Working adults are reminded to send their elderly parents to registered care centres only to ensure their safety and well-being.
Minister of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said that sending them to unregistered care centres would create problems for them when something bad happens.
“It is hard for the ministry to monitor unregistered care centres. In terms of compliance to safety as well as security it is also very difficult for us,” she said during a working visit to Eden-on-the-Park Nursing Care Residence in Kota Samarahan yesterday.
She said leaving elderly parents at home alone would make them feel lonely and sometimes depressed, aside from lack of safety and security.
“Thus, there is a need for daycare centres where old people can be dropped off and picked up after their children have finished work. Daycare centres need to be of quality where the residents are taken care of, be happy, have companions and fun.
“It is a win-win situation as it gives the children peace of mind while they work,” she added.
Fatimah said Sarawak would become an aging society by 2030, ahead of the rest of the country’s target of 2050. Sarawak therefore had to prepare early.
“With the country’s aging community growing, early preparations are needed to take care of the elderly, there is an increasing need for more daycare centres. We want our people to have a healthy and active lifestyle, and be independent too.”
Sarawak has eight registered elderly care centres; six in Kuching, and one each in Kota Samarahan and Sibu. Rumah Seri Kenangan in Kuching has 59 residents and Rumah Seri Kenangan in Sibu has 26 residents.
At Eden-on-the-Park, Fatimah listened and had a sharing session with its founder and managing director Victor Fong.
Eden-on-the-Park is the first Active Senior Living Resort with an adjacent Aged Care facility in Malaysia. Spanning 8 acres of land, Eden is a 12-minute drive from Kuching City and 10 minutes from Kuching International Airport.
It is designed to provide friendly, secured, safe and a conducive living environment among friends, supported by state-of-the-art services and professional care.
(Taken from The Borneo Post)