Nursing home: The option for nobody's elderly
Nursing home: The option for nobody's elderly
By Ati Nurbaiti and Rita A. Widiadana
JAKARTA (JP): Suharti, 72, never dreamed that she would spend
the last years of life in a nursing home.
She always fancied herself as a happy grandmother living in a
comfortable house, surrounded by naughty but cute grandchildren.
This dream didn't come true.
When her husband died ten years ago, he left her penniless and
completely alone in Jakarta. She has no children.
"My relatives may still live in Purworejo (Central Java), but
I don't know how to find them," Suharti said.
She previously worked as a maid and sold 'pisang goreng' (fried
bananas), but was forced by her weakening body to give up
working. Thanks to a neighbor, she finally found a "home" in a
city-owned home for the elderly in Cipayung, East Jakarta.
"I don't know whether I like living here or not, but this is
my fate so I have to accept it and enjoy my last years with my
new friends," said the tiny and sickly lady.
Hari Ramlan, an officer at the home, explained that most of
its inhabitants are found wandering the city streets or are
brought in by social workers or neighborhood officials.
"Most of them have no families. I can't remember anyone
deliberately sending their aged parents here," Enny assured.
The Cipayung Nursing Home provides shelter, food and clothes.
A health service is also available, but medical workers only
visit once a month.
The nursing home is located in a complex managed by the City
Office of the Ministry of Social Affairs. Apart from the nursing
home, the complex also includes an orphanage for toddlers and an
insane asylum.
Compared to other city-owned nursing homes, Cipayung is good.
The rooms are quite clean, although four people must share one
room. It has also large garden which enable the elderly to take a
walk or sit under a shady tree. But the fact that this nursing
home is beside an insane asylum is quite frightening.
The Cipayung nursing home currently takes care of about 60 old
men and women. This is beyond its real capacity of only 40
inhabitants.
The management spends about Rp 4 million a month on running
the place, not enough to meet basic expenses. There is also a
shortage of staff. To solve this problem, the stronger residents
are encouraged to help cook and wash the dishes, Harry explained.
"They are very happy if we give them responsibility," he
added.
A shortage of funds, staff and volunteers is common at most of
the 46 city-owned nursing homes, including Cipayung and one in
Jelambar Raya, West Jakarta.
Head of the Jelambar Nursing Home on Jl. Jelambar Raya, West
Jakarta, Mawardji says managing the home is like managing on a
civil servant's low pay. Electricity and water costs of Rp
200,000 are reimbursed only after three months, he said. The
municipality only gives each resident Rp 1,000 a day to survive
on. Finding extra money is left to the manager.
"I also provide parking for the rich to bring in some more
cash," he said.
Contributions
Contributions are always appreciated and don't always come in
the form of money. "I appreciate our neighbors, some of them
regularly give fruit and cakes to each of the residents," said
Mawardji.
"This way we can stretch the Rp 1,000 for emergencies like
transportation to Husada Bakti hospital where care is free." Some
of the old men and women are also particular and demand luxuries
like coffee.
The Jelambar home is being renovated with funds from the city
government and a few private contributions. The project will
raise the home's capacity to 80 residents, so private rooms have
been turned into wards. A new hall and toilets will be built, but
make the place better?
One resident commented, "I really liked sleeping in a nice
room alone, now I sleep in a barrack with fussy old ladies. Its
miserable."
Saliman, an old man, chooses to sleep outside the building on
a mat. He said he couldn't stand the noisy women. He was picked
up by the city's security and order team when begging in Tanjung
Priok, North Jakarta. "I was a construction worker but I lost my
strength," he explained.
Mawardji has only four male staff to help the 30, mainly
female, residents. The government has limited the number part-
time staff he is allowed to hire so he has found another way.
A few of the women are still strong, he says, and do a bit of
paid work.
He plans to get sewing machines for the few who can still sew,
and says raising chickens may foster a feeling of appreciation
and trust among inhabitants.
He also says that ideally the home should have experts to meet
the specific needs of the elderly. "So far I am limited to only
taking care of them physically," he said.
"We don't have special menus to suite the condition of
different people yet."
Mawardji notes that it isn't economic factors that drive
elderly citizens into such homes, but friction at home,
"especially with daughters-in-law who only treat the old people
well when their husbands are home."
"I don't know if I like it here, I'm new," said Inem, who
talks endlessly about her former employer and the children she
cared for as a maid.
So far, no one has dumped their parents in the Jelambar home.
The residents are sent there by the police, from other homes and
from the neighborhood.
"Sometimes there are old people who no longer can pay their
rent, and the neighborhood chiefs send them to us without any
fees."
The Cipayung and Jelambar nursing homes illustrate the
hardship Jakarta's homeless and poor elderly face.
Some of the 72 private institutions in the city provide better
facilities. A nursing home run by the Ria Pembangunan Karya
Bhakti Foundation is a good example. It is located in Cibubur,
East Jakarta.
The Cibubur nursing home is situated in spacious and contoured
grounds, an ideal place for the elderly.
"Some of the elderly were sent by their children," said an
officer but refused to elaborate.
The home consists of several rooms. Some have private rooms,
while others share with their friends. The health facilities are
very good. Before being admitted, everyone must undergo a
comprehensive medical check-up and residents are usually examined
twice a week.
Some inhabitants, walking outside the nursing home, said that
they are happy living with people of their same age.
"Sometimes, people have to realize that they should not expect
their children to take care of them," said Mirah (not her real
name).
She said that she is still strong and healthy and has money,
but prefers to live at the home.
"Once or twice a week, the driver takes us to a nearby
supermarket to buy our daily needs," she said cheerfully, while
hopping into the van for her shopping trip.
Discourage
The government is not likely to add to the number of nursing
homes even though the number of old people in need is rising.
"The government will not encourage construction of nursing
homes because the concept contradicts Indonesian tradition,"
Minister of Population Haryono Suyono once said.
This leaves the care of the elderly up to the community and
family.
A number of non-profit organizations have been trying to
establish a community-based program called Pusaka in some of the
city's poorest districts.
The Usaha Mulya Abadi Foundation, for instance, is working
hard to improve the living conditions of families in a slum in
Kalibaru, North Jakarta.
Mrs. Sanitiyo, chairperson of the foundation, commented that
by helping poor families, the program enables the family to care
for their old parents.
The foundation provides working capital and adopts foster
children. The elderly are given free food, blankets, clothes and
medicine.
Every day, the foundation staff and neighborhood volunteers
set up a communal kitchen under a tent to provide the elderly
with rice, soup and other nutritious food and beverages.
Mrs. Sanityo added that they face a serious problem because
the number of senior citizens in the district is increasing.
"There are no statistics because it is a slum where anyone can
set up a house any time. It is very difficult for us to provide
food and other basic needs for such a large number," she
lamented.
She finds it very hard to get the necessary funds and stressed
that financial support from both individuals and the government
is badly needed.
"Jakarta has many rich people, but they aren't willing to see
the extent of poverty around them," she concluded.