Did you know that the United Nations designated 1 October as the International Day of Older Persons? I bet the day came and went like any other day for most senior citizens – uneventful and forgettable. The local media did not deem the day important enough to devote some space to it in their columns. Only The Star carried a small mention with a link to a pathetic video hastily put together presumably to meet its corporate social responsibility agenda. Just goes to show how little attention is paid to this fast-growing segment of society.
To mark this auspicious day, it wouldn't hurt to have our prime minister send us greetings and wish us well in a televised message!
Here's my wish list for older persons:
1. Elderly-friendly traffic lights where the green light for pedestrians stays on a little longer to enable older (and slower) persons to cross busy roads safely.
2. More benches at shopping malls where the elderly can rest their tired feet. KLCC is the least shopper-friendly in this aspect.
3. Bigger print on price tags and food labels - the better to see if the product is safe for consumption!
4. Priority counters / queues for senior citizens at banks, cashiers, taxi stands, ticket counters.
5. Wider aisles in supermarkets.
6. Non-slip floors, non-trip pathways and steps in public buildings.
7. Club house cum community centre with full facilities for senior citizens. By the way, there's one nearing completion in Ampang.
8. Restaurants that offer elderly-friendly menus. Think easily digestible, healthy food that have less salt, less sugar, and less fat.
10. Mobile phones with large letters and numbers for easy dialling, and light enough for the pocket.
And the list goes on..........
(Footnote; This article was posted on 2 Oct 2008 when I was a beginner blogger. For the next few years since then I would post a lament on 1 Oct that the day was not celebrated in our country. I am glad that in recent years this has changed. Today as I pen this footnote on International Day of Older Persons 2021, there are many events and activities specially organised by both the govt, NGOs and the private sector to celebrate the occasion. The King and Queen have also wish all our warga emas good health as the country marks this auspicious day.)
