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Senior citizens find independence and companions in East Jakarta apartment
Sasana Tresna Werdha Ria Pembangunan, an apartment complex in Cibubur, East Jakarta, is a place where senior citizens can have their independence and do anything they want while socializing with their peers.
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Soeprapti Soetedjo (left) and Mirna Wisnayati play scrabble in a common room in the Sasana Tresna Werdha Ria Pembangunan apartments for senior citizens on Jan.. 7. The apartments located in Cibubur, East Jakarta are not a nursing home, but rather a housing facility intended for the elderly. (JP/Alya Nurbaiti)
M
irna "Wike" Wisnayati has spent the last 10 years living in the Sasana Tresna Werdha (STW) Ria Pembangunan, an apartment complex for senior citizens in Cibubur, East Jakarta.
The 82-year-old Wike spends her days sewing scraps of fabric into bags.
Wike lived temporarily with her only daughter after her husband died, but her daughter’s job often took her out of town for days. “It’s miserable living alone. I almost accidentally burned the house down twice,” she recalled, explaining that she forgot she was boiling water.
“I want the security of knowing help is always on hand. I need friends to talk to as well, but I also want my own room and privacy,” she told The Jakarta Post during a recent visit to the apartments.
Another tenant, Soeprapti "Prapti" Soetedjo, at 95 is the oldest and one of the longest residents, having lived there for 25 years. Prapti can still walk and talk clearly. She’s a little hard of hearing, so people have to talk a little louder.
She spends her days watching political news or sewing to downsize her clothes, now that her body has become skinnier.
