Nearly Half Of 9 Million Elderly Still Working, Poor
“With poor health and pervasive poverty, many among older Filipinos are also prone to mental disabilities, such as depression...Alzheimer’s disease, that requires 24/7 caring,” former Commission on Population chief Juan Antonio Perez III said.
Almost half of the over nine million elderly population in the country are still working and yet can hardly make ends meet, according to a former Commission on Population and Development (PopCom) official.
Former PopCom executive director Juan Antonio Perez III also reported that most Filipino elderly are unhealthy and not seeking medical consultation due to financial reasons.
“With poor health and pervasive poverty, many among older Filipinos are also prone to mental disabilities, such as depression, as well as Alzheimer’s disease, that requires 24/7 caring,” Perez said on Wednesday. Oct. 5.
He added that such a situation could be considered a “social problem” if it entails children of an elderly person to take a leave of absence or abandon work to attend to the sick parent.
“While more of our seniors are enjoying longer lives because of medical advances preventing premature deaths, the remaining still have to deal with a host of diseases,” Perez said.
The population expert represented the country at a conference for the International Day of Older Persons held in Thailand last Sept. 30.
The elderly population in the country is steadily increasing and projected to outnumber children zero to four years old by 2030, according to Perez.
Older Filipinas commonly outlive their male counterpart, but they have to contend with diseases and disabilities.
Perez said 57 percent of elderly females struggle with their daily living and have mobility issues.
About 56 percent of elderly females are widowed, while 70 percent of males are either married or have partners and are very physically active.
