KUALA LUMPUR: The government should consider reviewing the retirement age, which is now 60, to prepare for an ageing population.
Psychologist Associate Professor Dr Mohd Awang Idris, however, said consideration should be given to providing more career opportunities to prevent issues like job scarcity among the younger generation.
"Even though the elderly are allowed to work past the retirement age, they could be allowed to work for limited hours in a week, for instance.
"An ageing society is a concern not only in Malaysia, but many countries in the world.
"With an average life expectancy of 76 in Malaysia, many people are susceptible to health issues common among the elderly, like dementia and Alzheimer's," said the lecturer at Universiti Malaya's Department of Anthropology and Sociology.
He said studies had found links between retirement and cognitive decline.
Awang said elderly care should be made affordable to senior citizens, as existing public facilities might not be sufficient in future.
"There is a stigma in our society when it comes to sending parents to an old folks' home.
"Some people decide not to send their elderly parents to these facilities, but at the same time, have problems in taking care of them at home.
"We have heard cases of children abusing their parents and neglecting their welfare."
He said it was not uncommon to hear of parents taking care of their grandchildren after their retirement. To address this, he said the government should consider a mechanism to improve public facilities for the elderly and allow children to send their parents to spend their free time with their peers without being judged.
Up to December, there were some 3.7 million senior citizens nationwide. Last year, more than seven per cent of Malaysia's population were aged 65 and above, with experts projecting that those 65 and above to double to 14 per cent by 2044 (aged nation) and to 20 per cent by 2056.