By Adrian Lim
KUCHING, Jan 3: One of the main causes of death for the elderly is loneliness.
Minister of Welfare and Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah believed that loneliness could have a profound effect on the longevity of senior citizens.
“One of the causes of death for the elderly people is because of loneliness and (perhaps) depression.
“The elderly people need someone to take care of them and we want to make sure that they are not feeling alone.
“When there is someone around to accompany them, they will become cheerful, happy and have a positive mindset towards life.
“Sometimes, some children (due to work and overall busyness) send their parents to day-care centres.
“For the elderly people, we want to make sure that they still have dignity, live healthy and active lifestyles,” she said after attending an event at Silverhair Paradise day care centre here today.
Other special needs and requirements that caregivers had to factor in were bedridden care as well as assistance to go about their daily tasks, especially for the elderly who are affected my dementia.
Thus, by having a day care centre for the senior citizens or elderly people, she opined that their needs for medications would be taken good care of in the hands of professionals.
“Sometimes, there are some elderly people who are bedridden and need people to help them with their daily routines,” she observed.
Fatimah said those elderly people who are suffering from certain illness like diabetes and bed sores may need qualified nurses to help them clean their wounds.
She noted that Silverhair Paradise had been equipped with good facilities and skillful helpers to care for the elderly.
Meanwhile, Silverhair Paradise advisor Lina Lee revealed that the day care centre had 18 trained nurses who will help to take care of the elderly people in the centre.
Currently there were nine senior citizens in the day care centre aged between 50 and 90 years old. —DayakDaily
