PETALING JAYA: Are our elderly keeping healthy? Are they seeing a doctor when ill, or are they putting it off because they cannot afford it?
These are among the granular data needed to better understand health-seeking behaviour among the elderly, say experts.
“In the ongoing debate on public and private healthcare access and burden, there is a need for such data to understand health expenditures among older households or those with older family members,” Universiti Putra Malaysia’s Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeing) said.
It said the upcoming National Health and Morbidity Survey (NHMS) 2025 on Older Persons Health should help estimate more accurately the care-dependent population aged over 60 and their caregivers, instead of just focusing on the burden of diseases.
“We need stronger insights beyond patterns of chronic illnesses, with a stronger focus on health-seeking behaviour, like if they visit public or private doctors, who is caring for them when they are ill, and if indeed, they are seeing a doctor when ill,” it said.
“This year’s survey continues the important focus on older persons, following the first dedicated NHMS on the elderly in 2018.
“It is a comprehensive nationwide study on physical and mental health of older adults, as well as key aspects such as social support and quality of life.”
As Malaysia transitions into an aged society, the institute said there is an urgent need for data-driven solutions to improve healthcare access, establish sustainable long-term care financing and close existing gaps in aged-care services.
“While families remain the primary caregivers for older persons, we diversify the provisions for home and community-based care in Malaysia,” it said.
MyAgeing is also looking forward to strengthening its collaboration with the ministry in support of the UN Decade of Healthy Ageing 2021-2030.
Dr Tan Maw Pin, a professor in geriatrics and consultant geriatrician at Universiti Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC), said dementia is one of the main issues the ministry must look at.
“Social isolation would be the single biggest late-life risk factor for dementia, according to the Lancet Commission.
“With NHMS 2018 showing that dementia affects 8.5% of over 60s, it is important that the government addresses social participation in older adults,” she said.
“The current model of sick care is detrimental towards the quality of life, as well as the overall health and well-being of the older adult.
“Simply put, we wait till the older adult ends up in the emergency rooms before doing something.
“Even then, social support is neglected.”
Addressing medical illness without considering how the older person will subsequently function is not good enough, she said.
“The person pulls through the illness only to then require assistance with managing their daily needs.
“There is then no support for this part of their care, which we all consider social care,” she added.
Dr Tan pointed out that the financial, psychological, spiritual and physical support that are required is neglected.
“First and foremost, we should really be addressing why we need to wait until crisis point before any intervention occurs,” she said.
