Issues and Challenges of Elderly Homecare Centre in Malaysia

The powerful demographic trend of the ageing Malaysian population has consequences for the entire society and its economy. The Malaysian government, NGO's and private organisations are all confronting various issues and challenges posed by the ageing population. The present study aims to discover the issues and challenges faced by the Elderly care centre's management, business operators, and caregivers. Literature review indicates financial pressure, recruitment and retention of staff, increased demand for services, overcrowding, inadequate infrastructure, insufficient training, and poor-quality care as the main issues. The spiraling cost of the elderly home centres inspired another objective of this study to devise innovative and entrepreneurial strategies to help create self-sustained centres. Qualitative research strategy, which covers in-depth interviews and phenomenal observation, will provide insight into the participants' view of the issues and challenges, their subjective meanings, and their interpretations of the situations. The interpretive inquiry then weaves this web of meaning into an emerging pattern of meanings (model) which will illuminate the issues and challenges of the management personnel and caregivers of the centres. These findings serve as the basis for recommendations to the elderly home centres and the ministry on becoming financially self-sufficient.