THE country is expected to see 6.3 million people above the age of 60 by 2040 as the face of the society is changing with people living longer than ever before, says Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow.
He said they would make up about 20 percent of the population by then as data on life expectancies between 1840 and 2007 has shown a steady increase, averaging around three months of life per year.
“Although longevity nowadays could extend beyond life expectancies of the past, statistics show the quality of life is compromised with age. This poses challenges for the elderly and the community.
“Ageing is taking place alongside other broad social trends that will affect the lives of older people,” he said.
As such, the country has taken initiatives to ensure the elderly continue participating and contributing towards the society.
“Forty-five Elderly Activity Centres have been set up nationwide to organise activities for them and as avenues for the elderly to socialise with the community,” he said before opening the International Conference on Ageing (ICA) 2019 at Eastin Hotel today.
The inaugural two-day conference is co-organised by Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) via the USM-RIKEN International Centre For Ageing Science (URICAS) and the state government.
The theme of the conference is ‘The Future Is Now: Fostering Social Commitment For The Active Ageing Community’.
Among those present were USM vice-chancellor Datuk Dr Asma Ismail and RIKEN executive director Prof Dr Motoko Kotani.
Asma said ageing has a direct impact on productivity and the labour market and individuals tend to remain longer at the workplace due to re-employment or retirement policies with longer life expectancies.
“Younger force would be shrinking and there will be fewer people in the productive age group to provide support and protection for old people,” she added.
She also pointed out that the world’s population, aged 60 years and above, is slated to double to two billion by 2050, up from 900 million in 2015.
“Our country will then witness a situation where the growth of the elderly population surpasses the growth of total population,” she said, adding that the conference would further help advance understanding of ageing.
Story by Edmund Lee
Pix by Darwina Mohd Daud
Video by Noor Siti Nabilah Noorazis