Senior citizens neglected

Senior citizens neglected

KENDARI, Southeast Sulawesi: A total of 12,358 senior citizens
in the province are categorized as "neglected" and await help
from the social services office, Antara reported yesterday.

The agency quoted Mrs. Helmi Ma'mur of the social service
office as saying that, due to limited funds, her office has only
been able to help 2,570 elderly people.

The elderly people she was referring to were part of 66,000
people over 60 years of age in the province. "The neglected
elderly people don't have jobs, income or relatives who take care
of them," she said.

"We call on businesspeople to provide the senior citizens with
jobs, as many of them are still able to work, especially in
handicraft industries," she said.

The province's population currently stands at 1.4 million.
(swe)