the ailing senior citizen or disabled person as unfortunately, here in Malaysia, motor vehicles rule the road.
The pavements are no easier as many of them are designed without the senior citizens and disabled in mind. They have all kinds of obstacles in their path, with steep steps up and down ever so often. The pedestrian will be confronted with motorcycles (parked illegally), lampposts, telephone booths, signboard stands, tables and chairs. How are senior citizens and the disabled supposed to navigate their way through this obstacle course? This is in stark contrast to more developed countries, where senior citizens often use public transport at discounted rates and walk along or even use wheelchairs along wide empty pavements that are much friendlier to their needs.
Dear bloggers
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This kutu really hopes you can update me on your latest posting in
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hi Anil,
How right you are about the sad state of affairs for our senior citizens. In klang itself there is- if i’m not mistaken, one or two fully qualified geriatrician (s) for the whole of klang.
What happens when the geriatrician is not around?
There is no life line, i feel, for our senior citizens. Especially medically.
Worse still is when Alzheimers or some debilitating disease hits them; this has tremendous side effects on the entire family.
Direct family members become sole caregivers. They stress out because there is no outlet for them,while their parents feel depressed that they have become 100% dependent on their children.
There is no support groups for caregivers, not any outlets for senior citizens. Malaysia is a big country and logistics wise, the elderly will face problems trying to reach out to others, unless they are computer savvy.
There is not enough information for our elderly on what to expect in their old age, nor for their families either; where care is concerned.
What kind of services can they rely on?
Why aren’t day care centers for the elderly checked and controlled by the respective city halls ?
There are so many whys and very little answers, I’m afraid; espcially where care for the elderly in Malaysia is concerned.
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The phrase “golden” is a way for the mind to cope with something uncomfortable. The younger generations, often caught up in their own “activities” and “busy-ness”, masked their discomfort of “abandoning” their parents by telling themselves that they are having a wonderful “golden” years.
Parents also in not wanting to impose upon their children would often project a honky-dory existence in front of their children.
I had such a friend who had died about 2 years back. And some of the old folks I had visited and helped over the years, not in malaysia, I found that many spent their time in clever distraction and when they are not able to distract themselves anymore many spent their time in regret. The old folks I had visited seem to cry when they see me
… must be my enduring charm that people just love to hate. Their stories of regret are often heart rending and many do not have the capacity to resolve it.
Many folks who visited them tried to create a happy atmosphere but in my association with many of them they no longer wanted to be fooled by all the silly antics that these visitors tried to project. Many wanted to just get things off their chest and if possible to resolve some of the deep seated pain within their hearts.
I visited an old folks home witha buddhist group many years back. One by one these “inmates” came and started pouring out their soul to me. While the rest of the group just hop from bed to bed saying a few canned phrases of cheer and happiness(who do they think they are fooling) I spent time with each one getting to know them. I always make it a point to hold their hands – laugh with them when they laugh and shed a tear or two when they cry. What they needed was the human touch not some do-gooder wanting to gain “merit” or validate the delusion that they are kind and good.
In australia where I had stayed briefly the government and a lot of her citizens took great pain to help the elderly. Many elderlies who were home-bound had people delivered food daily to them. In singapore also in some housing estates where many elderlies stayed they have similar scheme. They even have a special electronic device they could press and someone from the estate office will go up to assist. Such things doesn’t really cost much. With all the billions squandered away and stolen many of these things could have helped our rakyat who are on their final stretch of their existence on earth.
Who is listening and who is reading ? This post only drew 16 views. If Anil had put another title such as “Old folks in Kampung Buah Pala” the viewership would have shot off the roof. Maybe Anil would want to do such an experiment
.
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