'Pergeri' helps elderly people fulfill themselves

'Pergeri' helps elderly people fulfill themselves

By Rita A. Widiadana

JAKARTA (JP): Elderly, happy, active and creative! That is the motto of the Indonesian Society of Gerontology, a non-profit organization for the elderly.

"Getting old is a natural process. It is inevitable, but everybody can prepare for it properly," Sri Mulyono Herlambang, who chairs the organization, said.

He believes that people should eliminate the common prejudice that old people are "rocking-chair society" -- sickly, helpless and unemployable.

Many people are still productive in their old age. History has recorded the facts that British prime minister Winston Churchill started to write his memoirs when he was 80, former U.S. presidents Dwight Eisenhower and Ronald Reagan were in power during their 70s and Albert Einstein made important discoveries in science when he was aging.

In Indonesia, people recognize Dr. Roeslan Abdulgani, Dr. Soemitro Djoyohadikusumo, Rosihan Anwar and many others as productive and intellectual elderly people, to name a few. Even President Soeharto, currently among the above 70 group, is still healthy and bright.

Yaumil Agus Achir, a professor of psychology of the University of Indonesia, said although people cannot resist the process of getting old, it is not an immediate change. Everyone must come to the realization that they will eventually undergo physical and mental changes. It depends on each person whether or not they prepare themselves to face their retirement period.

She added that in the past aging Indonesians expected to rely on their children to take care of them during their old age. But today, the elderly have to learn to be more self reliant. Despite the fact that the extended family system used to be the key social unit in Indonesia, more and more young people are adopting new nuclear family values.

Previously, people believed that taking care of their elderly was a real blessing.

"I remember vividly how we tried hard to have our parents staying with us. Therefore, they had to visit each of their children's houses for a certain period of time," Herlambang said.

Today, young people migrate to urban areas to seek a better future.

With this continuing trend toward migration, the once tightly knit extended family units are slowly breaking up. Young people are busy pursuing their own careers and raising their own families in towns. It is very difficult for them to take care of their aging parents because of limited time and economic constraints.

Times are changing and many young people in Indonesia, as well as in other Asian countries, believe that taking care of parents has become too expensive a responsibility. The duty of caring for elderly parents is viewed as a heavy burden now, which is quite surprising since eastern societies mostly have strong and long standing family traditions.

This shift in values, coupled with the fact that the aged population is continuing to expand rapidly, has extended the impact of the gray society into both a national and a global issue.

Herlambang said the government is now working hard to include the problems of the elderly in the State Guidelines. The government plans also to make various adjustments in its policy to benefit senior citizens, including stipulations on housing, security systems, health and the workforce.

However, many people are of the opinion that such policy making is a long term task and that much time is sure to pass before formulation and enforcement can be achieved. Moreover, at present the government is focusing its endeavors on dealing with the homeless and neglected elderly people. What about active and healthy seniors?

Herlambang, 65, once a high-ranking Air Force officer, commented recently that the problem of the elderly has become so alarming because immediate concrete action has not been forthcoming.

"What is needed now is prompt actions to deal with the problems otherwise they will become more complicated," Herlambang said.

In order to accommodate active and dynamic elderly people, a number of prominent senior figures established the Indonesian Society of Gerontology (Pergeri) in l984.

The organization has been active in carrying out research and studies on elderly people in an attempt to encourage greater awareness of problems regarding the aged.

The organization now has eight branch offices in several major cities, including Bogor, Bandung, Semarang and Surabaya. The organization hopes to open new branches in other cities in order to provide a forum for the elderly nationwide.

"Our main focus is to keep our senior citizens physically, mentally and socially well and to increase awareness among the younger generation about the need to pay serious attention to the problems of the elderly," Herlambang said.

Various seminars and discussions involving both young and elderly people are held to bridge the wide gap between the generations. The organization also provides scholarships for anyone interested in studying gerontology.

Another important activity is to seek job opportunities for senior citizens.

"We can imitate other countries's efforts to employ these people. Certainly, we will not grab the employment markets for the younger generations, but administrative or part-time jobs might be considered appropriate for the elderly," Herlambang, who currently holds top positions in several companies, said.

Citing an example, he said that elderly people in some Asian countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong are still employed at public parks or bus terminals as ticket sellers.

The organization also provides mental and health consultation and counseling to prepare the elderly for the immediate shock of being out of work and of felling abandoned by their adult children.

Mrs. Ratna Madjid, a member of the organization, commented that she obtains various benefits through involvement in the organization. The most immediate of those being that she can share activities with other elderly people of around her age.

Mrs. Ratmini Soedjatmoko, 69, who is active in various social activities said she did not know that a group dealing with the elderly existed in Indonesia.

"I have to know the goal of this group before I decide to join it. But, the establishment of such a group is a positive step," she remarked.

Herlambang added that several suggestions on how to benefit the elderly have been submitted to the authorities, including the establishment of special geriatric health units in every hospital.

Traffic signs and special public facilities for the elderly are also needed. A recent report says that Depok, an administrative region about 30 kilometers south of Jakarta, is the only place in the country where streets have special traffic signs for the elderly.

"None of the needed facilities are aimed at spoiling or comforting old people. But, how many young people are still willing to give their bus seats up for the elderly ? And we rarely if ever see young people helping the elderly to cross the city streets," he remarked.

Although most of the elderly know that all of the suggestions require serious consideration from the authorities and that it will surely take a long time to establish them as policy, they are still optimistic and are of the opinion that any action is better late than never.