STRONG FAMILY VALUES AND PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT OF NEIGHBORHOOD: MALAYSIAN ELDERS ASPIRATIONS AND PREFERENCES FOR LIVING

Abstract

There is inevitable aging. By 2030, the steady rise of the elderly will make Malaysia an aging country. Malaysians historically practice the custom where the elderly co-reside with their kids. The strong family values among family members make older people strongly believe that in the elderly their family will take on filial responsibilities and take care of them. Nevertheless, the social characteristics of Malaysians have also steadily changed in tandem with increased urbanisation and modernisation. This research is therefore aimed at researching the housing aspirations of the elderly in Malaysia. Elderly people's perspectives are varied. Therefore, recognizing the diversity of different ways involves a thorough study of the elderly. This article uses qualitative approaches, adopts library-based research, and, by content analysis of documents, applies the literature review approach. The literature highlights the views and perspectives of researchers in the study who have raised the subject and problems. The research used was therefore focused on the content analysis on the previous academic studies carried out on the housing options preferred by elderly people, the potential elderly mobility reasons for them to move from current housing, and the types of houses and location of future housing preferred by the elderly. The results of these studies show that most elderly people in Malaysia have shown a preference for living close to their children, indicating the strong family values and physical environment of neighborhood as the preferences and aspirations among them.