Ageing Population: Policies and Programmes for Older People in Malaysia
Chang Foo Chung1*, Khairul Hanim Pazim2, Kasim Mansur2
1 Faculty of Accountancy, Finance and Business, Tunku Abdul Rahman University College Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
2 Faculty of Business, Economics and Accountancy, Universiti Malaysia Sabah, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
*Corresponding Author: [email protected]
Accepted: 15 July 2020 | Published: 31 July 2020
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Abstract: The process of ageing is inevitable. It’s not a matter of liking it or not, but it’s a matter of how a nation is preparing for its ageing population. The ageing population is a valuable human resource, and most of them are human capital. Older people invested their valuable youth in gaining knowledge and life experience, which is impossible for younger people to have it instantly. As of 2018, 6.51 percent of the population in Malaysia is classified as older people. This percentage is expected to reach 14 percent in the next 28 years, which is faster than many developed economies ever recorded. Malaysians are advised to plan and prepare for retirement. This paper attempts to explore various supports for older people in forms of financial aid and rehabilitation programmes from government, non- government organisations and private businesses. The main objective of this study is to educate the public on the availability of supports for older people in Malaysia. This paper can be used as a reference for future policymaking.
Keywords: ageing population, older people, policy
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1. Introduction
The ageing process is a natural process and it cannot be stopped as long as time is moving.
Getting older is not a disease but older people are prone to certain health conditions such as dementia, osteoporosis and other ageing condition (Jaul & Barron, 2017). Supports are essential to enable older people to live their life gracefully. By 2030, 14 percent of the total population in Malaysia will hit age 60 and above (Tei, 2017). The rate of increase in the percentage of older people to 14 percent is considered faster than many developed economies. This means that Malaysia has shorter time to prepare for the ‘aged population’.
Citizen needs to know available options for their old parents or themselves in future. It is important to realise that each household in Malaysia may have different income levels. Low income household may need a cheaper alternative and it is not possible to obtain ageing supports from private sectors (Goh et al., 2013). In order to support ageing population, the need for a comprehensive policy for older people is getting higher as the existing policy is still far behind compared to developed countries such as Japan, United Kingdom and so on and so forth (Aziz & Ahmad, 2019).
2. Literature Review
In Malaysia, an individual is considered an elderly once he or she aged 60 years (Country Report Malaysia, 2013). According to United Nations (2019), or known as UN, there are few
classifications of an ageing population for a particular country. The first term is ‘ageing population’. A nation is classified as an ageing population once the proportion of older people in the country hit 7 percent. The second term is the ‘aged population’. A country is categorized as aged population once the proportion of older people age 60 and above in the country hit 14 percent. Next is the ‘super -ageing population’. A country is called a super- ageing population once the proportion of older people in the country hit 21 percent. Some economists term this as an ‘ultra-ageing population’.
The population age structure in Malaysia has experienced a significant but not a drastic change over the past half-century. It is noted that Malaysia is also experiencing an increasing trend of older population like the rest of the world. This is due to, but not limited to, factors like fall in fertility rates (Aziz & Ahmad, 2019), better healthcare facilities (Hooyman &
Kiyak, 2011) and improvement in quality of life (Islam et al., 2017). Population ageing can be seen in Malaysia via the change in population age structures as shown in Figure 1 below:
Figure 1: Population Pyramid for Malaysia in 1960 and 2016
Studies show Malaysia is facing problems in regards to healthcare services for older people in Malaysia, especially in workforce supply (Poi, 2004; Arokiasamy, 1999). Poi (2004) suggested clinical leaders to band together with experts to create an integrated approach in dealing with the issue. Malaysia will need to learn from other healthcare systems to develop a better healthcare system. Further suggestion includes the study of the healthcare system in the UK and Australia for the training of future healthcare workers in Malaysia and development of a system that can provide answers to various challenges in the country’s health service.
It is highlighted by Poi (2004) that the incorporation of the best aspects of many healthcare systems around the world into a strategic system may not always produce favourable outcomes in Malaysia due to differences in various aspects include demographic and economic conditions. Arokiasamy (1999) identified that declining fertility affects the availability of caregivers and financial support for older people. Other findings include falling fertility rate leads to ageing of the labour forces and migration of younger people to the cities leads to an increase in the population of older people in rural areas. Both studies identified almost similar problems associated with ageing however with a different emphasis of the study.
