are more room for improvement for the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren

Many Malaysia today view the elderly as a burden. Most of them now either live separately from their family or are left in the care of nursing homes or hospice. Some even live in the streets. Many of them never get visited by their relatives or family at all, they feel neglected and extremely disappointed, as the children they have raised do not even show care and concern.

Surveys were carried out and the results show that there are more room for improvement for the relationship between grandparents and their grandchildren.

Malaysia, a modern community, was not built in a single day, but after years of hardship and labour of our elders. Malaysians today are reaping the bountiful fruits of their labour, and they should not repay them with disregard and disrespect. However, Malaysians still choose to abandon and neglect them just because they are unable to contribute to the society. There are some elders now who live below the poverty line and do odd jobs to make ends meet.

Figures from the National Population and Family Development Board, an agency under the Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, show that about 675,000 elderly parents did not receive financial support from their children as at 2004 when the Fourth Malaysian Population and Family Survey was conducted.

To encourage more families to live with their elders, the government has also set up various schemes and organizations, which provides aids to poor and needy elderly who are ‘abandoned’ by their families. Hoping there will be a diminishing number of elderly being ‘abandoned’ each year.

If the numbers continues to increase, the government may to build shelters, renovate nursing homes and buy more advanced medical equipment, food and beds for these elderly.

The rise in the number of abandoned elderly also creates a bad impression to tourists and foreigners. They may think that Malaysian are heartless and have no filial piety.