Experts Agree To Say Seniors Need Us To Be Happy

Photo illustration (Source: Pixabay)

JAKARTA - A number of health experts expressed the need for the elderly to be excited and happy in life, one of them is a doctor who graduated from the Faculty of Medicine, Padjajaran University Johny Sulistio, who emphasized the importance of facilitating efforts to facilitate the elderly in order to be able to do activities with colleagues his age.

Activities can be varied such as cooking, making handicrafts, singing, dancing and others. When the elderly can do it, then there will appear self rewarding and initiatives that ultimately make them more excited.

"I want to take for example, the situation of traveling together. Imagine if this is done regularly, the oma and opa already think this date of sightseeing, want to meet this, build an aura so excited," he said in a webinar titled More About Caregiver: Needs and Challenges in the Pandemic.

You can create something that makes the lives of these elderly feel more cheerful, something close to their lives and daily lives. Afterwards, make it part of the routine.

Johny who served as Business Head of Pajajaran Medical Education Center (Parameter) exemplified, an elderly man who is the mother of his partner even immediately showed signs of happiness after hearing will be met with his peers.

"The caregiver, his son, I talked to him to meet with opa that one (with his friend). Imagine, just like we said, he suddenly his voice became more twinkling. We're trying to facilitate it. One, two weeks he's still twinkling and then after that forget again. But we stimulate again, giving a passion of life (for the elderly)," he said.

Another example, Johny's own mother. Johny tells the story of his mother who loves to watch television shows, once given a large cell phone. At first the mother refused the gift.

But when Johny made a connection with his mother's brother in the Netherlands through the phone, there was a gradual interest. Then, contacting the phone became the routine of the mother so that it was not focused solely on television.

Sometimes, not all of these senior citizens feel they have a particular hobby. The escorts or caregivers do not have to bother asking. Try to observe the elderly who are being treated, what is his favorite. This is where the importance of caregivers is able to establish closeness and sufficient knowledge about the profile of the elderly.

On that occasion, psychologist from the University of Indonesia, Indriati Makki said, the escorts need to provide a sense of security and comfort with language that can be better understood by the elderly.

According to him who once cared for his mother, among other senses, the sense of touch became the most instrumental in providing a sense of security and comfort, especially for the elderly.

"I hug, elus-elus, the human senses can be less and less the longest lasting sense of taste, so groped he was happy. The sense of taste plays a role in providing a sense of security and comfort," said Indriati.

Financial needs

Psychologist from the University of Indonesia as well as an observer for nursing homes in Indonesia and America, Tati Indarto reminds the importance of preparing yourself from the financial side for the sake of your old days. This is actually a message to you who are still in productive age.

"Actually, what I advise is not the elderly but the elderly candidates, kumpulin money so that later when the elderly are happy. But it's not a habit here," he said.

Tati said that the elderly, especially those who are cared for in nursing homes, tend not to have more money to meet their entertainment needs. These people only have the money to pay for their monthly care costs in a nursing home.

"Money is a rare item, what they have just to pay month by month and can not for other fun. So, don't have the money to get a travel intercession or anything that gives you any other happiness," he said.

Not only you who are of productive age, you who are now a wife are also advised to start saving. According to Tati, a person especially in his old age can not live quietly and comfortably without financial support that can support the needs of the elderly, without having to rely on other children or families.

But he understands this is not easy, one of them is because it concerns culture. In some families, financial or financial matters are more entrusted to husbands than wives.

"The difficulty that I face, the culture in Indonesia that holds the money husband, usually the wife does not play a role. I hope they (the wives) play a role in saving money, because it is impossible to live a quiet and comfortable life without financial support," he said.

Then, if you can start saving, you can try the most classic investment that is deposits, although not too much yield but can produce.

Tati who is now elderly and hobby traveling said, since the age of 30-40 years (productive age) has tried to learn about stocks. According to him, this effort is difficult and risky. But he cautioned against being able to mess around when it comes to investing for the old days.

*Read more information about COVID-19 or read other interesting writings from Detha Arya Tifada.

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