Strategies and initiatives for an elderly friendly environment in the development plans in Malaysia: The case of Perak, Malaysia
List of Authors
  • Kushairi Rashid , Nur Shazmiera Shamin Sha Bani

Keyword
  • Aging Population, Age-Friendly City, Cross-Examine, Development Plans, Strategies

Abstract
  • Malaysia is expected to become an aging country by 2035, with 15% of the population being aged. The phenomenon has great impact on the provision of facilities, infrastructure, and services. Development plans are tools accustomed to guide the country economic, physical, social, and human development, have been outlining strategies, initiatives and programs (SIP) to archive specific development, progression, and transformation over certain periods. As SIP pertaining to elderly friendly population are expecting to also be translated in various forms of development plan, this raising concerns on the comprehensiveness of SIPs in addressing the aging population phenomenon. Therefore, the study aims to explore the comprehensives of the development plans to address aging population well-being. A strategy was devised to observed SIPs in development plan if a development were taken place in Perak, a state in Malaysia with the highest elderly population. Content analyses using pre-determined matrix table was used to systematically cross-examine SIPs in development plan with key age-friendly city dimensions. The comparison identified most age-friendly city dimensions have been considered, with each development plan has unique objectives in addressing a wide spectrum of challenges within certain period frames. Although, discrepancies to address the breadth of the age-friendly city dimension existed, collectively, the study ascertained that development plans understudied have taken the best feasible approach to adhere to and complementing issues pertaining to aging population in Perak.

Reference
  • 1. Abdullah, J., Rashid, K. A., Shah, M. I. B., Leh, O. L. H., Majid, R. A., & Ngah, R. (2020). Land use development and ridership at Kelana Jaya lrt line, Malaysia. Planning Malaysia, 18(4), 220–238. https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v18i14.828

    2. Abdullah, J., Zanudin, K., & Marzukhi, M. A. (2022). Twelfth Malaysia Plan: Prospective Impacts On Urban And Regional Development. Planning Malaysia, 20.

    3. Aziz, N. A. binti, & Ahmad, Y. binti. (2019). The evolution of government’s attention towards older person: A critical review of Malaysia 5 years plan. Aging International, 44, 319–330.

    4. Benjoe, K. (2018). Creating age friendly communities. Planning Institute Australia, A.1. http://sfx.scholarsportal.info.proxy.bib.uottawa.ca/ottawa?url_ver=Z39.88-2004&rft_val_fmt=info:ofi/fmt:kev:mtx:journal&genre=unknown&sid=ProQ:ProQ%253Acanadiannewsmajor&atitle=Creating+age+friendly+communities&title=Leader+Post&issn=08392870&date=2013-10

    5. Department of Social Welfare. (2011). Dasar Warga Emas Negara. Ministry of Woman, Family and Community Development

    6. Department of Social Welfare. (2011). Pelan Tindakan Warga Emas Negara. Ministry of Woman, Family and Community Development

    7. Department of Statistic Malaysia. (2020). My Local Stats Perak

    8. Department of Information Services Malaysia. (2017). Malaysia 2017.

    9. Economic Planning Unit. (2021). Twelve Malaysia Plan 2021-2025. Department of Prime Minister

    10. Elsawahli, H., Shah Ali, A., Ahmad, F., & Al-Obaidi, K. M. (2017). Evaluating Potential Environmental Variables and Active Aging in Older Adults for Age-Friendly Neighborhoods in Malaysia. Journal of Housing for the Elderly, 31(1), 74–92. https://doi.org/10.1080/02763893.2016.1268560

    11. Hezri, A. A. (2005). Utilisation of sustainability indicators and impact through policy learning in the Malaysian policy processes. Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management, 7(04), 575–595.

    12. Hezri, A. A., & Nordin Hasan, M. (2006). Towards sustainable development? The evolution of environmental policy in Malaysia. Natural Resources Forum, 30(1), 37–50.

    13. Ipoh City Council. (2021). Rancangan Tempatan Majlis Daerah Ipoh 2035. PLANMalaysia@ Perak

    14. Jeevan, J., Ghaderi, H., Bandara, Y. M., Saharuddin, A. H., & Othman, M. R. (2015). The implications of the growth of port throughput on the port capacity: The case of Malaysian major container seaports. International Journal of E-Navigation and Maritime Economy, 3, 84–98.

    15. Khailani, D. K., & Perera, R. (2013). Mainstreaming disaster resilience attributes in local development plans for the adaptation to climate change induced flooding: A study based on the local plan of Shah Alam City, Malaysia. Land Use Policy, 30(1), 615–627.

    16. Ministry of Health of Malaysia. (2009). National Health Policy for Older Person.

    17. Ministry of Woman, Family and Community Development. (2011). Dasar Warga Emas Negara.

    18. Ministry of Woman, Family and Community Development. (2011). Pelan Tindakan Warga Emas Negara.

    19. Ministry of Woman, Family and Community Development. (1995). National Policy for Older Persons.

    20. Morris, K. (2016). Making Cities Better for Aging: Lessons from U.K. Age-Friendly Cities. Urban and Regional Policy Paper, 42, 1–6.

