EDITORIAL - Opportunities for the elderly

The other day they enjoyed free rides on the light railway trains. They will soon enjoy PhilHealth coverage. Things continue to improve for the country’s senior citizens, who currently enjoy discounts for medicine and food in commercial establishments as well as other perks. Filipino culture, with its extended family system, also provides a nurturing environment for the elderly.

More measures are needed, however, to promote the welfare of senior citizens. In a report prepared by the London-based non-profit HelpAge International, the Philippines ranked 44th out of 96 countries in terms of the level of well-being of the elderly. The Global Age Watch Index ranked Norway and Sweden at the top and Afghanistan at the bottom. The 96 countries included in the study are home to 90 percent of the world’s senior citizens, or people above 60 years old.

Among the indicators used for measuring well-being are life expectancy, pension plan coverage, employment, education, psychological well-being, poverty and even access to public transportation. In the study, the Philippines ranked low particularly in terms of pension and poverty.

The welfare of the elderly tends to depend on income levels. This is true in this country where an estimated 40 percent of the population live below the poverty line, with a significant number classified as extremely poor. While senior citizens from rich or moderately well-off families can enjoy their twilight years in comfort, the impoverished elderly often lack access even to the privileges that they are supposed to enjoy under the law.

Senior citizens even from financially stable households can also use more livelihood and employment opportunities. As the nation marks Elderly Filipino Week from Oct. 1 to 7, policy makers can work on measures that will give incentives to those who provide such opportunities to senior citizens.

As medical advances and better health care make life spans longer, nations are seeing the ranks of the elderly growing. There are people who look forward to retirement and spending the rest of their life in leisure. But others want to continue working for a living as long as they remain healthy. Governments must try to meet both objectives. It is good for the elderly and enhances national productivity.