Malaysia has 393 registered elder care centres and 26 nursing homes, with an additional 700 to more than 1,000 unregistered facilities, according to a United Nations Development Programme report published last June.
Even with most families preferring to care for their elderly at home, many facilities already face long waiting lists, and the demand will only increase in the coming years, it said.
Phang Sue Ling, a doctor and co-founder of Genesis Life Care, a long-term care service provider in Malaysia, believes the timing of the white paper is “a bit too late”.
She estimated that Malaysia has only about 30,000 care centre beds, while its much smaller neighbour Singapore has already made plans to expand its nursing home bed capacity to 31,000 by 2030.
“We have so much more to catch up on. And with all this bureaucracy, for even private sector people to open up centres to help ease the burden we have, it’s not easy for us as well,” Phang told CNA.
Genesis, which provides services like stroke rehabilitation, dementia care and palliative care, operates four centres in Klang, Kajang, Petaling Jaya and Puchong, with the Klang and Petaling Jaya outlets at more than 90 per cent occupancy.
Phang hopes Malaysia’s upcoming ageing nation white paper can streamline licensing requirements for care centres, such as the maximum number of floors permitted.
Nithiyaraja Selvarajan, founder of Sukha Golden Sanctuary, a day centre for seniors in Petaling Jaya, said the single licensing regime should also apply across state governments and city councils.
“You have these little Napoleons, where they impose things which sometimes make it tough for operators to get a licence,” he told CNA, referring to state and local authorities.
Selvarajan estimated that less than 20 per cent of senior living facilities in Malaysia are licensed.
Both Selvarajan and Phang lamented the lack of financial support from the government in operating these private facilities, suggesting tax breaks as one measure they would be grateful for.
“We don’t want to charge too high, because you want to provide that service to the community, but at the same time we want to stay afloat,” Selvarajan said.
While Phang acknowledged the government had more pressing expenditure needs, she asked if Genesis could get tax exemptions for every patient it takes in from the Department of Social Welfare and cares for at subsidised rates.
“This, I think, can be a way that we work together with the government to solve our problems,” she added.
Over at the Kenang Budi Welfare Organisation, a traditional old folks’ home in Petaling Jaya, its manager Jason Wong said more volunteers are needed to help out with day-to-day operations.
These homes, usually a bungalow-style basic facility, are often run by non-governmental or religious organisations. They offer free accommodation for seniors in need and rely on public donations as well as a yearly but irregular stipend from the government.
Wong’s facility takes in only government- or hospital-referred seniors who do not have next-of-kin, or relatives willing to care for them. The home, which has since moved to Subang Jaya, can house 19 residents. It now has 17 residents after two recently died.
“In one year, I can have six to seven new residents,” Wong told CNA. “The problem (of demand exceeding supply) will only worsen as Malaysia ages.”
At the other end of the senior home spectrum is the Millennia Village in Seremban, which offers resort-style independent living.
The price for a couple starts at RM6,500 a month including full board and meals.
Millennia Village chairman John Chia said he is getting a lot of interest from foreigners from countries like China, Japan and Singapore who cannot afford to retire in such a high-end facility back home.
He urged the federal government to relax the housing purchase requirement in Malaysia’s retirement visa scheme and allow foreigners to qualify if they choose to lease a unit in such a facility.
As for locals, Chia said a senior couple living in Kuala Lumpur would probably spend more living by themselves than at Millennia Village, based on a rough calculation of rental, utilities, meals and domestic helper fees.
Opting to live in such a communal facility entails a “mindset change” – one that Chia thinks an increasing number of seniors will make.
“With people living longer and being more affluent, and their children not living with them anymore, I think there will be greater attraction (to such facilities),” he said.