    21. Nor Asiah, M., Fatin Norhasny, L., Nor Soleha, M. D., Chun Lai, T., Mohamad Zabri, J., Mohammed Faizal, B., & Jaya, K. P. K. (2021). Copyright© National Institutes of Health, Ministry of Health Malaysia, 2021.

    22. Orpana, H., Chawla, M., Gallagher, E., & Escaravage, E. (2016). Developing indicators for evaluation of age-friendly communities in Canada: Process and results. Health Promotion and Chronic Disease Prevention in Canada, 36(10), 214–223. https://doi.org/10.24095/HPCDP.36.10.02

    23. Othman, A. G., & Ali, K. H. (2020). Transportation and quality of life. Planning Malaysia, 18.

    24. peraksejahtera2030. (2021). Perak Sejahtera 20230. https://www.peraksejahtera.com/

    25. Plouffe, L. A., & Kalache, A. (2011). Making communities age friendly: State and municipal initiatives in Canada and other countries. Gaceta Sanitaria, 25(SUPPL. 2), 131–137. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.gaceta.2011.11.001

    26. Perak State Government. (2021). Pelan Pembangunan Perak Sejahtera 2030. Retrieved from https://www.peraksejahtera.com/

    27. PLANMalaysia@ Semenanjung. (2018). Rancangan Struktur Negeri Perak.

    28. Rashid, K. (2013). A methodology to develop an urban transport disadvantage framework: the case of Brisbane, Australia. Queensland University of Technology.

    29. Rashid, K., Azman, M. A. A., Mohd Arip, M. S., & Mohamad Rodzi, N. S. (2020). Framework To Assess Driver Visibility At Road Junction. Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Environment, 7(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.24191/myse.v7i1.8921

    30. Rashid, K., Mohamed, T., Azyze, S. N. A. E., & Ismail, H. (2022). Determining Elderly-Friendly Features Based On An Age-Friendly City Approach: An Empirical Analysis On Local Perspective In Taiping And Ipoh, Malaysia. Planning Malaysia, 20.

    31. Rashid, K., & Yigitcanlar, T. (2015). A methodological exploration to determine transportation disadvantage variables : the partial least square approach. World Review of Intermodal Transportation Research, 5(3), 221–239.

    32. Ronzi, S., Orton, L., Buckner, S., Bruce, N., & Pope, D. (2020). How is Respect and Social Inclusion Conceptualised by Older Adults in an Aspiring Age-Friendly City? A Photovoice Study in the North-West of England. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(24), 9246.

    33. Ryan, J., Wretstrand, A., & Schmidt, S. M. (2015). Exploring public transport as an element of older persons ’ mobility : A Capability Approach perspective. Journal of Transport Geography, 48, 105–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jtrangeo.2015.08.016

    34. Soffian, N. S. M., Rashid, K., Ismail, H., Azman, M. A. A., & Ibrahim3, R. (2022). Exploring Aging Population Trends in Local Council: The Case of Selangor. Proceedings of The National Conference on Aging, 73.

    35. Steels, S. (2015). Key characteristics of age-friendly cities and communities: A review. Cities, 47, 45–52. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cities.2015.02.004

    36. Taiping Municipal Council. (2018). Rancangan Tempatan Daerah Larut Matang 2035. PLANMalaysia@Perak.

    37. Teerawichitchainan, B., Pothisiri, W., & Long, G. T. (2015). How do living arrangements and intergenerational support matter forpsychological health of elderly parents? Evidence from Myanmar, Vietnam, and Thailand. Social Science and Medicine, 136–137, 106–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.socscimed.2015.05.019

    38. Tobi, S. U. M., Fathi, M. S., & Amaratunga, D. (2017). Aging in place, an overview for the elderly in Malaysia. AIP Conference Proceedings, 1891. https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5005434

    39. United Nations. (2019). World Population Prospect 2019. Department of Economic and Social Affairs.

    40. United Nations. (2015). World Population Aging.

    41. World Health Organization. (2015). World Report on Aging and Health. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/handle/10665/186463/9789240694811_eng.pdf?sequence=1. Accessed 30 December 2020

    42. World Health Organization. (‎2007)‎. Global Age-Friendly Cities: A Guide. World Health Organization

    43. Wixey, S., Jones, P., Christodoulou, H., & Titheridge, G. (2005). Measuring accessibility as experienced by different socially disadvantaged groups. London, Transit Studies Group, University of Westminster.

    44. World Health Organization. (2003). Active aging : a policy framework. World Health Organization. In World Health Organisation (Vol. 11). https://doi.org/10.1080/tam.5.1.1.37

    45. World Health Organization. (2007). Checklist of Essential Features of Age-friendly Cities (Vol. 25, Issue 3). World Health Organization. https://doi.org/10.1080/07293682.2015.1034145