A big question being asked by many countries is what will happen if the ageing population rises
above the active adults and children? Statistics show that this possibility is slowly approaching
making Malaysia soon an ageing nation.
Dr Wong Teck Wee, president of the Malaysian Healthy Ageing Society, highlights that if this
were the case, middle-aged adults would not only have to take care of their children but also
their own ageing parents , a term he describes as “Sandwich Generation.
An ageing nation is one where more than 7% of the population is over 65. According to
research done by University Malaya, Malaysia holds 2 million people above the 65 age range
and numbers are expected to rise to 3.5 million in the coming year to reach 6.3 million in 2040.
Dr Wong says that the cause lies in the fact that the elderly are living longer but unhealthily,
needing more resources to care for them which in turn, will affect the country’s productivity.
Most elderly in Malaysia are not financially independent and have to rely on their children and
family for support. Dr Wong mentions that since the average earning per household is
RM6,500, healthcare cost can have a strong impact on families.
This issue is happening in Japan too where elderly are living longer yet cost of living increases.
This instigates them to commit small crimes just to end up in prison where they are taken better
care of.
Dr Wong proposes that Malaysia works to plan its own system to solve this and to not follow the
western system which provides free facilities and fully catered meals to their elderly.
This is to prevent them from being dependent on the government so that if the government
fails, the whole thing wouldn’t collapse. He goes on to say that elderly people should learn to
take care of themselves and learn more about healthy ageing as a tool for their own wellbeing.
He believes in the importance of educating the young today on healthy eating, mental health
and even financial knowledge of saving and budgeting so that one day, they can become a new
generation of elderly that are more independent.
Not forgetting on the opportunity for current elderly to learn these topics from their own
grandchildren today. Learning is the way, no matter one’s age.
