Partnership

7.1 LIFELONG LEARNING SENIOR EDUCATION AND ELDERLY DAY CARE

Kendek Foundation tends to support and develop elders’ education system to a variety of organizations and institutions in order to provide a learning environment. The education system is planned to be conducted in elderly day care centers. As time goes by, more and more people are busy working and tend to spend time with elders. This learning environment we provide will let elders learn and socialize freely and happily regardless of their age.

Kendek Foundation aims to bring the joys back to the elders by providing a wide range of activities such as music classes, gardening, Yoga, light sports, etc., and other full direction projects for elders so that they can live their later years colorfully with a fulfilling life.

BENEFITS OF LIFELONG LEARNING SENIOR EDUCATION

As human beings are typical group animals, people need to be integrated into the society to maintain psychological balance in order to be healthy physically and mentally. Lifelong Learning Senior Education promotes group learning programs and activities as working in groups play a significant role in improving communication and interaction ability. This learning environment will also help the older population raise awareness of their value of existence within themselves.

Nevertheless, the word ‘recreation’, that means an means activity of enjoyment, also ways of redevelopment By applying this ‘recreation’ to institutions for elders, nursing homes and senior service centers, tedium daily life services are no longer provided. Kendek Foundation aims to recreate elders’ life after retirement with education plans that help senior citizens learn happily and have a fulfilling life. Sending older persons to caring centers or nursing homes is no longer being cruel as the older population can fill their time by enjoying spontaneous and group activities.

FEATURES OF ELDERLY DAY CARE CENTRE

Elderly Day Care Center is the fulfillment of special needs and requirements that are unique to senior citizens and encompasses services as assisted living, adult day care and home care. It emphasizes on personal and social requirements of senior citizens who need assistance with daily activities and health care, yet desire to age with dignity in the meantime. Aside from compulsory weekly health check-up for the elderly, there are 2 unique features in our elderly day care center, which are:

• Subsidy Provided

It is a noteworthy for us to aware that not most of the family afford to send their elderly people to go elderly care centers or nursing homes. In order to lessen the burden of lower income families and elders who are lack of financial support, a generous amount of subsidy is provided for to safeguard the welfare of every older adults and provide ability to elders to enjoy quality elderly day care service.

• Combination of Lifelong Learning Education

A wide range of leisure and learning activities such as art, gardening, Taichi, technology information, photography, scalable games and more will be provided to promote group learning and to strengthen thinking capability of the older group to prevent dementia. It also have news sharing session twice in week to improve communication ability among the elders. It allows them to have productive and fruitful day in elderly day care service and raise awareness of their value of existence.

BENEFITS OF DEVELOPING ELDERLY DAY CARE CENTER

There are many cases show that caregivers’ health and employment might be affected if one takes long time taking care of family members with disability or dementia. Instead of letting elderly family members to be alone at home, it is better to let them stay at better places with peers and activities. In particular, this recreation we promote will also delay the ageing process of Malaysians by implementing education plans for the older population. This prevention of dementia and disability will save a lot of aftercare and treatment funding.

WHY DO WE NEED TO DEVELOP ELDERLY DAY CARE CENTER AND PREPARE SENIOR CITIZEN EDUCATION

Kendek Foundation promotes more understanding and tolerance of elderly person to the society, rationally handling elders’ life after retirement. It is better to prepare for the ageing society before 65+ years old population doubled up. It is because elderly caring service will be mature and spread through Malaysia even all over the world soon to bring benefits and welfare to the older generation and the society.

The leisure activity and social welfare system become main concerns of the public. It is concerned that leisure activities become very limited and monotonous due to the lack of space, facilities, guidance and understanding from most of the people. These factors has become the obstacles of older people’s entertaining life. There are many experts pointed out that the older person should have their own entertaining life, such as making friends and cultivating hobbies which are beneficial to elders physically and mentally. At present, not many activities are available that take elders into consideration thus causing elders at loose ends. Senior cardiovascular expert Dr. Zhu pointed out that many retired older people are almost completely out of touch with the society. Furthermore, independence of children leads elders to decrease identity acceptance of their own self, resulting in lack of self-worth.

