With the aim to educate participants on the psychological needs and coping strategies for the elderly, the contributions of the elderly towards family, and the role of non-governmental organisation (NGO) in promoting positive ageing in Malaysia, a social forum titled “Social Forum 1: Attitudes to Ageing”, was organised by Centre for Applied Psychology (CAP) on 12 March 2021 via ZOOM.

The first to speak was CAP Chairperson Dr Gan Su Wan on “Grandparenting in Malaysia”. She mentioned that ageing in the 21st century is different and familiar social institutions, such as marriage and employment can no longer be counted for security throughout adulthood. She also said that ageing has become less predictable.

When enlightening participants on the current issues in Malaysia and grandparenting, Dr Gan spoke about people having longer life expectancy, which leads to some elderly taking on the grandparenting role. “Collectivistic values are also taken into consideration, whereby the elderly treasures family values and ties. Grandparenting has also been on the rise due to urbanisation, where young adults are moving away from home to seek better job opportunities which are concentrated in the cities. Importantly, grandparenting offers trustworthy childcare for both practical and sentimental reasons,” said Dr Gan.

She also listed other grandparenting issues, such as grandparent kinship caregivers’ parenting stress, mental distress, perceived physical health, financial constraint or material hardship, grandparent-grandchildren relationship, and different parenting ideas. Types of childcare support provided from grandparents, as listed by Dr Gan, also included academic support, practical support, emotional support, information support and financial support.

Participants learnt from Dr Gan’s research that the majority of grandparents were reported to have a close relationship with their grandchildren, high quality of life, and good physical health. The correlation analysis from that study also revealed that the grandparent-grandchildren closeness was positively related to perceived quality of life as well as better self-rated health. In her qualitative study, the view on life changes, quality of life and physical health, reported that grandmothers feel happier and healthier with the companionship of grandchildren even though they feel tired and busy sometimes.

From a theoretical perspective, Dr Gan explained that benefit finding shows the individual seeking meaning from stressful events and promoting positive growth in the aspect of a relationship. “Grandparents are more likely to view their lives and health positively when they gain benefit from grandchildren even though they feel tired with the caregiving tasks at times. Whereas the cognitive approach is the evaluation of life quality which refers to happiness, close to ideal, and satisfaction with life as a whole. In this sense, the caregiver may acknowledge their contribution to the family and develop a sense of fulfilment and of being a valued member within the family as well as society. Thus, grandparent caregivers are more likely to rate themselves to have a better quality of life and physical health,” explained Dr Gan.

Founding President of Third Age Media Association (TAMA) Kuala Lumpur and Selangor Cheah Tuck Wing spoke on “The role of Third Age Media Association in Promoting Healthy and Active Ageing”. “By definition, the third age is considered by many to be golden years of adulthood. It is generally defined as the span of time between retirement and the beginning of age-imposed physical, emotional and cognitive limitations. This would roughly fall between the ages of 56 and 80,” explained Cheah.

“The vision of TAMA is to improve the quality of life for older adults through education and advocacy. Over these years, we have been organising conferences, forums, events and exhibitions relating to ageing. We have also interviewed prominent Malaysians who have significantly contributed to the community and nation. It is also our aim to promote life-long learning and active ageing by engaging the community. Establishing strong relationships are important to ensure and advance the well-being of older persons, as well as engaging with authorities to champion the rights of older adults. Currently, we also have our “The Senior” magazine publication, which is a lifestyle magazine for seniors,” said Cheah. In further explaining the role of his association in promoting healthy and active ageing among the elderly, Cheah enlightened the participants with numerous photos taken from activities they have conducted over the years.

Towards the end of his talk, Cheah provided participants with pieces of advice. “As we grow older, it is important that we are financially independent, meaning we have to ensure that we have sufficient savings for retirement, no liabilities, and always beware of financial scams. It is also important to maintain a healthy lifestyle and this includes a healthy body and mind, positive thinking and mindset, focusing on good nutrition, refraining from unhealthy habits, and having regular medical check-ups. It is also advisable to engage in activities in your community by joining clubs and association and meeting new friends. Lastly, be involved in lifelong learning, such as education and social programmes; travel to see new places, meet new people and seek a hobby.

The last speaker to share his insights on “Psychosocial Stresses and Illnesses among the Elderly” was Clinical Senior Professor of Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Prof Dr M Parameshvara Deva Muttu Ramalingam. His talk outlined topics on old age, the perspectives of the old and young people towards the elderly and retirement age.

“We first look into the issues like longer life. From the socio-economic aspect, longer life means there is a need for more economic support and resources. In the physical environment for the elderly, houses, accessibility and facilities need to be made more elderly-friendly. Health issues also become a concern, with consideration on vitality, mobility and access. When preparing for old age, the prevention of problems need to start at a much earlier stage, and we know that nothing remains the same. Moving from there, we arrive at the topic of family issues, where matters on spousal relationship, children and their plans and view, dynamics of strong and weak personalities in old age, and the thought of keeping reserves and independence are also taken into much consideration,” explained Prof Parameshvara.

He also continued explaining the physical illnesses experienced by the elderly. “Some people may experience diseases that are preventable and controllable, such as hypertension, obesity, diabetes and heart diseases. For those who are already ill, mobility, self-care and medical support, living alone, and keeping a routine becomes an issue. For those who are very ill, such as those with a post stroke, post heart attack, and cancer survivors will also need more care, including counselling, social and medical assistance and supportive care,” said Prof Parameshvara.

He added, “However, carers are becoming scarce, and this is becoming a major crisis in developed countries, as children move, change lifestyles, and leave parents to themselves. Even in developing societies, we see increasing use of imported maids from other countries. In fact, the maid agencies are a thriving industry in many countries.”

However, Prof Parameshvara also advised participants that the elderly should make a routine for themselves, or keep themselves busy. “Retirement should be the age of doing what you could not do in your younger life. It is not a period of 20 years of rest; sitting idly. Even if you are old, you can still help others, be involved in community activities and keep yourself active and healthy,” advised the speaker.

The forum ended with an interactive Q&A session.