EDITORIAL: AGING IN MALAYSIA

The life of mankind undergoes a series of changes. We start life off as a newborn, gradually progressing in years until, eventually, we die. The young and active shun the thought of growing old but aging is normal and inevitable. The proportion of the aged (taken to be those aged 60 and above) in developing countries is still relatively small, but the proportion of aged will grow very rapidly even as health standards improve. The United Nations has estimated that by the year 2000, the population of the aged in developing countries would have increased by the order of 100 million. In Malaysia, the life expectancy stands at 68 years for males and 73 years for females. Infant mortality has dropped from 200 per 1000 in the 1920's to 17 per 1000 in 1985. Therefore, it is not surprising that today, 900,000 out of a total population of 16 million are aged 60 years and above, and that this will increase as the year 2000 approaches. Aging has often been seen as a pathological process and that mental and physical deterioration are unavoidable concomitants of advancing years. 1 It is crucial that this stereotypical view of the aged as being frail, weak and senile be rectified. The inter-country study on aging in the Western Pacific sponsored by the World Health Organization has shown that, contrary to belief, the aged are, in general, robust and able to lead useful and active lives? However, a variety of chronic disorders plague the older people mor