A variety of physical and mental illness is incubating if negative thoughts are kept for long period of time. Illness such as fatigue, emotional agitation, unstable blood pressure can be caused. Negative thoughts in elders can even cause cervical vertebral disease, angina, myocardial infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, lower limb vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism and serious consequences such as sudden death. On the other hand, some elderly people might not find interests in recreational activities, leading to long-term closure at home which may cause lack of physical exercise, poor physical condition, reduced immunity, being prone to all kinds of physical disorders and other psychological problems such as serious anxiety and depression. 

7.2 ART EXHIBITION - RESERVERE AND PRESERVE MALAYSIA ART AND CULTURE

We are aware that art and culture always stand the lowest priority in our nation. To certain extent, it is regarded as mere entertainment for civil servants while some politicians even regard it as sinful. Moreover, the job as an artist seems to be a blind alley for the youth. Before Kendek Foundation, it was Kendek Products Sdn Bhd who sponsored Xin Art Space to organize exhibitions for local artists. It helps building a new contemporary culture and encourages Malaysia art industry. Art exhibitions like this will still continue but the sponsor will be switched to Kendek Foundation. Currently, we are planning to collaborate with some local artist to have an art exhibition based on “futuristic” concept that uses wastage of scrap metal materials to produce aesthetic masterpieces. The aim of this exhibition is to show potential of Malaysia arts that is compatible with foreign countries and also to promote environmental awareness.

The purpose of organizing art exhibitions is to remind that arts and culture are parts of educative process that play a significant role in development of visual thinking that trains mind to visualize objects both in physical and abstract perspectives. Arts and culture reflect an innate trait of human behavioral pattern that relates to life itself. Art exhibitions display a sophisticated society that appreciates arts and is proud of our traditional cultural heritage. Art exhibitions also provide youths and teens platform to create popular artistic expressions.

We feel the need to re-educate the public in order to appreciate the beauty of art and culture. Therefore, art competitions will be organized annually to encourage society engagement, unleash their potential talent and assist them to inculcate passion of art. An outstation or overboard art exhibition will also be held annually to spread aesthetic values of art nationwide.

7.3 ACTLIFE FOR 50+ - STRENGTH TRAINING DESIGNED FOR ACTIVE AGEING

Nowadays, older adults are not only embracing the concept of active ageing. They are redefining ageing and embracing this stage of life as an opportunity for adventure, service and personal growth. We plan to collaborate with Selangor Zhao An Association Women Section to carry out a strength training and wellness solutions that are built to support the active ageing lifestyle by encouraging independent training through simplified aerobic exercise, Zumba dance, Tai Chi and Qi Gong. It is designed for elderly group of people to enhance their cognitive function, improve mental health, prevent and reduce the risk of getting common diseases such as diabetes, heart attack and also to encourage social engagement among senior citizens. There will be one instructor conducting classes.

Studies have shown that maintaining regular physical activity can prevent many common diseases, such as heart disease and diabetes. It improves overall

7.4 ELDERLY CARELINE

Elderly Careline is an accredited crisis careline with toll-free for older group of people who aged 50 years and above. While there are other organizations that respond to the needs of people who may be contemplating suicide, but none of the organization or association has provided such type of service to respond to common health problems among the elders.

Purposes

• It connects with older people on a regular basis and help to monitor their physical and mental health concerns. It acts as an intervention to prevent suicide among older people and also improves the quality of life and connectedness of isolated older group.

• It is a nationwide platform that reaches out to lonely, depressed, isolated and frail older adults to help them release their negative emotions and boredom by providing emotional support and quality phone line counselling.

• It is also a place for older group to report and seek for help while experiencing elder abuse. Our well-trained volunteers will help them solve the abusing matters with professional guidance.

How it Works

• Any aging adult that is living with disabilities, suffering from depression, isolation, loneliness, or thinking about suicide, can be benefited from these completely confidential phone calls with Careline volunteers.

• The volunteers must be 30 years old and graduated with at least diploma certificate or with vast job experiences so that they will be able to provide professional consultation or counselling to the older group.

• Training sessions will be provided to the volunteers. Training sessions include psychological tactics to communicate with older people with or without disability and ways of being empathy in order to provide the right solution. Apart from it, volunteers will also be nourished well about policies of elderly welfare, information about help and elderly care centers to assist seniors in exercising their rights and benefits to which they are entitled to.

• Knowing that older people tend to not contact conventional suicide prevention centers on a regular basis even if they are considering suicide, our trained volunteers will be specialized in offering a caring ear and having friendly conversations with depressed older adults.