Interesting to hear that our neighbouring countries are doing much to help their citizens bear the rising cost of living. Singapore and more more recently Malaysia presented their new budget for the year. Full of help schemes and assistance for the less well off. New subsidies, pay raises, new schemes to help the less well off. Good for them for being responsible for the well being of the people in their care.
Politics at work? Making sure that the population are not disgruntled and showing a caring Government? Maybe. Nothing wrong with that and it is what the system is good for. Take care of the people and they will take care of you. The ideal state.
Now i'm not comparing them with us. Our Government is also doing what it can within the capacity available to them. Our Government is doing all they can to ensure prices do not rise by much....paying a lot of money (in subsidies) ensuring that prices of basic necessities remain the same. Different approaches, same results. Help the citizens go though the current rough patch.
Its interesting however, the way different countries do things differently. Which is better? I guess we'll each have to judge by ourselves.
I had a discussion with a friend the other day, about why we need to have a home for the elderly in the country. We both are of the view that this would be something positive. A home where old people can live together. Maybe this would not be acceptable to most. Maybe its because we have a rather negative view of what a home for the elderly would look like..full of really old folks who couldnt even walk and just sit still staring at blank walls. No thats not it. What i'm thinking about is a lively home environment for the elderly where they can enjoy life and conversation and activities with people their own generation.
My grandmother is 82 years old. My grandfather passed away some 15 years ago. Over the last few years, i see my grandmother getting lonelier. Most of us, her kids and grandkids, have grown and have our own families. So no matter how much we love her, we cant spend too many hours with her. We do try to be with her but in the daytime, we work and couldnt be at home. So she is alone, with the amahs. And during those times, she is bored. She complain that there is nothing to do. No one to talk to. Her great grandkids wouldnt play with her, not all the time. They are too active for her anyway. Shes 82 years old with nothing to do for most of the day. She used to be an active woman but she is now reduced to staring at the TV or staring at nothing.
A home for the elderly would be ideal. No maybe not a home, but a center when people her generation can be together and have some activities together. A place where they can gather and talk and have friends. That would be nice. Like a kindergarden or a playcenter for the elderly. Daytime only lah..say 8am to 5pm. Dont laugh. Its not a bad idea. Right?
But then..who would initiate such a place?
Monday, September 01, 2008
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3 comments:
It's my dream to build a place for the elderly daycare. I don't want them to stay there. I want them to come during the day, spending time with others and do little bits of physical activities with others who have the same pace as them so that they won't feel the pressure to hurry up. A place with garden as well for them to stay in or even if they are strong enough to do some simple gardening in order to feel they are still able to carry out activities which might be band by their families as their families want them to rest.
I used to dislike the idea of elderly homes. I remembered many years ago when our neighbouring country open a new elderly home, I scoffed at such institutions - thinking that such is a slippery slope towards establishment of uncaring society and youngsters (by pushing the responsibilities towards social workers)
But these days I've been living abroad. And I've been to a couple of such homecenters catering for the elderly. And I am seeing more of the positives. I realize my initial negative thoughts were very much unfounded.
Such homes, as you mention in this article, not just provide friends and activities to ease their loneliness (after all, no one wants to be left alone). These homes also provide welfare facilities and take good care of their health. We all know how when someone is already old and fallen sick, we call that 'sakit tua'. Even though that is true, but what we miss is that a fraction of those 'sakit tua' can actually be eased or helped with (palliative) medications that could be given through such centers - instead of letting the elderlies suffer in silence at their family homes.
Now, I do believe that having a daycare centre in the country is really a positive venture.
I have noticed the issue of the aging population has been on the agenda of certain agencies within the United Nations umbrella (namely UNFPA) as of late. Countries like Australia are also getting more concerned on providing the right type of care and homes for the elderly. The challenge in the Asian countries however is that many balk at the idea of sending their elderly parents to some place as this, perhaps more concerned on what the society might think of them as being unable to fulfill their duty as the filial sons/daughters for their parents in their old age.
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