"Will you still need me? Will you still feed me... when I'm sixty-four?... goes a Beatles song popularized in 1967 in the movie Yellow Submarine. Paul McCartney was only 25 when he wrote the song as a tribute to his father not long after the latter turned 64.
With that, have we ever — even once —given our ageing parents a profound tribute? Perhaps a simple special treat once in a blue moon as they near the dusk of their life? Or, find activities outside the home for them?
It is a fact that lots of adult children get too occupied raising own family that they totally — perhaps, not deliberately — ignore the welfare of their old folks.
What can we, the senior bunch, do? Can't force anything or oblige our adult kids, can we? So we contend to fending for ourselves not wanting to be a burden to our grown children.
A Niche for Seniors
One chilly morning last week, I drove to drop off my grandson to his part time work. As I have time on my hands and the nearby mall just opened, I stopped by Pickering Town Center here in Ontario, Canada for a cup of hot cocoa at the food court's Tim Hortons.
Surprisingly, at opening time, the line was already long. I noticed that the food court was brimming with groups of seniors — mostly caucasians and East Indians — occupying more than half of the spacious dining hall.
With a big reindeer and giant Christmas balls at the center, the hall was in a jolly holiday mode of sorts, teeming with laughter and an aura of positive vibes. Even the security men, busboys and cleaners were past golden-agers.
By the looks of it, they are regulars at the mall, spending the whole morning over a cup of coffee each — with a free refill.
And as it were, this is exactly the niche seniors need to take them out of geriatric home care.
Active Aging
It isn't that long ago when I came across a global empirical research on "Active Aging".
An aspect of the World Health Organization study indicated that shopping malls have become a priority choice of hangout places for the aging community, rated among their preferred indoor public spaces.
"Active Aging" is a concept to help enhance the quality of life for older adults. The study mentioned that the "understanding of 'Active Aging' is determined by multiple personal, social, economic, and environmental factors affecting ... functional capacities of older adulthood ..."
As I interpret it, seniors just want to belong.
To be accepted, they naturally manifest the desire to participate in social and physical activities such as this.
In The Legislative Agenda
In many countries, according to WHO, there exist structured "Age-Friendly" communities to improve the quality of life for older adults. Hence, WHO incessantly proposes to lawmakers the inclusion of "Active Aging" in their legislative agenda.
With the lifecycle of adults varying, making them participate in structured social activities is of paramount importance to make them happy and, thus, extend their lifespan.
What else is wanting in Philippine Laws to support the elderly? Ours is a unique society in that, more often than not, taking care our old folks is kind of mandatory. It is our culture and innate values whether we are in the country or abroad with family.
In the Philippine Constitution's Article 15, it mandates every Filipino family "to take care of its elderly members." The State has benefits and programs for them, as stipulated under Republic Act 9994 or the Expanded Senior Citizens Act.
Growing Aging Community
But then, I doubt if the Filipino aging community enjoys these edicts or if there are monitoring bodies for implementation.
According to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the 60 and above age structure from 2012 to 2022 is only 8.5 percent. Records in 2020 reveals that 9.22 million is comprised by 55.5 percent of women.
With the life expectancy of 72.12 years, which is near the global average. We rank 124th in the worldwide life expectancy with Hong Kong, Macau, Japan, Switzerland, Singapore, South Korea, and Spain in the vicinity of the 85 years mark.
In five year's time, the aging people of the Philippines will most likely surpass those 10-24 now that account for 28 percent or 30 million of our 117.3 million current population.
To come up with a concept based on non-medical approach to ensure they lead a quality life till the end of time is the responsibility of families and the State. Are we doing our share?
Caring for the aging is a dynamic and interactive process. Remember, a populace that ages well tells so much of their community and Government.
(email opinyon.luchie@gmail.com.)
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