Elderly need more than home care<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
When her husband died 12 years ago, Rauni could only grieve and
\nhas lived in depression since. Poverty has haunted the 65-year-
\nold and her three children, worsening her condition.<\/p>\n
She would get angry easily and often smashed things into
\npieces without any reason.<\/p>\n
However, since she has received regular visits from volunteers
\nof the HelpAge Indonesia foundation, she has managed to cope with
\nher anger and grief and started to accept reality.<\/p>\n
\"She can smile now and she is willing to talk about her
\nproblems. Her condition is completely different from when I
\nvisited her for the first time,\" said volunteer Zainuddin, 54.<\/p>\n
Rauni's case is only one example of the ongoing home care
\nprogram -- a pilot project conducted by HelpAge Indonesia in
\ncooperation with HelpAge Korea in Tegal Alur that began in March.<\/p>\n
The program, which has been a success in Korea, is aimed at
\nprovide activities for senior citizens by visiting the homes of
\n46 selected elderly people in the subdistrict at least once a
\nweek.<\/p>\n
Tegal Alur was elected for the pilot project because it is
\namong the poorest subdistricts in the city. There are around 400
\nelderly people who need help, but the foundation has only
\nrecruited 36 volunteers for the project.<\/p>\n
HelpAge Korea executive secretary Cho Hyun-se said the home
\ncare program, which was launched in 1987, has received support
\nfrom the Korean government.<\/p>\n
\"I hope this program will also be successful here,\" he said
\nduring a recent visit to Tegal Alur.<\/p>\n
The volunteers revealed that the home care program here would
\nbe different from that in Korea since most of the elderly people
\nhere live in poverty.<\/p>\n
Lynna, 33, another volunteer who is assigned to take care of
\nUmar, 83, said that the elderly would need more than just visits.
\nShe pointed that Umar, who works as a masseur to survive, lives
\nin a four-square-meter makeshift house without ventilation.<\/p>\n
\"I always smell the stench of urine when I enter his house,\"
\nshe said, adding that Umar now lives alone because his six
\nchildren already have their own families. She said Umar could not
\nrely on his children because they were also poor.<\/p>\n
A similar comment came from volunteers Maryati and Zainuddin,
\nwho suggested that the foundation provide more assistance for the
\nelderly so they could lead healthier lives.<\/p>\n
Responding to the requests, Cho said he was unsure if the
\nfoundation headquarters in Korea could sponsor more programs for
\nthe elderly people in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
HelpAge Korea also has similar programs in nine other members
\nof the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It hands
\nover US$12,000 per year to each member country. The program will
\nlast for two and a half years.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/elderly-need-more-than-home-care-1447893297",
"image": ""
},
"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
}