By Yasmin Ramlan
PETALING JAYA, Feb 11 — An expert has recommended expanding community-based care and mobile caregiving services in Petaling Jaya to enhance support for senior citizens.
Selangor Care Economy advisory committee member Khadijah Alavi said elderly individuals who continue living in their own homes often experience better well-being, longer life spans, and a greater sense of dignity, respect, and self-worth in their final years.
Speaking during the Petaling Jaya Care Economy Action Plan 2025-2030 workshop, Khadijah, a Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) lecturer, pointed out the need for strategic budget allocations to strengthen care services, including elderly care homes, welfare centres, and orphanages.
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Selangor Care Economy advisory committee member and Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia lecturer Khadijah Alavi speaks during a forum at the Petaling Jaya Care Economy Action Plan 2025-2030 workshop at the MBPJ Banquet Hall in Petaling Jaya, on February 10, 2025. — Picture by MOHD KHAIRUL HELMY MOHD DIN/MEDIASELANGOR[/caption]
“I hope to see more community-based services and mobile caregivers in Petaling Jaya rather than relying solely on structured or restructured care centres.
“Based on my research, senior citizens who remain in their own homes tend to be healthier, live longer, and pass away in a dignified manner compared to those in institutional care,” she said in a forum held as part of the workshop at the MBPJ Banquet Hall yesterday.
Organised by the Petaling Jaya City Council (MBPJ), the workshop brought together caregivers, care centre operators, relevant authorities, non-governmental organisations, policymakers, experts, and academics to strengthen the local care economy and improve support for vulnerable communities.
It also aimed to identify challenges in establishing care centres, facilitate discussions, and explore possible support measures.
The Petaling Jaya action plan includes measures to improve guidelines for care service approvals, attract investment in the care sector, and enhance workforce training and support.
Elaborating further, Khadijah cited dementia care as an example that requires a strong community-based support system, including social interaction that helps maintain patients’ cognitive function.
“We (UKM) are indeed working together with UM (Universiti Malaya) on dementia care. What we want to propose to the government is a dementia-friendly care hub where caregivers can monitor their loved ones. Most of our dementia patients (in Malaysia) rarely leave their homes.
“So, we need some community-based initiatives as a support system. One of the most important aspects is ensuring that dementia patients walk and talk because social interaction is crucial — it works similarly to how children develop communication skills. Regardless of age, dementia patients need continuous engagement.
“Loneliness…when you do not talk, you start losing yourself. In Malaysia, this can happen at any age. Previously, we considered it an elderly disease, but now even people as young as 30 are being diagnosed.
“This is a serious issue, and MBPJ needs to pay attention and provide appropriate services for dementia care,” she said.
Khadijah added that by 2030, it is estimated that 240,000 Malaysians will have dementia, highlighting the urgency for early intervention and care programmes.
Ageing should happen at home
Meanwhile, at the same forum, the Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry’s corporate social responsibility unit’s assistant secretary Fatimah Zuraidah Salleh emphasised the need for effective measures to strengthen the Care Economy Action Plan.
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The Women, Family, and Community Development Ministry’s corporate social responsibility unit’s assistant secretary Fatimah Zuraidah Salleh speaks during a forum at the Petaling Jaya Care Economy Action Plan 2025-2030 workshop at the MBPJ Banquet Hall in Petaling Jaya, on February 10, 2025. — Picture by MOHD KHAIRUL HELMY MOHD DIN/MEDIASELANGOR[/caption]
She points out the crucial role of local authorities in implementing community-based care services.
“The first priority is to strengthen the capacity of home-based and community-based care programmes. As mentioned earlier, the role of community-level initiatives — local authorities are among the main players in this effort,” Fatimah said.
She quoted countries like China and Japan as examples, where the local authorities have significant power in managing the welfare of senior citizens, children, and disabled persons.
“Our local authorities should also play such a role. Secondly, we need to pioneer and enhance community-based, integrated, one-stop care centres.
“This means we want ageing to take place at home or within the framework of community well-being,” Fatimah said.
Fatimah emphasised the need for a centralised one-stop care centre within the community, allowing the local authorities to identify families with children with disabilities, households with sick family members, and residences requiring care, ensuring they receive appropriate assistance.
She also proposed introducing incentives to encourage corporate sector participation in providing services for those in need, particularly through civil society organisations or corporate philanthropic organisations.
Citing Singapore, she spoke of a programme that supports ageing by providing home modifications for lower-income (B40) residents, improving accessibility for both care recipients and caregivers.
However, instead of relying entirely on local authorities to cover the costs, corporate contributions can help finance the initiative.
Therefore, Fatimah suggested that the local authorities in Malaysia could adopt a similar approach by offering tax exemption incentives to corporations involved in such initiatives.
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Kampung Tunku state assemblyman Lim Yi Wei speaks during a forum at the Petaling Jaya Care Economy Action Plan 2025-2030 workshop at the MBPJ Banquet Hall in Petaling Jaya, on February 10, 2025. — Picture by MOHD KHAIRUL HELMY MOHD DIN/MEDIASELANGOR[/caption]
The forum also featured Seterra Group of Companies chief executive officer Wan Rashidi Wan Yahaya and Kampung Tunku state assemblyman Lim Yi Wei.
Meanwhile, in a separate forum, Lim said the state government’s care economy initiative began under former state executive councillor for public health Dr Siti Mariah Mahmud and is now being continued by her successor Anfaal Saari.
“The state government has introduced several initiatives to support the care economy, but the most recent one, as announced by YB Anfaal Saari, is a RM400,000 grant to encourage childcare centers to register, offering up to RM5,000 in aid per centre.
“The state government is focusing on financial support for care services with an emphasis on good governance,” she said.
