Govt to adopt program on the elderly<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The government is preparing a program to enable
\npeople over 60 years of age to become independent and productive.<\/p>\n
In line with the policy of having the elderly live within the
\nfamily, a national program is being devised based on studies in
\nYogyakarta, East Java, Bali, Central Java and West Sumatra.<\/p>\n
The program will start in conjunction with the International
\nDay for the Elderly on Oct. 1, Harry Heriawan Saleh of the State
\nMinistry for Transmigration and Population said.<\/p>\n
Harry, the Deputy Minister for Population Quality, told The
\nJakarta Post on Tuesday that the five provinces were chosen for
\ntheir highest concentration of elderly people and diverse ways of
\ndealing with the elderly.<\/p>\n
To help fund the program, the United Nations Fund for
\nPopulation Activities (UNFPA) has contributed some US$400,000
\nwith a promise of more to come, Harry said on the sidelines of a
\nseminar on the elderly, held by the National Family Planning
\nBoard (BKKBN).<\/p>\n
He added the upcoming program consisted of projects spanning
\nfive to 10 years, focusing on improving social welfare and
\nsecurity, health services, family and community support, life
\nquality and improving the availability and quality of facilities
\nfor the elderly.<\/p>\n
The increasing number of the aged has spurred the government
\nto take action, especially because of the low social welfare,
\nservices and facilities for the elderly in the country.<\/p>\n
State Minister of Transmigration and Population Al Hilal Hamdi
\nsaid that by 2020 Indonesia would face an \"aged population boom\".<\/p>\n
Those above 60 would grow to 29 million from 18 million in
\n2000, he said in his speech read by Harry.<\/p>\n
BKKBN chief Khofifah Indar Parawansa said that placing the
\nelderly in special homes should only be the resort for those
\nwithout families, or whose families were poor.<\/p>\n
\"Our people still uphold the values of being together,\"
\nKhofifah, also the state minister for women's empowerment, said.<\/p>\n
Al Hilal pointed to the gradual change in Indonesian society,
\nleading to more problems in caring for aged parents due to
\nsmaller families.<\/p>\n
The changes were smaller families, the high mobility of the
\nyounger generation leading to elderly communities and declining
\npsychological ties between generations.<\/p>\n
Such changes compel the elderly to become more independent, he
\nsaid in his speech.<\/p>\n
\"The stereotyped depiction of the elderly as a burden on the
\nfamily and society must be changed to one of productivity and
\nindependence,\" Khofifah said.<\/p>\n
She said that many people above 60 were still productive, fit,
\nand had good memory, however many have had to retire at 55, given
\nthe retirement age for civil servants. Demographers note that
\nhalf of Indonesia's elderly are still working.<\/p>\n
Nessim Tumkaya, a UNFPA representative, said the option of
\nplacing the elderly in special homes in the West \"provides a
\nlogical solution\" in the short term, \"but many problems have
\narisen from it.\"<\/p>\n
He said he was happy to note that in Indonesia the elderly
\nwere integrated into the family where they could contribute their
\nwisdom and experience. (10)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/govt-to-adopt-program-on-the-elderly-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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