GOLDEN HOME

Old folks home are introduced by government and non government organization in order to look after the veteran’s people welfare. Unfortunately, many people misunderstood about the importance of the old folk home in our community. This is due to the certain cases that show the irresponsible children who does not care about their parents welfare. Eventhough this cases are not strong enough to judge all children that send their parents to old folks home as an irresponsible children.

The world is developing from day to day causing living cost getting higher. It is because the price of raw material is also getting higher. People today are working harder to support their family financial. Not only man, married women also have their own carrier to help their husband so that their family financial is in stable condition. Because of these situations, most children think they need to send their parents to old folk home. This is not because of certain purpose like what our community think today. We need to think in other view. If their children are busy with their work and grandchildren are busy with school, who want to look after them? So, sending this veteran people to old folks home is the best way in order to make sure this veteran people welfare being taken care of.

Then, we also need to think about veteran people feeling. When nobody wants to chatting with them, getting alone in the house and no interesting thing to do, they will get bored and lonely. This is what we should avoid because when veteran people starting to feel lonely, it is not good for their health. By sending them to old folks home, at least they can make a friend and someone who can take care of them.

As we know, old folk home has already provided an activities that can be joined by their citizens. So, the old folks are not bored staying there. The activities include about the religion speech. Other than that, the old folk home also provided empty land for veteran people for agriculture activity. Not only for health, these activities also can tight the bond among the citizen, where they can communicate and sharing their knowledge together. Moreover, the old folk home organizations also do family day for every year in order to tight the bond among the family members. From that point, it shows that old folk home are the place where the old folk home can find the peace.

On the other hand, the center cares for old folk also available at old folk home. For example x-ray and physiotherapy services that can guarantee the old folks health. Furthermore, the post graded doctor also provided at the old folk home to ensure that the citizens are at the well-condition. It also can save the time, means that we are not wasting time to send the citizen to the hospital or clinic if some serious ill happen.

In addition, the strict rules must also be followed by the children before send their parent to old folks home. Firstly, the parents must willingly to be sent at that old folk home. Then the parents must not have any serious ill that can cause any death. Other than that, the children also need to visit their parents at least once per week, if not they can be sued. Lastly, the old folk home organization has introduced a new system which is the children can take their parents after work.

For conclusion, old folk home are not only the place for the abundant old people, but for a medium to help the children to take care of their parents.

Herlina I’zzati binti Asniel A122367

Nur Diana binti Jawa @ Misri A122138

Changes In Old Folk's Home

People have their own reason on why they sending their parents to the old folk’s home. For some this is necessity because of job commitments and lack of time to genuinely attend to their needs. A lot of them do this at the bidding of their life partners for purely selfish reasons. Sometimes people have no choice when the home environment is really bad or inadequate. Of course the perceived ideal is to live with the adult children and have grandchildren around them, but life does not go that way. Then, the alternative is to be put in a home where the physical needs are seen to and there is opportunity for a social life as well, all within the confines of the old folk’s home. That is, family plays an important role in order to built family institution. Since children were born, all parents try to put their full effort to provide all the aspects which are necessary for a human being to grow up and success in life.
Old folk’s home is the place where the older people is send by their family or they came by themselves in order to have extra attention due to the illness or disability. The things here, do you think that is the right way by sending parents to the old folk’s home? There are many people nowadays, in this hectic lifestyle, which have elderly parents that can’t be left alone for many reasons. For example, they require too much care and supervision so they don’t just wander off. This is the way so that they have to choose between having the elderly parents come and live with them, or placing the elderly parents in assisted living or a the old folk’s home. It’s never an easy choice, but sometimes there really is no choice.
Malaysian nowadays always think that it is not good and rude to send their parents to the old folk’s home, and starting to blame people who choose to send their parents there. In other words, a parent is under children’s responsibility. Indeed, this mentality must be changed because some children have their reasonable reason on why they sending their parents to the old folk’s home. We have our responsibility in changing the negative thinking among the public about this issue. As we know, old folk’s home nowadays is not as bad as what they imagine. They provide high quality of care to the elderly based on fairness, effectiveness, efficiencies, responsiveness, and integration. Based on this mission, there are some improvement that have to be maintained on how to change their mentality about this issue.
Firstly, we have to change standard name of the old folk’s home to a better name and sound friendly.For example, “Rumah Orang-orang Tua” is change to a special name like “Rumah Sri Indah”. It is resemble with the rehabilitation center which have it’s specific name, Rumah Pengasih. Then, the authorities or Non-Government Organization should provide the place with enough facilities with good accommodation.
Next, the system in that organization itself. They have to know that this is not just a welfare organization, but place where good accommodation, medical and nursing care for elderly suffering or recovering from any sickness and physical disability can we get. From this statement, there must be some goals have to be achieved. Therefore, they have to provide love and care to the residents irrespective of background, race, status, sex, age, religious, disability, belief or contribution to the society. They also must provide rehabilitation to residents with the aim of maximizing their remaining functional to cognitive ability and returning them to their community and loved ones, if possible. Then, they have to provide seamless community care suppert services for the elderly and their rehabilitated residents to enable them to stay in their own homes for as long as possible. Then the system has to improve care standards through research, training, and education, monitoring and review of outcomes.
Based on equipment, they have to make sure that they provide quality of excellence in care, environment, food, furnishing and activities. In addition, each residents have their right to privacy in room, bath and personal possessions so that the facilities adjustment can be marked as in high quality condition. There also must be some counselor that can help each residents adjust to physical intellectual and emotional limitations and still can find satisfaction in daily living. They also must give moral support and comfort at all times and to preserve the right to die with dignity with courage and in peace.
Staff’s there also has to be friendly, not only to residents there, but also with their family members. They have to make welcome at all times to them and encourage to be part of the Home. If anything happen, staff has to inform residents and their families of any medical and nursing treatment the residents may receive in the Home.
For the conclusion, the existence of the old folk’s home has it advantages and disadvantages. The important thing is, the government, organization and the children themselves must together support to upgrade the quality of the old folk’s home so that the mentality of Malaysian people would be changed.

