Providing care for senior citizens

A team of 15 academics and five students from the Faculty of Business and Finance (FBF) organised a charity event titled “UTAR We Care: Treasure the Elderly” at Rumah Seri Kenangan Ulu Kinta. The initiative was led by FBF Department of Commerce and Accountancy lecturer Nur Hazrini binti Mohd Zahari. The event preparation, which commenced in July 2021, was finally concluded with the visit to the Rumah Seri Kenangan Ulu Kinta on 27 August 2021.

The main objective of the charity event was to help ease the mobility of senior citizens at the care centre and provide health care for them as these residents are considered high-risk group. The activities were held in accordance with the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) whereby physical distancing, mask-wearing and the use of hand sanitiser were practised.

Managed by Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, the care centre aimed to provide residential care and supervision that includes treatment and protection to senior citizens so that they can live more comfortably. Although the care centre receives financial assistance from time to time, the managing cost is still high and they often face a shortage of wheelchairs to accommodate the senior citizen. Hence, contributions and donations are still needed to ensure their welfare is taken care of.

During the event day, the visiting team was greeted with a welcome speech by the care centre representative. The UTAR team donated a total of four wheelchairs and seventeen Anlene milk powder packages to the care centre. Apart from that, the care centre also received a few sets of Malaysia and Perak flags for decorations in conjunction with the Merdeka celebration.

Through the donation of wheelchairs, the team hopes to facilitate mobility and improve the life quality of the senior citizens.

FBF lecturer Dr Nurul Afidah binti Mohamad Yusof said, “Senior citizens must be valued, loved and helped because they also have the right to enjoy a prosperous life like everyone else even if their mobility and health deteriorate with age. This charity activity will provide a new experience and insight to the UTAR community. We hope that with this small contribution, we can provide help to the senior citizens with their daily living, and I hope we will have more opportunities to organise this charity event in the future.”

The charity event is associated with Sustainable Development Goals 3— Good Health and Well-being as it ensures healthy lives and promotes well-being for all at all ages, and SDG11— Sustainable Cities and Communities as the team hopes that this small act of kindness will make the cities inclusive, safe, resilient and sustainable for the elderlies.