An Empirical Evidence of the Effects of Social Relations, Social Care, and Social Activities on Elderly Well-being in Malaysia

Abstract

As the world is undergoing a demographic revolution since 1950, life expectancy has increased by more than two decades, and the population has grown significantly. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the population of individuals who are over the age of 60 is increasing faster than any other age groups in almost every country (Cromley, Maureen, Zachary, Pruchno, 2015). Malaysia had 2.2 million elderly people in 2019, and the figure is expected to rise to 3.6 million by 2030 (Ismail, 2017). According to statistics, the world, including Malaysia, will face the phenomenon of ageing which occurs when 7 percent of the population is 65 or older (WHO, 2017). Year after year, the population of the elderly grows at a rapid rate, leading towards the phenomenon of ageing (Amarya & Singh, 2018; Rahim, 2018; Hamid, 2018). This is due to a combination of factors such as increased longevity, lower fertility, and the ageing of the "baby boom" generation (Kemperman, Berg, Weijs, & Kevin, 2019). This increased longevity and quality of life in older adults presents a challenge to physical and mental health professionals working to help the growing elderly population live not only longer and healthier lives, but also better and happier lives (Kemperman et al., 2019). Keywords: Social relations; social care; social activities; well-being; elderly; Malaysia