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round 2,000 senior citizens gathered on Saturday to mark the celebration of the National Day for the Elderly by asking the government to pay more attention to the country’s aged population.

Hundreds of elderly in Bali are living in dire conditions and suffer from mental illness.

“What we need now is a senior center, where the elderly could lead an active life by participating in various activities. So far, the government only provides retirement housing,” noted psychiatrist Luh Ketut Suryani of the Wredha Sejahtera foundation said.

The foundation is one of a few organizations in Bali providing support and organizing regular gatherings for senior citizens.

“Scores of the island’s elderly are living in terrible conditions. As high as 22.5 percent of all suicide cases here are committed by senior citizens, which I believe reflects the level of frustration in this population,” she said.

Moreover, Suryani disclosed that out of 336 mentally-ill patients under her treatment, 18 percent were senior citizens.

A recent survey carried out by the foundation on the elderly population in Karangasem, one of the island’s poorest regions, showed that 15 percent of the elderly were living alone or were abandoned by their families and more than 60 percent were unemployed.

“Nearly all respondents are suffering from physical illnesses, such as diabetes, tuberculosis, anemia, heart disease, as well as mental illnesses, such as dementia, anxiety and depression,” she said.

“Our senior citizens need more support to stay productive. By having a job or an activity to do, they would be able to improve their sense of self-respect and generate steady income to sustain their lives,” Suryani said.

During the gathering, prominent agriculture researcher and Udayana University lecturer Dewa Ngurah Suprapta introduced the cultivation of purple sweet potato and banana to senior citizens.

“Both plants are easy to grow and have good economic value,” Suprapta added.

A joyous atmosphere filled the celebration when different groups of senior citizens, dressed in colorful costumes, performed the traditional Balinese folk dances Janger, Kecak and Sajojo group dance.

The gathering presented the Most Productive Elder award to author and songwriter Ngakan Rai Lanus.

“I want to keep producing beautiful works,” Lanus said.