SENIOR citizens should be consulted and involved in decision and policy-making, says Housing Assistance and Relief Trust (HART) CEO Poserio Furivai.
He said many senior citizens were left behind in decision and policy-making in communities.
“What I’ve observed is that once people reach an age where they no longer contribute to things in the community, they are no longer consulted and their views and opinions on issues affecting them are no longer taken,” Mr Furivai said.
“What we fail to understand is that these people have accumulated a lot of experience in life.
“And so it is very important that we consult them to help us in our decision-making.”
Mr Furivai said the modern lifestyle was also a contributing factor to the neglect of the elderly.
“For example, in a modern nuclear family, children go to work and the grandchildren go to school. And so the elderly are left on their own in the house.
“They feel lonely as they have no one to talk to.”
Mr Furivai said at times elderly homes had more advantages than their own homes.
“Though we encourage families to look after the elderly rather than send them to elderly homes, we need to be careful because sometimes in an elderly home there is an advantage because over there they have people they can talk to.
“They can do activities together and have people there to share their feelings with.”