Another issue related to ageing society in Malaysia is the lack of money to live a graceful life after retirement. A study by Tan et al. (2016) did point out that 90% of the contributors to
50 0 50 100
80>
70-74 60-64 50-54 40-44 30-34 20-24 0-14
Male (%) Female (%) 40 20 0 20 40
80>
70-74 60-64 50-54 40-44 30-34 20-24 0-14
Male (%) Female (%)
1960 2016
Employees Provident Fund (EPF) will not be able to maintain a stable lifestyle on their 5th year of retirement onwards. An improvement of the existing pension system is required to secure one’s living standard after their retirement (Yin-fah et al., 2010). Besides, promoting awareness on social responsibilities for an ageing society is essential to facilitate a graceful ageing process.
3. Policy for Ageing
In the 11th Malaysia Plan, government is focusing on improving the wellbeing of older people in Malaysia (Economic Planning Unit, 2016). Hence, in this section only welfare policies and services for older people in Malaysia will be discussed.
3.1 Public Policies for Older Persons
Malaysia’s government recognised issues associated with population ageing. Hence, the government executed the National Policy for the Elderly in 1995, and the revised National Policy for Older Persons in 2011. The government also adopted the National Health Policy for Older Persons in 2008. National Policy for Older Persons is aiming to promote better wellbeing for older persons. Under this policy, there are various institutional care centres that provide supports to older people such as Rumah Sejahtera, Rumah Seri Kenangan, 1Malaysia Family Care, Home Help Services and so on.
3.2 Private Care Centres
The availability of public care centres is limited and hence, it is impossible to cater to all older people at one time. The government allows private firms to participate in supplying care services to older persons under the Care Centres Act 1993. As of 2017, there are at least 310 private homes operated in Malaysia and benefitted more than 7,000 older persons (Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development, 2019).
3.3 Voluntary Welfare Organisations
According to the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development (2019), in 2016, there are 22 voluntary welfare organisations that received financial assistance from the government to provide various supports to unfortunate older persons. However, the number of older persons that are in need is more than the available supports. The government may need to allocate more resources to cater to the rising number of older persons in Malaysia.
3.4 Activity Centres for Older Persons (PAWE)
Throughout Malaysia, there are 132 activity centres for older persons (Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, 2020). This shows an increment in the number of activity centre by 44 from 88 activity centres for older persons in 2019 (Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, 2019). These centres provide activities and socialisation platforms for older persons in order to empower them and maintain their wellbeing. Table 1 below shows the number of activity centre based on states in Malaysia.
Table 1: Activity Centres for Older Persons (PAWE) based on States, Malaysia
State Number of Activity Centres for Older Persons (PAWE)
Johor 16
Selangor 16
Sarawak 13
Sabah 13
Kelantan 11
Kedah 11
Pahang 11
Kuala Lumpur 10
Terengganu 6
Negeri Sembilan 6
Pulau Pinang 5
Melaka 5
Perak 5
Perlis 2
Labuan 1
Putrajaya 1
Total 132
4. Findings
Older people in Malaysia received various supports from the government and the distribution of the activity centres is equitable between states where most of the activity centres for older persons (PAWE) located in the states with higher density of older people (Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, 2020; Department of Statistics Malaysia, 2019). However, some welfare supports may not be provided in some states. For instance, Rumah Ehsan and Rumah Sejahtera are not available in Sabah and Sarawak, only in Peninsular Malaysia (Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, 2020). Rumah Seri Kenangan will be available in Sarawak very soon to provide support to older people in Sarawak (Utusan Borneo Online, 9th February 2017). In addition, other supports such as transportation for older people is limited, particularly in Sabah and Sarawak. For instance, at Peninsular Malaysia, the government provides nine units of vans under Unit Penyayang Warga Emas (UPWE) to assist older people getting necessary treatment at the hospital (Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, 2020). Older people in rural areas may face limited access to medical services due to financial constraints and lack of supply of healthcare services (Goh et al., 2013).
5. Conclusions and Recommendations
Although there are policies to support ageing population, the existing welfare supports are not adequate in most of the states. More importantly, the public is not aware of such supports.
Cases like abandoning their old parents on the street were reported (Pillemer et al., 2016;
Noosorn & Kanokthets, 2015). All undesirable actions like abandoning their old parents could have been prevented if the public is fully aware and informed. The government should increase support for older people in Sabah and Sarawak as the number of older people also rising like in other states in Peninsular Malaysia. This study is conducted with the aim to educate the public on policies for older persons and to facilitate a graceful ageing process for every older person in Malaysia.
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