Perceived unmet needs of an age-friendly environment: A qualitative exploration of older adults’ perspectives in a Malaysian city
This exploratory qualitative study investigates older adults’ unmet needs in the age-friendly city of Ipoh, Malaysia. Seventeen participants were interviewed, including ten older adults residing in Ipoh City for at least six months, four carers, and three professional key informants. Interviews were...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2023-01-01
|
| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10243629/?tool=EBI |
| _version_ | 1827931120514105344 |
|---|---|
| author | Xin-Jie Lim Chii-Chii Chew Chee-Tao Chang Premaa Supramaniam Lay-Ming Ding Philip Rajan Devesahayam Lee-Lan Low |
| author_facet | Xin-Jie Lim Chii-Chii Chew Chee-Tao Chang Premaa Supramaniam Lay-Ming Ding Philip Rajan Devesahayam Lee-Lan Low |
| author_sort | Xin-Jie Lim |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | This exploratory qualitative study investigates older adults’ unmet needs in the age-friendly city of Ipoh, Malaysia. Seventeen participants were interviewed, including ten older adults residing in Ipoh City for at least six months, four carers, and three professional key informants. Interviews were conducted using semi-structured questions based on the WHO Age-Friendly Cities Framework. A 5P framework for active ageing based on the ecological ageing model was adapted for data analysis. The 5P framework consists of domains of person (micro), process (meso), place (macro), policymaking (macro), and prime, which allows for the dissection of older adults’ unmet needs in planning for multilevel approaches, which were employed for analysis. Person: the personal needs requiring improvement included digital divide disparity, inadequate family support, and restricted sports activities attributed to physical limitations. Process: There were fewer social activities and a lack of low-cost and easily accessible venues for seniors. Economic challenges include expensive private healthcare services, variation in the quality of care in older residential care facilities, and limited savings for retirement. Place issues include unequal distribution of exercise equipment, public open spaces, the need for more conducive parking for seniors, and a place for social activities. Difficulties assessing public transportation, digitalized services, and unaffordable e-hailing services are common among seniors. Housing issues for seniors include a lack of barrier-free housing design and unaffordable housing. Policymaking: Insufficient private sector commitment to improving services to older adults, lack of policy governance on the quality of nursing homes, and insufficient multidisciplinary governance collaboration. Prime: Health promotion for preventing age-related illness is required to preserve health in old age, and full-time family caregivers’ psychological well-being is often overlooked. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:46:53Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-f4a1721e83264888bbc3cb391aa8c9a6 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1932-6203 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-13T06:46:53Z |
| publishDate | 2023-01-01 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science (PLoS) |
| record_format | Article |
| series | PLoS ONE |
| spelling | doaj.art-f4a1721e83264888bbc3cb391aa8c9a62023-06-08T05:31:54ZengPublic Library of Science (PLoS)PLoS ONE1932-62032023-01-01186Perceived unmet needs of an age-friendly environment: A qualitative exploration of older adults’ perspectives in a Malaysian cityXin-Jie LimChii-Chii ChewChee-Tao ChangPremaa SupramaniamLay-Ming DingPhilip Rajan DevesahayamLee-Lan LowThis exploratory qualitative study investigates older adults’ unmet needs in the age-friendly city of Ipoh, Malaysia. Seventeen participants were interviewed, including ten older adults residing in Ipoh City for at least six months, four carers, and three professional key informants. Interviews were conducted using semi-structured questions based on the WHO Age-Friendly Cities Framework. A 5P framework for active ageing based on the ecological ageing model was adapted for data analysis. The 5P framework consists of domains of person (micro), process (meso), place (macro), policymaking (macro), and prime, which allows for the dissection of older adults’ unmet needs in planning for multilevel approaches, which were employed for analysis. Person: the personal needs requiring improvement included digital divide disparity, inadequate family support, and restricted sports activities attributed to physical limitations. Process: There were fewer social activities and a lack of low-cost and easily accessible venues for seniors. Economic challenges include expensive private healthcare services, variation in the quality of care in older residential care facilities, and limited savings for retirement. Place issues include unequal distribution of exercise equipment, public open spaces, the need for more conducive parking for seniors, and a place for social activities. Difficulties assessing public transportation, digitalized services, and unaffordable e-hailing services are common among seniors. Housing issues for seniors include a lack of barrier-free housing design and unaffordable housing. Policymaking: Insufficient private sector commitment to improving services to older adults, lack of policy governance on the quality of nursing homes, and insufficient multidisciplinary governance collaboration. Prime: Health promotion for preventing age-related illness is required to preserve health in old age, and full-time family caregivers’ psychological well-being is often overlooked.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10243629/?tool=EBI |
| spellingShingle | Xin-Jie Lim Chii-Chii Chew Chee-Tao Chang Premaa Supramaniam Lay-Ming Ding Philip Rajan Devesahayam Lee-Lan Low Perceived unmet needs of an age-friendly environment: A qualitative exploration of older adults’ perspectives in a Malaysian city PLoS ONE |
| title | Perceived unmet needs of an age-friendly environment: A qualitative exploration of older adults’ perspectives in a Malaysian city |
| title_full | Perceived unmet needs of an age-friendly environment: A qualitative exploration of older adults’ perspectives in a Malaysian city |
| title_fullStr | Perceived unmet needs of an age-friendly environment: A qualitative exploration of older adults’ perspectives in a Malaysian city |
| title_full_unstemmed | Perceived unmet needs of an age-friendly environment: A qualitative exploration of older adults’ perspectives in a Malaysian city |
| title_short | Perceived unmet needs of an age-friendly environment: A qualitative exploration of older adults’ perspectives in a Malaysian city |
| title_sort | perceived unmet needs of an age friendly environment a qualitative exploration of older adults perspectives in a malaysian city |
| url | https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10243629/?tool=EBI |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT xinjielim perceivedunmetneedsofanagefriendlyenvironmentaqualitativeexplorationofolderadultsperspectivesinamalaysiancity AT chiichiichew perceivedunmetneedsofanagefriendlyenvironmentaqualitativeexplorationofolderadultsperspectivesinamalaysiancity AT cheetaochang perceivedunmetneedsofanagefriendlyenvironmentaqualitativeexplorationofolderadultsperspectivesinamalaysiancity AT premaasupramaniam perceivedunmetneedsofanagefriendlyenvironmentaqualitativeexplorationofolderadultsperspectivesinamalaysiancity AT laymingding perceivedunmetneedsofanagefriendlyenvironmentaqualitativeexplorationofolderadultsperspectivesinamalaysiancity AT philiprajandevesahayam perceivedunmetneedsofanagefriendlyenvironmentaqualitativeexplorationofolderadultsperspectivesinamalaysiancity AT leelanlow perceivedunmetneedsofanagefriendlyenvironmentaqualitativeexplorationofolderadultsperspectivesinamalaysiancity |