In the 1980s, the average life expectancy of Malaysians was 67.4 years. However, due to development in antibiotics and better medications, better health care policies, increased in quality of patient care and improvement in surgical techniques, that number has increased to 75 years in 2018. Malaysia is on the verge of becoming an aging population as 7.5% of the population is expected to be 65 years and above in the year 2020.
Better care for our aging population
This phenomenon has shifted the focus of public health from preventing premature death (from infection and perinatal complications) to strengthening the care of the elderly population. According to MyHealth portal the issue that came as a direct result of this shift in demographic is the rise in cases of neglect of care that is not just limited to the physical aspect but also psychological.
Some of the initiatives taken by the government to curb the issue of aging population includes establishing daycare centers for the elderly, monetary aid and even home-care services. However, despite their good effort and intention, budget constraint prevented those initiatives from being able to withstand the volume and the demand in existence. According to Prof Dato’ Dr Tengku Aizan Hamid, director of Institute of Gerontology of Universiti Putra Malaysia, “The issue regarding the welfare of the elderly is a social responsibility that is not limited to the shoulder of the government, and that all people (including private players) has a part to play in this matter.’
Bringing quality care to your home
In respond to this increasing demand as well as the emergence of the fourth industrial revolution, an on-demand caregiving service platform, Homage, was launched today in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
Homage was established in Singapore back in 2016 by the aspiring duo, Gillian Tee and Lily Phang and has received numerous recognition and awards most notably from the Ministry of Health of Singapore. Their round-the-clock comprehensive services include general care such as assistance in daily living activities, home physiotherapy and home-nursing and also specialise care such as in post-hospitalisation care, cancer, stroke and dementia. Aside from linking trained and experienced caregiving professionals to customers, Homage also enables those who are interested to become caregivers to join them and undergo their professional trainings.
