INDONESIAN HEALTHY AGING: SEEING OUR READINESS TO REALIZE HEALTHY AGING IN TERMS OF THE EXISTING POLICIES
Keywords:
Commitment support, Elderly, Health policy, Health services, HealthyAbstract
Background: In 2017, the number of elderly in the Sidoarjo District reached 7.23% of the total 2 million people, and the elderly health service coverage decreased by 6.61%. However, enjoying a healthy life and being productive in old age is everyone's dream. This can be realized by providing health services for the elderly. This study aimed to find out the commitment support of the regional government for the elderly health services.
Method: A qualitative interview-based survey to explore the commitment support from the regional government to the elderly health services in the Sidoarjo District. The key informants were the coordinator of the elderly health programme and volunteers.
Results: Our findings showed three broad categories on the support of the regional government to the elderly health services – policy for the elderly, health services for the elderly, and cross-sector cooperation. Policy for the elderly is proven by the existence of the Regional Regulation number 4 of 2010 and Regent Regulation Number 57 of 2011 which regulates the welfare of the elderly. Health services for the elderly can be obtained at the Puskesmas by providing the elderly poly, geriatric poly at the hospital and the Posyandu for the elderly. The Sidoarjo District Health Office and other cross sectors actively establish the communication and coordination with the Elderly Regional Commander and the Gerontology Foundation to design innovative programmes for the elderly.
Conclusion: The healthcare policies for the elderly in the Sidoarjo District can be improved so that it can become a reference for other regions in providing health services for the elderly.
Downloads
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
All authors agree that the article, if editorially accepted for publication, shall be licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License 4.0 to allow others to freely access, copy and use research provided the author is correctly attributed, unless otherwise stated. All articles are available online without charge or other barriers to access. However, anyone wishing to reproduce large quantities of an article (250+) should inform the publisher. Any opinion expressed in the articles are those of the authors and do not reflect that of the University of Malaya, 50603 Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.