NEW IDEA TO IMPROVE OLD FOLKS HOME

Do you ever hear that a mother can take care ten of her children while the ten children are unable to look after their only mother? So, where these irresponsible children put their parent? Old folk home is the most common place for the children to leave their responsibilities. Different people have different opinion about this situation. Although some of the public think positively but majority of them still have negative perception about the children that send their parent to old folk home. In order to change the negative perception among the public, everyone including government, non government organization (NGO) and community have to cooperate.

Children whose send their parent to old folk home always being labeled as ‘unfaithful child’. This is because their action is negatively judge by the public without knowing the truth situation behind it. As we all known, children nowadays are busy with their career. They do not have enough time to spend with their parent and to fulfill their responsibilities as a child. This can be seen obviously at the big city and usually happen among the children that already have their own family. Actually, they have their own rational reason to send their parent to old folk home. They do that because they want to make sure their parent not neglected. Rationally, when parent live in old folk home their health, necessity and so on will be taking care better compare to they live at the children’s house.

People see that the old folk home are a very miserable, bored and uncomfortable place to go. This negative perception causes the old folks to feel that their children are ignoring them. Besides, these situations cause children do not want to visit their parent. This problem can be overcome by improving the system of the old folk home. Here are some suggestions to renew the system of old folk home. First, we must make the old folk home as a day care centre, which is children are allows to send their parent to old folk home only during office hour. This can maintain the harmony relationship not only between parents and children, but also grandchildren.

Next, we introduce a new system call the ‘resident system’. Government should provide specific land, usually at rural area to build a resident just for old folks. In this resident we should build houses where husband and wife will be placed in a house while for single parent; they will live with their friends. Children will be easier to visit their parent if we use this system. Furthermore, the old folks will be more comfortable compare to living at the hostel.

Moreover, health care is one of the most important aspects that we must consider when we manage an old folk home. As usual, in old folk home there must be doctors, nurses, physiotherapy and counselors to manage the health of the old folks. The present of both doctors and nurses will help to take care of the old folk’s health. As we all known, most of them suffering for many kind of diseases, for instance diabetes, heart attack, stock, cancer and high blood pressure. Base on emotional health, counselors are the important person to help the old folks to control their emotions. It is because they feel lonely and need friend to talk to. Counselor not only a good listener but also good in giving advices.

Besides that, administrations are encouraged to make new rules in order to provide first class services to the old folks. The rules that suggested are; every festival like Aidilfitri, Aidiladha, Depavali, and Chinese New Year, children have to take their parent home, so that they can celebrate those festivals together. Then, the children should visit their parent at least once a week to make sure their parent not feel ignore and lonely.

In addition, the name of the ‘old folk home’ should be change to special name like ‘Titian Damai’, ‘Loving Home’ and others. These kinds of names can make the old folks not feel that they are staying at old folk home and at the same time they will be fell happier and enjoy their life fully there.

In a nutshell, old folk home is not something miserable but enjoyable if the right improvement being done to it. The children should make the right decision before sending their parent to old folk home, so that either parent or children will feel comfortable. If all of the new systems that suggests above being adapted, all of the negative perception towards the old folk home can be eliminated.


WRITTEN by:
NUR FASIHAH BT KAMARUDIN & SITI FATIMAH BT MOHAMAD YUSOP

How to courage the impression of public towards old folk's home?

