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any people believe that senior citizens should not live in panti jompo, the elderly people'€™s accommodation from the Social Affairs Ministry, because it contradicts Indonesian culture. This view was echoed by the Speaker of the People'€™s Consultative Assembly, Zulkifli Hasan, in a recent meeting with Muhammadiyah social service activists.

Communities expect families to take care of their elderly by providing physical facilities, health care, social-emotional support and recreational activities.

If panti jompo is not suitable for elderly people, how should our senior citizens be looked after in the community according to Indonesian culture?

The number of senior citizens has been rapidly increasing. In 2010 it stood at 18 million. The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) predicted the elderly to account for 8.5 percent of the total population in 2015, 10.1 percent in 2020 and 13.8 percent in 2030.

Therefore, the government should begin to devise strategies for senior citizens. Law No. 13/1998 on welfare for the elderly categorizes seniors into productive elderly, those with regular income (including civil servant pensioners) and non-productive elderly who depend on family and other people.

Other related laws include Law No. 4/1965 on livelihood assistance for the elderly, Law. No. 23/1992 on health, Law No. 39/1999 on human rights and Law No. 52/2009 on population growth and family development.

Some regions have initiated bylaws on the elderly, such as Magelang in Central Java and Balikpapan in East Kalimantan last year.

Despite those laws, bylaws and the National Commission for the Elderly, implementation is severely lacking, and laws and regulations have not included all stakeholders. Welfare for the elderly is still far below what is needed.
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The government can build hostels for seniors who need general care and modify houses for people with dementia.

The stigma of panti jompo can be minimized if the government increases the quality standards of care these facilities provide. Also, the name could be changed, as it connotes miserable old and useless people. Furthermore, the government should standardize the homes with comprehensive health care, recreational activities and productive activities, such as knitting.

But as most people expect to keep their elderly at home, the government should also promote a national program of caring for senior citizen in their own homes with in-house services. Moreover, the national and local governments need national standards for such in-house service.

The government could include social and religion-based organizations and their divisions of women '€” who might be more interested in care services '€” such as Nahdhatul Ulama (NU) with its Fatayat branches, Muhammadiyah with its Aisyiyah and social services division with 380 branches across all provinces. In-house services can be managed by community services from localities, religion-based organizations and private companies. Local administrations should have quality standards for caring and monitoring. The organizations would then provide services for the elderly with support from the ministries of social affairs and health as well as local governments.

Gerontologists and nurses should be hired aside from those trained as recreational officers. Care services and recreational activities could also be carried out at local health centers that could be designed for the elderly. The government also should continuously conduct ongoing qualitative research to understand ways to increase the quality of services for seniors.

Another way for the government to support the elderly is by building residential facilities to accommodate their needs. The government can build hostels for seniors who need general care and modify houses for people with dementia, in cooperation with private companies and housing developers.

By establishing plans of services for our senior citizen, the government will not only maintain the health of senior residents but also increase the welfare of families who don'€™t wish to send elders to special homes. Families can get help from the government and community services to look after their parents, so they can focus on their children, the next generation.

The writer is a PhD candidate in medical anthropology at the Cultural History and Language Research School of Asia Pacific and a lecturer of the Public Health Faculty, Haluoleo University in Kendari, Southeast Sulawesi. She previously worked in aged care services in Australia.