By: Natalie Shobana Ambrose
theSun, Malaysia (pg 13)
February 9th, 2012
“I’m four years old and seven months,” she blurted. Funny how at that age, you know exactly how old you are and every additional month counts. Once gravity hits, things change. Rarely do you hear someone say I’m 35 and a half. On the other hand, I know of a few people who have the power to stop the clock claiming to be 59 for many years, citing “Age is just a number ... mind over matter”. As the saying continues, “if you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter!”, though sometimes your knees remind you of how old you are.
When the United Nations Population Fund christened the seventh billionth person, the figure was repeatedly drawn on as a shock-warning statement by various well-meaning factions. While most policymakers focused on the issue of over-population and the burden on resources, highlighting issues such as access to food, housing, education, jobs and impact on the environment, one main concern continued to remain on the back bench – an ageing population.
Indeed the world’s population is increasing. However the issue has shifted. In many parts of the world, a demographic transition has taken place. Population growth has recorded a decline in birth rates and an increase in longevity, pointing to a rapidly growing greying population – and only some are noticing.
In the developing world, most government policies are concentrated on issues of development and target the younger generation – understandably, especially since the general philosophy is that the young are the future of the nation. However, if a country is faced with a rapidly growing aging population and does not have the foresight to provide adequate infrastructure, healthcare benefits and sufficiently address welfare issues, this shift in demography will detrimentally affect and impact the nation’s workforce and economy.
When we in the developing world think about aging societies, we think of them as a predicament of wealthier, more developed countries, citing the examples of Japan and England. Our understanding of the issue is framed against the backdrop of aging being a rich country’s problem. If only it were.
Perhaps it is for this reason that the developed world has better provisions for the aged. That is because it became rich before it became old, while the developing world became old before it became rich. But this does not omit the fact that Asia and Malaysia have a growing aging population with needs that have yet to be addressed.
Our changing cultural norms have led to a decrease in birth rates and a growing older population. To add, it was reported as at 2011 that one in three elderly people in Malaysia are abandoned.How are we going to cope when we are already in the third stage of the demographic transition according to Unescap with the projection of over 3.4 million older persons by 2020?
Fundamentally the issue of a greying Asia and Malaysia cannot be put on hold until we reach a percentage knighting us a geriatric society. The issues need to be addressed now so as to avoid a danger-zone era of hyperaging and the consequences of it.
Thankfully in Malaysia we do not have too much of a skewed sex ratio caused by selective abortions or a “4-2-1” society where a one-child policy leads to a child providing for two parents, caring for four grandparents and himself. However we are not out of the red as we do not have adequate healthcare facilities, well-equipped aged-care homes, elderly-friendly housing and public spaces that cater to the elderly.
Furthermore, we have become trapped in a sedentary lifestyle which means not only are the aged needing more and better healthcare, so are the younger generation. Then the question remains – who will look after the aged in a society that values filial piety but has inadequate provision especially in a changing society where families are smaller, salaries are insufficient and the setback of brain drain runs deep.
The reality is that we are all getting older – if you’re still counting months, perhaps you don’t feel it, but our parents and grandparents do. An aging population inevitably affects us politically, economically and even militarily, according to American demographer Phillip Longman.
This century is touted as the Asian Century, but what many Asian countries are neglecting is the very real issue of a spiralling aging population and the reality that a neglected greying population reads trouble on so many levels.
Natalie feels her knees too often and hopes our government puts into action its slogan of “people first” and not “pockets first” in assessing healthcare reforms and policies for a greying society.
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
Comments: letters@thesundaily.com