Old folk's home is a place or area for people who age 60 years old and above that needed to be taken care of and also have nobody else or have somebody but cannot fully take care of them. From this definition, it shows that this place is like a nursery for old folks. When we talk about old folks home, the first thing that will come out from our mind is about irresponsible children that couldn't take care for their only two beloved person that never neglected them before. Most of the public views about this issue is on negative side. They even think that law action should be given to the children who send their parents over there. In fact, this place is organized for positive reasons such as for the old folks to be comfortable in full-equipped place and also to ease the working children to ensure the safety of their beloved parents.
Unfortunately, many things happen shows the irreponsibility of that children. They never visit their parents even once, and also the problem of lack hygiene and facilities that provided by the organization. Therefore, before it's too late and many neglected parents exists, we as the children and also the old folks home organizer need to turn over a new leaf and change the perspective of public on old folks home.
Firstly, the system of the old folks home need to be reorganized. The government need to increase the amount of old folks home at each area in order to avoid far places of parents that had been sent by the children. because of that, the law restricted by this organization must include that the children must visit their parents every two weeks or send any relatives to visit them if they have any emergency things to do.
Beside that, the system of the room must be comfortable and more likely to home and not hostel environment. As for the couple, couple room must be provided for them. This will not only ensure the safety of parents but also their happiness.
On the other hand, for any festival day, their children must bring back their parents and celebrate with them to avoid lonely feeling among them. Furthermore, the system of healthcare must be improved inside the old folks home. Many health facilities such as nurses, therapy center, and many others must be provided to give the best services for the old folks over there.
Furthermore, in order to make comfort of old folks, we also need to provide and organize few events to entertain those parents such as "Family Day" to gather all these families to make them cheer up.
As for the children that send their parents in old folks home, make sure that they will never neglect and just leave their parents all alone without any visiting. This is vital to change the view of public about negative side of old folks home into the good one.
If we think deeply, we will understand the feelings of old folks that are very sensitive. We need to give them the best services as how they treat and care of us since we born.That's why we need to change the systems and law of old folks home to better sida thus bring the positive point of view among public about the old folks home.



Created by,
Aqilah & Aisyah
1 August 2008

#OLD FOLKS' HOME#

Generally, when we talk about ‘Old Folks’ Home’, the first thing which will cross our minds is sympathy. In majority, the way of seeing the three words above is that the senior citizens are being abandoned by their beloved family and they are particularly lonely in the old folks’ home. Public will blame their children for not doing their responsibility of taking good care of their parents. Besides, the public assume that the old folks are not well taken care in the house. Therefore, we must take some prompt actions in long term or short term in order to change the negative perception of the public towards the old folks’ home.

Initially, the first thing we can do is to change the name of the old folks’ house. We should have named it in a more approaching and lovely way. For instance, instead of using the name, ‘Old Folks’ Home’, we can replace it by ‘Rumah Tersayang’ or ‘Nursing Home’. This can alter the public’s thinking that the elderly people are staying in a comfortable and convenient home. They are also taken care by professional and trained nurses and workers. It is safe and secured for the senior citizens to live in Nursing Home.

Restriction and enhancement of the rules to enter Nursing Home should have been made. For instance, only elderly people from the age of 58 or above are allowed to stay in old folks’ home. The family or relatives of the old folks, moreover, must visit them at least once a week. During special and grand festivals, those family of the residents in old folks’ house are compulsory to bring them back to their hometown and celebrate the days. Therefore, the old folks will not be neglected and isolated by their family members. By restricting this rule, the old folks can still feel the love and care showered by their own family.

Furthermore, the authority of old folks’ homes should have organized some programmes and activities for the elderly to do social works or even charity works. Activity such as cleaning the compound of their home and playing physical as well as mental games together is highly recommended in Nursing Home. This is not only filling their spare time but also creating the opportunity for the residents to communicate and socialize among each other. They can make more friends and help each other since they are living under one roof. This will create a joyful as well as tolerant environment in the Nursing Home. They can find companion when their children or family members are not around. Beside that, the old folks who are expert in doing handcrafts or planting are encouraged to do their favourite hobbies in old folks’ home. They can either sell the handcrafts that they produce or donate the products.

On the other hand, health care of the old folks must be emphasized. Doctors should help every resident in Nursing Home to do medical check up at least once a month. The authorities of old folks’ home should have employed the dietitian to ensure the healthy diet for the old folks whereas nurses can give the education of prevention and precaution of cronic diseases such as diabetes and osteoporosis. By providing this type of services, the senior citizens can live in a happy yet healthy life.

As a conclusion, living in Nursing Home is not as bad as what the public presume. We must try our best to take good care of our parents and grandparents. The most important thing is to respect the elder people and ensure that they are living in a happy life.

Written by ANNIE LEM & BEE HUA