Jakartans get older by the day

Jakartans get older by the day

Siblings used to fight each other for the honor of taking care of their beloved parents; but now seniors fear dependence and rejection. Government officials stress homes for the elderly must be the last option for those who are too poor to take care of their elderly parents or for old people without children or relatives. The United Nations have declared 1995 Year of the Elderly and hopefully Indonesians will become more aware of senior citizens needs, who will number 19 million by the year 2000. Already we have the world's fourth largest graying population. The Jakarta Post asked senior citizens, managers of nursing homes and other sources to comment on the situation.

JAKARTA (JP): One day an old woman died of stroke and her friends were elated.

"What a wonderful death," they assured. There was little grief, just admiration of how someone could go so easily. No lengthy, helpless stay in a hospital with tubes sticking in and out of your body.

"What my friends and I fear most, is being sick for a long time," said Mrs. Ratmini Soedjatmoko. "It poses a financial and an emotional burden on our children," explained the widow of the late intellectual Soedjatmoko.

"When I'm no longer active I think I'll live in a nursing home. It will be nice," she said.

Mrs. Soedjatmoko is one of the last people you would expect to have such feelings. The elegant lady, blessed with three daughters, lives in a lovely old house and few know she is 69. When she is not busy with the Soedjatmoko Foundation, she works on her paintings.

Imagining her in a special home is hard. Existing homes for the elderly in Jakarta are usually for the less fortunate.

Saliman, in his 70s, is one of the less fortunate. He was picked up by a city security team while begging. He had to beg because his only skill was construction and no one would hire him because of his age. He landed in a home for the elderly, where he resents the lack of privacy.

Even at the other end of the city's economic strata people are finding that old age and retirement is not always rosy. Last May, the former National Police Chief, Awaloeddin Djamin, strongly urged that the official pension age be extended.

"It's the government's loss if it forces high ranking military officers to retire at 55, when they are at the peak of their wisdom," Awaloeddin asserted.

Although the old have experience, managers say they cannot continue to employ the elderly because they must have room to promote younger employees. The government is also concerned about finding work for restless youngsters.

Army Chief of Staff Gen. Wismoyo Arismunandar recently had to brave retirement, but many old people continue to play a central role in running Indonesia. At 73, President Soeharto is the ultimate example.

Awaloeddin and Mrs. Soedjatmoko are concerned that as life expectancy lengthens due to better social and economic conditions, support for the elderly will deteriorate.

Declining health is met with escalating medical costs. With a state pension of Rp 400,000 (US$180.26) a month, for instance, a professor must pay Rp 75,000 ($33.80) a night for proper treatment in a hospital.

Only a tiny portion of the population, the four million civil servants, are covered by the state company in charge of pension funds, PT Taspen. Private insurance is still too expensive for most people in Indonesia.

Reluctance

Mrs. Soedjatmoko believes that the tradition of parents living with their children will continue as long as housemaids are available. "Its cheaper than sending your parents to a home," she said.

Today, however, a growing number of children are reluctant to take care of their parents within their homes. Tiny homes and working couples provide a perfect excuse, but live-in grandparents are still regarded as essential if they watch over the children.

The lack of material support and respect for the elderly make even people with adequate savings fear old age. State Minister of Population Haryono Suyono has stated that this fear can be overcome if Indonesians stick to traditional values and take care of their parents at home.

Homes for the elderly should only be for those who really do not have anyone to take care of them, but many seniors have come to feel they should respect their children's privacy.

A few solutions have been thought up or copied from other countries. Some non-government organizations have encouraged members of the community to care for seniors living in their areas. Others believe that more government support of seniors is needed.

The community programs, called Pusaka (Care in the Family), not only provide free food and other items, but also aim to help the family so that the grandparent is not sent to a home. The parents are given a little capital, which they mostly use for trade, and the children become the "foster children" of Pusaka volunteers.

The volunteers pay for the children's daily needs, including schooling. Currently there are 40 sites of Pusaka in mostly poor areas.

Prepare

Another senior citizen warned that we must not wait for public support. Pending more intensive campaigns, everyone should plan for their own future.

"You can't understand what it is like to become old," says Bahrawi Wongsokusumo, a public health expert who is "65-plus". "You must prepare a second career, prepare mentally and stash away enough savings. It's important to look good to retain your pride."

Wongsokusumo belongs to the Committee on the Elderly which is under the Coordinating Minister of Social Welfare. It was set up in 1993 to recommend ideas for policies to benefit senior citizens.

The Committee Chairman, Fahmi Saifuddin, earlier said all government agencies need to come up with an integrated system to implement plans for the elderly as stated in the 1993 State Guidelines.

This includes housing, social security, health and work.

Awareness has heightened about the plight of senior citizens since the mid 1980s, thanks to the Association for the Elderly People and other groups. Life-long identity cards for Jakartans over 60 relieve them of the burden of going back and forth every three years for the simple, but sometimes frustrating and expensive procedure. This has encouraged government and individuals to come up with their own forms of attention to the elderly. Last March the South Kalimantan office of the Ministry of Social Affairs launched a pilot project to provide savings of Rp 547,000 each for 50 senior citizens. Airlines like Garuda Indonesia and Sempati provide discounts on airplanes. In Depok, West Java, one traffic sign futilely urges people to drive slowly for the sake of the elderly.

"We would just appreciate a seat on a bus," assures Wongsokusumo.

His simple wish sums up what the elderly need: recognition of their existence, acceptance of their condition and loving care to help make being old easier for them.

Since much of this is hard to find in Jakarta, it is no wonder that many wish to leave this life in peace. (als/anr/jsk/raw)