English Bahasa
 persuratan@kemsos.go.id
  • News
  • Directorate General of Social Rehabilitation

The Ministry of Social Affairs is Ready to Synergize the Elderly Program

The Ministry of Social Affairs is Ready to Synergize the Elderly Program
Writer :
Humas Ditjen Rehabilitasi Sosial
Editor :
Annisa YH
Translator :
Karlina Irsalyana

JAKARTA (26 June 2021) – Minister of Social Affairs Tri Rismaharini, represented by the Director General of Social Rehabilitation Harry Hikmat, Director General of Social Rehabilitation, was the keynote speaker in the webinar on Fulfilling the Right to a Happy and Prosperous Elderly organized by the Central Executive (PP) Aisyiyah through online platform.

 

Harry Hikmat conveyed several points of view related to the Welfare Policy Direction for the Elderly.

 

Harry Hikmat said that in Law 13 of 1998 on Elderly Welfare, a person is said to be Elderly if he has reached the age of 60 (sixty) years and over. The age limit for the elderly can be shifted or revisited considering that the life expectancy of the Indonesian population reaches 71 years and above.

 

"In 2045, Indonesia will experience the phenomenon of an aging population, namely a population with an elderly population who has a very high dependency ratio as a result of increasing life expectancy and declining fertility rates. So, the demographic structure of the Indonesian population will start to have more elderly people aged 60 years and over," said Harry Hikmat. This is something that must be prepared well in advance and it is necessary to anticipate the future of the nation which will lead to an elderly population.

 

Furthermore, Harry said that based on data, 44% of the elderly in Indonesia have multimorbidity (Pusdatin Kemenkes, 2020). The most common diseases experienced by the Indonesian elderly besides dementia include hypertension, dental disorders, arthritis, oral disorders, diabetes, coronary heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and cancer.

 

In addition, there are non-typical symptoms in the elderly such as hypertension, heart attacks, and strokes, diabetes mellitus which need to be understood by the family, community, and the immediate environment, so that if the elderly experience these symptoms, they can immediately receive further treatment.

 

"The future policy is how parents, children from families who have the elderly, the surrounding community have awareness of the presence of the elderly in their environment, and have an understanding and response that becomes a community movement called Posyandu Lansia," said Harry Hikmat. The Elderly Posyandu is a community-based protection movement for the elderly and has shown real success as the Minister of Social Affairs, Tri Rismaharini did when she was Mayor in the City of Surabaya.

From the existing conditions, according to Harry Hikmat, the elderly are also faced with the problem of poverty. The elderly, especially those aged 60 years and over, many life below the poverty line. This shows that the poverty rate for the elderly population is still significant.

Therefore, the Ministry of Social Affairs has taken various strategic steps including providing broad social protection to the elderly, both those who are in the family or for reasons outside the family, such as the elderly living in Social Rehabilitation Center and Social Welfare Institutions.

The elderly, especially the poor and vulnerable, who are included in the category of the lowest 40% of socioeconomic status, around 12.6 million (DTKS, 2019) will be sought to be handled through social protection programs, such as the Family Hope Program (PKH). Currently, there are only around 1.1 million (Directorate of Family Social Security, 2019) and limited to the elderly aged 70 years and over.

"We ask for synergy in the implementation of national programs, including ensuring food assistance, PKH assistance, which is spread throughout the country. With the synergy between the Ministry of Social Affairs and Aisyiyah, many things can be done together, including at the grass-root level. The existence of Aisyiyah's branches can strengthen what is happening at the community or community level, such as strengthening the Posyandu for the Elderly, ensuring the distribution of various social assistance to the elderly and caring for the elderly," said Harry Hikmat.
Share :