JAKARTA Old Schools (elderly) are starting to become an effort to help seniors stay connected to the social environment, learn new things, while maintaining their physical and mental health. This program is considered increasingly relevant, because Indonesia is now entering the aging population era with a proportion of the elderly who have exceeded 10 percent of the total population.
The Minister of Population and Family Development (Menduk bangga) as well as the Head of BKKBN, Wihaji, said that the existence of an elderly school is one solution so that elderly people do not feel isolated.
"The elderly school is part of the answer to provide their space for activities, because some of the elderly live in loneliness," he said at the launch of the Empowered Elderly (SiDaya) program in Lamongan Regency, East Java, Thursday (4/12).
The SiDay program is presented to encourage the elderly to remain productive and be able to provide benefits for themselves, their families, and the community. Through this program, the elderly get space to do activities, obtain health assistance, and opportunities to learn new skills, including entrepreneurs.
SEE ALSO:
Wihaji explained that elderly schools under the Elderly Family Development (BKL), productive economic training, and identity cards are part of the government's form of support. In addition, regular health checks are carried out for early detection of the disease and identifying the elderly who need long-term assistance.
He emphasized that the presence of the state must be felt directly through concrete steps, not just discussions.
"The president said that there should not be many seminars, but direct checks to the field to find out their condition," said Wihaji.
Data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) 2024 shows that 12 percent of Indonesia's total population is an elderly population. This condition marks a change in the demographic structure that can be an opportunity if the elderly stay healthy, active, and independent.
But challenges remain. The BPS survey shows that two of the five elderly have experienced health complaints in the past month, and the morbidity rate has reached 20.71 percent. Therefore, programs such as SiDaya are expected to be an important part in ensuring that the elderly in Indonesia can live healthier, longer, and more meaningful "not just getting older."
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
