Elderly need more than home care
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta
When her husband died 12 years ago, Rauni could only grieve and has lived in depression since. Poverty has haunted the 65-year- old and her three children, worsening her condition.
She would get angry easily and often smashed things into pieces without any reason.
However, since she has received regular visits from volunteers of the HelpAge Indonesia foundation, she has managed to cope with her anger and grief and started to accept reality.
"She can smile now and she is willing to talk about her problems. Her condition is completely different from when I visited her for the first time," said volunteer Zainuddin, 54.
Rauni's case is only one example of the ongoing home care program -- a pilot project conducted by HelpAge Indonesia in cooperation with HelpAge Korea in Tegal Alur that began in March.
The program, which has been a success in Korea, is aimed at provide activities for senior citizens by visiting the homes of 46 selected elderly people in the subdistrict at least once a week.
Tegal Alur was elected for the pilot project because it is among the poorest subdistricts in the city. There are around 400 elderly people who need help, but the foundation has only recruited 36 volunteers for the project.
HelpAge Korea executive secretary Cho Hyun-se said the home care program, which was launched in 1987, has received support from the Korean government.
"I hope this program will also be successful here," he said during a recent visit to Tegal Alur.
The volunteers revealed that the home care program here would be different from that in Korea since most of the elderly people here live in poverty.
Lynna, 33, another volunteer who is assigned to take care of Umar, 83, said that the elderly would need more than just visits. She pointed that Umar, who works as a masseur to survive, lives in a four-square-meter makeshift house without ventilation.
"I always smell the stench of urine when I enter his house," she said, adding that Umar now lives alone because his six children already have their own families. She said Umar could not rely on his children because they were also poor.
A similar comment came from volunteers Maryati and Zainuddin, who suggested that the foundation provide more assistance for the elderly so they could lead healthier lives.
Responding to the requests, Cho said he was unsure if the foundation headquarters in Korea could sponsor more programs for the elderly people in Indonesia.
HelpAge Korea also has similar programs in nine other members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). It hands over US$12,000 per year to each member country. The program will last for two and a half years.