Strategies and Initiatives for An Elderly Friendly Environment in the Development Plans In Malaysia The Case of Perak, Malaysia

Abstract

Malaysia is expected to become an aging country by 2035, with 15% of the population being aged. The phenomenon has great impact on the provision of facilities, infrastructure, and services. Development plans are tools accustomed to guide the country economic, physical, social, and human development, have been outlining strategies, initiatives and programs (SIP) to archive specific development, progression, and transformation over certain periods. As SIP pertaining to elderly friendly population are expecting to also be translated in various forms of development plan, this raising concerns on the comprehensiveness of SIPs in addressing the aging population phenomenon. Therefore, the study aims to explore the comprehensives of the development plans to address aging population well-being. A strategy was devised to observed SIPs in development plan if a development were taken place in Perak, a state in Malaysia with the highest elderly population. Content analyses using pre-determined matrix table was used to systematically cross-examine SIPs in development plan with key age-friendly city dimensions. The comparison identified most age-friendly city dimensions have been considered, with each development plan has unique objectives in addressing a wide spectrum of challenges within certain period frames. Although, discrepancies to address the breadth of the age-friendly city dimension existed, collectively, the study ascertained that development plans understudied have taken the best feasible approach to adhere to and complementing issues pertaining to aging population in Perak.