Jakartans get older by the day<\/p>\n
Siblings used to fight each other for the honor of taking care of
\ntheir beloved parents; but now seniors fear dependence and
\nrejection. Government officials stress homes for the elderly must
\nbe the last option for those who are too poor to take care of
\ntheir elderly parents or for old people without children or
\nrelatives. The United Nations have declared 1995 Year of the
\nElderly and hopefully Indonesians will become more aware of
\nsenior citizens needs, who will number 19 million by the year
\n2000. Already we have the world's fourth largest graying
\npopulation. The Jakarta Post asked senior citizens, managers of
\nnursing homes and other sources to comment on the situation.<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): One day an old woman died of stroke and her
\nfriends were elated.<\/p>\n
\"What a wonderful death,\" they assured. There was little
\ngrief, just admiration of how someone could go so easily. No
\nlengthy, helpless stay in a hospital with tubes sticking in and
\nout of your body.<\/p>\n
\"What my friends and I fear most, is being sick for a long
\ntime,\" said Mrs. Ratmini Soedjatmoko. \"It poses a financial and
\nan emotional burden on our children,\" explained the widow of the
\nlate intellectual Soedjatmoko.<\/p>\n
\"When I'm no longer active I think I'll live in a nursing
\nhome. It will be nice,\" she said.<\/p>\n
Mrs. Soedjatmoko is one of the last people you would expect to
\nhave such feelings. The elegant lady, blessed with three
\ndaughters, lives in a lovely old house and few know she is 69.
\nWhen she is not busy with the Soedjatmoko Foundation, she works
\non her paintings.<\/p>\n
Imagining her in a special home is hard. Existing homes for
\nthe elderly in Jakarta are usually for the less fortunate.<\/p>\n
Saliman, in his 70s, is one of the less fortunate. He was
\npicked up by a city security team while begging. He had to beg
\nbecause his only skill was construction and no one would hire him
\nbecause of his age. He landed in a home for the elderly, where he
\nresents the lack of privacy.<\/p>\n
Even at the other end of the city's economic strata people are
\nfinding that old age and retirement is not always rosy. Last May,
\nthe former National Police Chief, Awaloeddin Djamin, strongly
\nurged that the official pension age be extended.<\/p>\n
\"It's the government's loss if it forces high ranking military
\nofficers to retire at 55, when they are at the peak of their
\nwisdom,\" Awaloeddin asserted.<\/p>\n
Although the old have experience, managers say they cannot
\ncontinue to employ the elderly because they must have room to
\npromote younger employees. The government is also concerned about
\nfinding work for restless youngsters.<\/p>\n
Army Chief of Staff Gen. Wismoyo Arismunandar recently had to
\nbrave retirement, but many old people continue to play a central
\nrole in running Indonesia. At 73, President Soeharto is the
\nultimate example.<\/p>\n
Awaloeddin and Mrs. Soedjatmoko are concerned that as life
\nexpectancy lengthens due to better social and economic
\nconditions, support for the elderly will deteriorate.<\/p>\n
Declining health is met with escalating medical costs. With a
\nstate pension of Rp 400,000 (US$180.26) a month, for instance, a
\nprofessor must pay Rp 75,000 ($33.80) a night for proper
\ntreatment in a hospital.<\/p>\n
Only a tiny portion of the population, the four million civil
\nservants, are covered by the state company in charge of pension
\nfunds, PT Taspen. Private insurance is still too expensive for
\nmost people in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Reluctance<\/p>\n
Mrs. Soedjatmoko believes that the tradition of parents
\nliving with their children will continue as long as housemaids
\nare available. \"Its cheaper than sending your parents to a home,\"
\nshe said.<\/p>\n
Today, however, a growing number of children are reluctant to
\ntake care of their parents within their homes. Tiny homes and
\nworking couples provide a perfect excuse, but live-in
\ngrandparents are still regarded as essential if they watch over
\nthe children.<\/p>\n
The lack of material support and respect for the elderly make
\neven people with adequate savings fear old age. State Minister of
\nPopulation Haryono Suyono has stated that this fear can be
\novercome if Indonesians stick to traditional values and take care
\nof their parents at home.<\/p>\n
Homes for the elderly should only be for those who really do
\nnot have anyone to take care of them, but many seniors have come
\nto feel they should respect their children's privacy.<\/p>\n
A few solutions have been thought up or copied from other
\ncountries. Some non-government organizations have encouraged
\nmembers of the community to care for seniors living in their
\nareas. Others believe that more government support of seniors is
\nneeded.<\/p>\n
The community programs, called Pusaka (Care in the Family),
\nnot only provide free food and other items, but also aim to help
\nthe family so that the grandparent is not sent to a home. The
\nparents are given a little capital, which they mostly use for
\ntrade, and the children become the \"foster children\" of Pusaka
\nvolunteers.<\/p>\n
The volunteers pay for the children's daily needs, including
\nschooling. Currently there are 40 sites of Pusaka in mostly poor
\nareas.<\/p>\n
Prepare<\/p>\n
Another senior citizen warned that we must not wait for public
\nsupport. Pending more intensive campaigns, everyone should plan
\nfor their own future.<\/p>\n
\"You can't understand what it is like to become old,\" says
\nBahrawi Wongsokusumo, a public health expert who is \"65-plus\".
\n\"You must prepare a second career, prepare mentally and stash
\naway enough savings. It's important to look good to retain your
\npride.\"<\/p>\n
Wongsokusumo belongs to the Committee on the Elderly which is
\nunder the Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare. It was set up
\nin 1993 to recommend ideas for policies to benefit senior
\ncitizens.<\/p>\n
The Committee Chairman, Fahmi Saifuddin, earlier said all
\ngovernment agencies need to come up with an integrated system to
\nimplement plans for the elderly as stated in the 1993 State
\nGuidelines.<\/p>\n
This includes housing, social security, health and work.<\/p>\n
Awareness has heightened about the plight of senior citizens
\nsince the mid 1980s, thanks to the Association for the Elderly
\nPeople and other groups. Life-long identity cards for Jakartans
\nover 60 relieve them of the burden of going back and forth every
\nthree years for the simple, but sometimes frustrating and
\nexpensive procedure. This has encouraged government and
\nindividuals to come up with their own forms of attention to the
\nelderly. Last March the South Kalimantan office of the Ministry
\nof Social Affairs launched a pilot project to provide savings of
\nRp 547,000 each for 50 senior citizens. Airlines like Garuda
\nIndonesia and Sempati provide discounts on airplanes. In Depok,
\nWest Java, one traffic sign futilely urges people to drive slowly
\nfor the sake of the elderly.<\/p>\n
\"We would just appreciate a seat on a bus,\" assures
\nWongsokusumo.<\/p>\n
His simple wish sums up what the elderly need: recognition of
\ntheir existence, acceptance of their condition and loving care to
\nhelp make being old easier for them.<\/p>\n
Since much of this is hard to find in Jakarta, it is no wonder
\nthat many wish to leave this life in peace. (als\/anr\/jsk\/raw)<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
"sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com"
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