29 May is commemorated as National Elder Day every year. This year, the theme is “Well-cared elderly proof of Indonesia’s dignity”. National Elder Day is the Government’s initiative to show their appreciation for the spirit and contribution of our elders in freeing, developing, and advancing our nation over the years, as expressed in Government Regulation Number 43 of 2004, concerning the Implementation of the Effort to Improve the Social Welfare of the Elderly, and Presidential Regulation Number 88 of 2021 concerning the National Strategy for Old Age, which regulate the rights of the elderly for health services.
“In Indonesia, the ‘elderly’ are people 60 years or older, while most other countries only consider a person to be an ‘elder’ if they are at least 65. We commemorate National Elder Day to show our respect to the elderly, and to encourage elders’ families to care for, take care of, and protect the elders of the family to keep them happy, healthy, and productive.
In turn, these elders will make their families happy in turn, and the neighborhood will be encouraged to take care of elders better for years afterwards,” declared dr. Anindita “Anin” Rachmawati, Sp.PD, M. Biomed, of the Persahabatan General Public Hospital, Jakarta, in the “Well-cared Elderly, Proof of Indonesia’s Dignity” live IG session on Tuesday (23/5/2023).
Nurturing the Nurturers
Then dr. Anin went on to explain that as we age, all our organs will degenerate at an approximate annual rate of 1% from peak health and capacity, from the age of 30 onwards. “Organ degeneration should not be the benchmark – how to ensure that our elders can live a quality life.
However, everything must be prepared from a young age by ensuring that we all adopt a healthy lifestyle. There are three aspects in the health standard of the elderly: they have clear, healthy minds; they have healthy bodies that they can move easily; and they care very much about what they consume.
Having a ‘healthy mind’ includes constant positivity when facing an issue without denying negative reality, as even though theoretically the elderly are psychologically mature, actually they tend to be more sensitive than younger adults,” she said.