Why MASOC CARE?
In A Tale of Two Cities, Charles Dickens wrote,
“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times,
it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness.”
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Our country is at the best of times, with a GDP of USD944.5 billion (Purchasing power parity) in 2019 – the highest in recent years. With our per capita GDP (PPP) ranked among the top 30 in the world, Malaysians are enjoying an optimum level of economic wellbeing, especially those who live in major cities.
But as we take a closer look inside the cities, we may find that it is the worst of times – about 29.9% of our older people are living in ‘empty nests’ either alone or with just their spouse without the presence of children – also the highest ratio in recent years.
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In 2020, more than 7.0% of our population is 65 years old and above, meeting the conventional international definition of an “aging society”.
By 2044, 14.0% of the population is expected to be above 65 years of age, making Malaysia an “aged society”.
The number of persons with functional limitations in activities of daily living (ADLs) is projected to double between 2020 and 2040.
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We could either be trapped in ‘the age of foolishness’ or thrive in ‘the age of wisdom’, depending on how we prepare ourselves for the ageing megatrend.
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It would be foolish of us to keep our aged care facilities and services in their current despair state, or it would be wise for us to raise quality standards of aged care homes at par with global standards.
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It would be foolish of us to continue to serve our elders by unskilled workers from foreign countries, or it would be wise for us to train local workers with world-class caregiving knowledge and skills from Japan, Australia and European countries.
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It would be foolish of us to ignore the increasing vulnerability of older persons as families struggle to cope with care needs, or it would be wise for us to equip our families with adequate caregiving skills to take care of their ageing loved ones.
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Faced with the choices above we have decided to set up this Association.
By adopting the wisdom from our foreign counterparts from Europe, US, Australasia and Asia, especially Japan – not only because of its world-class senior care skills, but also of the many similarities in the shared Asian family values and lifestyles between the Japanese and Malaysians – the Association will enhance the service standards of care homes through best practice consultation and promote professionalism in caregiving through training, for both care workers and family carers.
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You are welcome to join the cause of MASOC CARE.
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As Malaysians, We Care.