Aye Kywe from Myanmar, 53
In Myanmar, when you are growing old it is very useful for us to have the elderly person in our house. It keeps them very active. They look after the house with their children and grandchildren. My mother is now 94. Her memory is very good and her eyesight is very good. She can see and she can hear. She helps in the kitchen. She is the one to remind us of everything. Her memory is good. Having the elderly person in the house is very secure. In Myanmar it is our culture to keep the elderly person with us.
When older people can no longer help, they are taken care of by family.
I am on the Committee for home care. In some parts of my city in very urban areas there are elderly persons with no family to care for them, so we have a voluntary home care service for them. We have about 60 people trained who are serving elderly persons. They spend a minimum of 3 hours a week with them.
Before this service began, the elders said they wanted to die because there was no one to look after them. But after one year of the home care service, they don’t want to die because they have someone to care for them. It is a very good project of volunteer work.
We are not encouraged to keep elderly in healthcare projects, (retirement facilities) but to keep them at home.
Age 70 is normally considered very old to live.
Posted by Bonnie Fatio on August 3, 2007 4:21 PM | Permalink
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