Despite the increasing number of elderly in our country, services for elder care are still lacking. - 123rf
Two years ago, we received a call from a young student who had to pass up an opportunity to enrol in a caregiving training programme because his guardians did not have the money to fund his academic journey.
“Sorry, my uncle and aunt won’t let me take up caregiver training because our family doesn’t have the extra funds for me to pursue further studies,” he said.
The boy was a student who had attended a teenager caregiving camp Masoc Care had organised two years ago in Perak. His school principal saw the potential in him to be in the senior caregiving field and believed it could provide a brighter future for him.
With the number of elderly in our country increasing, the nurturing principal noted that services for elder care are still lacking, pointing out that the small town where the school was located didn’t have a proper elderly care centre.
He figured that if the young students explored this industry, they could serve their community too, aside from securing a good future for themselves.
When the boy was introduced to us, the principal told us: “His academic performance isn’t outstanding, and he is quite introverted, timid, often bullied by his classmates. But he is a very kind and helpful person. I think caregiving could be his way out.”
The principal personally sponsored the boy’s fees for the camp. During the camp, the boy proved his principal’s positive assessment right. While his classmates were done with their meals and chatting in groups, he would be the one staying behind to help the committee clean up. Once, during a game session, a classmate accidentally broke an egg, spilling its contents all over the floor. The boy immediately picked up a wet cloth and silently cleaned the mess to prevent anyone from slipping and getting hurt.
When asked about his goals or aspirations, he said: “I hope to earn enough money to help those in need in the future. I hope people will spend more time and money to help those in need. Because I, myself, have experienced the hardships that come from not having enough money.”
Turns out, his father passed away when he was very young, and his mother left soon after. Since then, he has been living with his uncle, aunt, and cousins.
Unfortunately, we later found out that the boy ended up washing dishes at a restaurant in Pangkor Island to earn quick money for his adopted family.
This was a missed opportunity. If he had the opportunity to enroll in a comprehensive caregiver training programme, he could have had a proper career path ahead of him.
The boy had the potential to become a professional caregiver – he had the inherent qualities of a good caregiver and training could have harnessed these qualities. However, financial issues caused him to miss the opportunity.
In the course of our work, raising awareness and training youngsters in senior caregiving, we have encountered many teenagers in similar situations. Among them were student leaders with excellent academic performance, who had the potential to become influential figures in the field, girls who had already started serving as caregivers at home due to sudden disabilities in their families and teenagers who lagged behind academically, but still held onto hope of building a career for themselves.
These youths, like the boy, possessed talents and could become excellent caregivers, with training. They could elevate the standard of elder care services in the country, ensuring all Malaysians can enjoy quality senior care services in their later years.
Today, most Malaysian families, regardless of whether rich or poor, face common challenges in senior care.
Due to various responsibilities, children may not be able to personally care for their parents. They might opt for hiring a domestic helper who is untrained and cannot provide proper care. Those who wish to give their parents the best care find that the current market in Malaysia severely lacks professional caregivers.
Masoc Care conducts skill assessment for its trainees. - Masoc Care
A positive story
At a care centre in Ipoh, Perak, recently, we witnessed the impact that good caregiving training can have.
At the senior care facility we often visit, there is an elderly lady who is almost always lying in the corner bed of one of the rooms in the facility. The living room next to her room is constantly abuzz with seniors taking part in various activities, or just simply interacting with each other. In stark contrast was this lady, who seemed to be on her own, lonely. In our many visits there, we had never seen her participate in the activities around her.One day recently, we saw her sitting up in her room for the first time. What surprised me more was seeing her laughing and chatting with a young caregiver. We couldn’t help but stop to take a closer look.
The caregiver explained: “This is Ms Tan. She lost her husband last year, and since then, she has been emotionally unstable and unwilling to interact with others. That’s why she has always stayed in her room.”
The young caregiver continued, “A few months ago, she attempted suicide by overdosing, but fortunately, it was discovered early, and she was saved.”
Thankfully, Ms Tan has “come out of the shadows” and is now very positive, the young caregiver said. “She no longer pushes people away like before.”
The real reason is the proper care she was given; caregiving that not only comforted but also empowered and guided the lonely elderly lady.
This, in essense, is what proper caregiving training can result in: Changing the life of a young person and improving the quality of life of a generation of elderly people.
This article was contributed by The Malaysian Association for Social Care Professionals and Homes (MASOC CARE). For more information on courses on caregiving for seniors, go to https://www.masoc.care/kaigocaregivingcourses or contact 011-3301 9681. The association has a “Turning Regrets into Actions: The Benefactor Initiative” to fund young, deserving students to train in senior caregiving.
