Acute shortage on elder care

Uniting for a cause: The founding members of the Malaysian Coalition on Ageing during a MoU signing in Kuala Lumpur. — SAMUEL ONG/The Star

PETALING JAYA: There is an urgent need to address the acute shortage of caregivers and nurses for the elderly, given Malaysia’s rapidly growing grey population, says an expert.

There is also great concern over the quality of care for the elderly as the total number of senior citizens nationwide was projected to reach about 4.5 million by 2030, said Association for Residential Aged Care Operators (Agecope) president Delren Terrence Douglas.