Carol Yip, who heads Aged Care Group Sdn Bhd, said that sending the elderly to such homes did not mean the end of their lives.
Instead, she said the aged can enjoy their time there if the homes provide proper facilities and care.
“Most of us are busy with our lives and do not have enough time to attend to their needs.
“Taking care of them becomes a challenge and the next choice we have is either to hire someone to look after them or find a suitable nursing home.
“This does not mean we, as children, do not love them any more,” she said.
Yip said some homes are not well kept, leading to the negative perception that they are places to “dump” aged family members.
“The demand for nursing homes is there but not all the homes are properly organised with staff having the necessary skills to take care of their residents.
“Nursing homes are meant to help families solve their problems in caring for the elderly, and a good operator will keep the residents occupied with activities,” she said.
Yip said that from last year, all homes providing aged healthcare services must be regulated by the health ministry and those offering such services must register with the government.
She said most of the homes catered to those aged above 65.
Recently, MCA Public Services and Complaints Bureau chairman Michael Chong highlighted the case of a 77-year-old man whose family opted to send him to a old folks’ home as they could not take care of him.
The man, who was living alone, had gone missing for several days from his home in Kepong last month and his family sought Chong’s help to locate him.
He was found by members of the public and taken to the Welfare Department. When his family was reunited with him, they decided to send him to an old folks’ home as they could not take care of him.
Chong said his department had handled 11 cases of senior citizens complaining that they were abandoned by their children since 2017.
He said the complainants had told him their children said they could not afford to have their parents to stay with them.