During\nthe implementation of the MCO, the government has encouraged and urged firms\nand employers to address the challenges of child care due to the temporary\nshutdown of schools and child care centres. Among of them are allowing employees\nto work from home if possible as well as to take turns accordingly with their\nspouses in coming to the office. Although it is merely on a voluntary basis, many\nfirms and employers have responded positively to the call by allowing workers\nto take turns to ensure the well-being of their young children at home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even\nthough not all labour sectors have such flexibility, the effort is seen as a\nsuccess for all Malaysians including the government, employers and the public\nin understanding the importance of care issues in general.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Understanding\nthe importance of care in general should also be extended to the elderly. Indeed,\ncaring for the elderly has its own challenges to the caregivers, especially the\nworking children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Malaysia\nis expected to become an old nation by 2030 when individuals of 60 years old and\nabove exceeds 15 per cent of the population. This is not an uncommon situation as\nthe life expectancy of Malaysians is increasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nincrease of the elderly or ageing population is also one of the characteristics\nof developed countries. For example, in the UK, the population of those aged 65\nand above is one out of every five individuals in 2018. Whereas in Japan in\n2020, the number of individuals aged 65 and above is about 25 per cent of the\ntotal population.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Based\non the data, the ageing population is expected to continuously increase in the\nfuture. Therefore, to accommodate such an increase, the number of facilities\nnamely health, care and social support should also be enhanced to ensure that\nthe elderly receive a good quality of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Healthy\nageing becomes the main goal when we reach the golden age. Even so, several\nfactors prevent the elderly from getting quality living at the end of their\nlife. Among the challenges experienced by many in their senior age are having\nto deal with chronic illnesses, living in poverty, being lonely and grappling\nwith emotional stress. Unfortunately, almost similar challenges inflict the informal\ncaregivers of the elderly, albeit at a younger age.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Traditionally,\nthe responsibility of caregiving usually rests exclusively on a female member at\nhome in the family or society such as the wife, mother, child, daughter-in-law,\nsiblings, relatives or neighbours. However, as many women receive education\nnowadays that lead them to participate in the labour sector, the role as\ncaregivers is no longer home-exclusive. Today, the role of a caregiver is also\nregarded as a profession which can generate income, apart from it being as a\nform of filial piety for both sons and daughters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Generally,\nMalaysia still adopts the traditional concept of informal care for the elderly.\nThis means that most family members and the local community provide care\nservice to the elderly rather than enrol them in formal care institutions. In\nfact, women also remain as the main caretakers of the elderly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
According\nto Khadijah Alavi in a 2007 study, some adult children are unable to provide care\nfor their parents especially those with chronic illnesses. The children are in need\nof help and support from agencies such as the Social Welfare Department and\npublic health services to care for their elderly parents, especially those who suffer\nfrom physical and mental incapabilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The\nsame study also shows the difference in care service challenges between disabled\/partial\ndisabled elderly with those who can still care for themselves. Therefore,\nsupport from related agencies, communities, and families in particular, is\nhighly important to assist caregivers in taking care of the elderly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among\nthe duties as a caregiver include providing emotional support; helping with\nhouse chores such as preparing meals and house cleaning; assisting the elderly\u2019s\nphysical needs such as bathing, eating, taking medicine and bringing them for\nhospital appointments; as well as, managing their financial matters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Such\ntasks need to be done by the caregiver as the elderly themselves experience a continuous\ndecline in biological and psychological functioning. As such, it can be equally\nstressful for caregivers when they do not get proper support from others.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In\nIslam, the degradation of the human functioning for the aged is mentioned in Surah Yasin<\/em> verse 68. The verse reminds\nus that such a situation is a form of a test not only on the individual, but\nalso on those who are close to them. Therefore, in dealing with such a natural\nphenomenon, each child is obliged to be persistently gentle to both parents as\nthey age (Al Isra\u2019<\/em>: 23).<\/p>\n\n\n\n In\nthe light of this fact, it is clear that we need to emphasise care service to\nthe elderly. Not only is it about improving their quality of life, but also the\nlife of their caregivers. We need to be ready in exploring the new segment of\nelderly care service in line with present requirements.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Such\npreparations include expanding community centre services for the elderly, providing\nrelevant subsidies to caregivers especially those who fully care for their\ndisabled elderly, providing and encouraging community-based training as caregiver,\ncreating more job opportunities in geriatric sector, offering and encouraging flexibility\nin the working sector in order to sustain the caregiver\u2019s income, providing\npsychological support to both caregiver and the elderly as well as changing the\nmisconception of the formal institutions as a dumping place for the elderly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Indeed,\nMalaysians in general still maintain informal care as a top priority for caring\nthe elderly. Such an option, however, should come with a package that improves\nthe quality of life of the elderly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n To\nachieve the objective, everyone must be willing to accept the reality of ageing\nwhich will be experienced by all if given a long life. However, such a long\nlife is riven with uncertainties such as being able to manage ourselves or having\nto depend heavily on others. Therefore, we should strive now by preparing\nourselves for healthy and quality ageing in the future, and practise a healthy lifestyle\nfinancial management.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Let\nus make supplications for our parents and love them wholeheartedly, \u201cAnd lower unto them the wing of humility\nthrough mercy, and say: \u2018My Lord! Bestow on them Your Mercy as they did bring\nme up\u2019\u201d<\/em> (Al-Isra\u2019<\/em>: 24).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" During the implementation of the MCO, the government has encouraged and urged firms and employers to address the challenges of child care due to the temporary shutdown of schools and child care centres. Among of them are allowing employees to work from home if possible as well as to take turns accordingly with their spouses…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":36,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_analytify_skip_tracking":false,"_wpzoom_pinterest_image_url":"","_wpzoom_pinterest_hidden_image":"0","_wpzoom_pinterest_description":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[139],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27484","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-new-straits-times","category-139","description-off"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27484","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/36"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27484"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27484\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27484"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27484"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ikim.gov.my\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27484"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}