https://www.weekly-echo.com/the-rights-of-the-elderly/
https://www.thestar.com.my/opinion/letters/2024/01/11/we-can-do-more-for-our-elderly-population
Recently I came across an interesting new
European strategy for older persons[1]. The strategy is supported by a guarantee for older people –
similar to the European Youth Guarantee and the European
Child Guarantee – which serve as the tool for implementing the strategy at
the EU and national levels, and which enables EU funding to be used to finance
programmes that support the elderly.
This is indeed a significant step forward,
especially given the prevalent negligence of the needs of the elderly by
communities and institutions everywhere.
In Malaysia, this is also not very different. In fact, a dear friend, Lily Fu, made the movie ‘Meniti Senja'/'The
Twilight Years'[2] in 2020 on this very social issue in
Malaysia. Meniti Senja explored
the alarming rise in the elderly being left to fend for themselves in aged care
centres, removed from the comfort of homes they knew and children they raised,
reflecting the breakdown of traditional family values in modern Malaysian
society that marginalises the elderly. Recounting the stories of people who are
mothers, fathers, grandparents – now slowly aging amidst strangers within the
walls of a care home, this film revealed their heart -breaking stories of
abuse, exploitation and abandonment.
The prevailing
narrative in the media around the elderly often focuses on the burden on
strained pension and healthcare systems.
While it is critical to meet the specific care, resource, and health
needs of the elderly, it is important not to reduce them to these needs. Even
in the face of physical limitations, older members of society contribute to
their communities in a myriad of ways. Furthermore, continued physical and
mental activity not only improves health and well-being, it allows the wealth
of knowledge and experience that this population has accumulated over their
lifetimes to be harnessed for the common good.
Some
other narratives dwell on loneliness and societal isolation among the elderly. When one retires from active employment, a
sense of loneliness and isolation can set in when he/she is no longer regarded
as having something of worth to contribute to others. And yet, the desire to
contribute meaningfully to society, to have a purpose beyond one’s own needs,
does not disappear because one has reached retirement age. We need to rethink
of what it means to contribute to society—beyond narrowly attributing this to
remunerated employment—fundamental to appreciating the elderly.
Truth be told, many sectors including the
government offer special discounts and privileges to the elderly, but surely,
we can do more. We need to remember that
human rights and dignity do not diminish with age. Older people should not be viewed
as welfare recipients, but as citizens with the same rights to a full,
non-discriminatory life as people of all ages.[3] Thought needs to be given to how
intergenerational bonds can be strengthened throughout society, beginning at
the grassroots of community life. For example, how can the elderly act as a
source of experience and wisdom for younger generations? How can children and
youth be of service to the elderly? How can spaces be created that foster
connections between different generations? There is a need for
conversations, at all levels of society, on how we and the society can do
better for our warga emas.
A
longer life expectancy is now a norm thanks to advances in material prosperity.
A flourishing community is one which is intergenerational in nature and avoids
treating elderly populations as a group separated from the rest of society. Our
society would be for the better and stronger when we embrace every
individual—regardless of age, and offer channels through which their innate
desire to contribute meaningfully to their society can find practical expression[4].
[1] https://www.age-platform.eu/a-new-eu-strategy-for-older-persons-to-tackle-ageism-and-address-demographic-change/#:~:text=Among%20other%20suggestions%2C%20the%20EESC,European%20Year%20of%20Older%20People
[2] https://freedomfilm.my/festival/film/meniti-senja-the-twilight-years-2020/
[3] Dr Heidrun Mollenkopf, AGE President