"Minaula" LRSLU Response to the Maluku Disaster Management Case

AMBON (October 3rd, 2019) – The officers response to case from the "Minaula" Elderly Social Rehabilitation Workshop (LRSLU) Kendari. They were deployed to the location to conduct psychosocial support and health checks on elderly who affected by Maluku earthquake disaster.

The response team of the "Minaula" LRSLU Kendari case consisted of Social Instructors, Psychologists, and Nurses. They were revealed to set up an elderly field shelter. The officers conduct psychosocial support and health checks on the elderly affected by the disaster, whether the elderly come to the shelter, or case response teams that come to the elderly who are scattered in various refugee camps in the city of Ambon and Central Maluku Regency.

"The elderly are one of the few vulnerable groups when a disaster occurs. For that reason, they are the first priority that must be help," said Riki Firmansyah, the Social Instructor of "Minaula" LRSLU in the field.

Most of the refugees, including the elderly, are scattered at various refugee points. The majority of them fled on the mountain because they were afraid of rising water (tsunami).

"Until now there have been more than 700 aftershocks which have made them reluctant to go down. This presents a new problem because it will complicate accessibility, especially for the elderly," said Riki.

In addition, the joint case response team with the Maluku and Ambon City Social Services Agency, as well as the PALM Elderly Social Welfare Institution (LKSLU) collected data on the affected elderly, to be submitted to the Directorate of Social Rehabilitation for the Elderly (RSLU).

Franky Suitela as the Chair of the PALM LKSLU said, "There are still many elderly people who have not been recorded. This is due to the dispersal of refugee locations so that it takes longer in elderly data collection. We are trying to complete the elderly data as quickly as possible. "

One of the elderly refugees in Liang District. Central Maluku, H. Ali Ismail said that his house had been damaged.

“My house was damaged on the inside and could not be occupied for a while. Aftershocks are still frequent, so for the time being I am living in the mountains. I live here with my children and grandchildren," said Ismail.

Ismail also thanked the government for all the attention that had been given during his time as a refugee.

When contacted through telephone, Syamsuddin as Head of Kendari LRSLU "Minaula” said " We are the Technical Implementation Unit of the Ministry of Social Affairs which organizes elderly social rehabilitation with coverage in eight provinces. The team was deployed in order to provide psychosocial support services and health checks for elderly people affected by disasters and support in the form of strengthening and restoring the spirit of life of the elderly. "

Considering the wide range of services and to make it easier for the public to access the services, "Minaula" LRSLU Kendari also developed online-based case response complaints.

“So every case of emergency that strikes the elderly, whether disaster, violence, mistreatment and other special cases can be reported through an online complaint application that can be done via Android," concluded Syamsudin.