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Social support and care arrangements of older people living alone in rural Malaysia

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  09 May 2017

NATALIE EVANS ,
PASCALE ALLOTEY ,
JOANNA D. IMELDA ,
DANIEL D. REIDPATH  and
ROBERT POOL
NATALIE EVANS*
Affiliation:
South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO), Monash University, Segamat, Malaysia. Centre for Social Science and Global Health, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO+ Institute, VU University Medical Center, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
PASCALE ALLOTEY
Affiliation:
South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO), Monash University, Segamat, Malaysia. Global Public Health, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University, Sunway campus, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Malaysia.
JOANNA D. IMELDA
Affiliation:
South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO), Monash University, Segamat, Malaysia. Centre for Social Science and Global Health, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Department of Social Welfare, Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, University of Indonesia, Depok campus, Depok, Indonesia.
DANIEL D. REIDPATH
Affiliation:
South East Asia Community Observatory (SEACO), Monash University, Segamat, Malaysia. Global Public Health, School of Medicine and Health Sciences, Monash University, Sunway campus, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, Malaysia.
ROBERT POOL
Affiliation:
Centre for Social Science and Global Health, University of Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
*
Address for correspondence: Natalie Evans, Department of Public and Occupational Health, EMGO+ Institute, VU University Medical Center, Van der Boechorststraat 7, 1081 BT, Amsterdam, The Netherlands E-mail: n.evans@vumc.nl
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Abstract

Malaysia has an ageing population and an increasing number of older people who live alone. This study explores the social support and care arrangements of older people living alone in rural Malaysia. The study took a qualitative approach: semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of Malay (N = 20) and Chinese (N = 20) Malaysians aged over 65. Five cross-cutting themes were identified through a thematic analysis: degrees of aloneness; relationships and social support; barriers to social support; and future illness, care and death. All participants said they lived alone; living arrangements, however, were often complex. For Malays, most support came from nearby adult children and relatives, whereas Chinese participants, who less frequently had adult children living locally, emphasised support from friends and neighbours. Emigrant adult children's assistance was mostly informational and financial, instrumental assistance was either substituted for money, or provided solely during periods of ill-health. Physical decline, limited telephone use, inadequate transportation and fears of crime were barriers to social support. Participants avoided thinking or talking about future care needs. These findings have implications for Malaysian old age policy, which is currently focused on supporting families to care for older relatives. Child migration and a growing preference for a period of independent living in old age may require policies and resources directed at older people as individuals to support their own efforts to remain independent, active and age ‘in place’.

Keywords

inter-generational supportmigrationSouth-East Asiapopulation ageingsocial supportsocial capital
Type
Article
Information
Ageing & Society , Volume 38 , Issue 10 , October 2018 , pp. 2061 - 2081
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2017 

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