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Elderly Abandonment In The Philippines

By Bon lia Utzurrum On Oct 7, 2015 뀣 1,802 ASIA-PACIFIC PHILIPPINES OPINION

The culture, the people, and the place: Filipinos have always kept this dear to their hearts. Tradition,
amongst many others, plays the most important role in their community; family tradition to be more
speci c.

Elderly Abandonment
Everyone in the household and even up to the second and third degree of a nity matters. There are
the children, the adults and the elderly. The elderly are the ones that have been in the family long
enough to gauge on certain situations and decisions that need their opinion. They become
generations of family members that become very important in the future – whatever they do and
accomplish will make a mark in the coming generations, that is why it is with utmost importance that
they are highly regarded. Although most Filipinos try to live up to this expectation, some just cannot
and this is why elderly abandonment in the Philippines is happening.

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Over one and a half million elderly Filipinos have been abandoned due to a number of reasons.
Reasons that are, in a way, due to existing problems in the society but mostly more on the lack of
having the right conscience. Filipinos have no intention to sacri ce family but when times get rough
the inevitable happens.

Reality Check
People come from all walks of life. Some can be very unfortunate when it comes to these situations.
In other parts of the globe, they have care centers and homes for the aged. This is not the case in the
Philippines. In fact, it is nonexistent. This gives the responsibility to the children of the elderly or the
family to take care of them. This can be very di cult when they have health issues and the like. Their
mentality to care for them until their nal breath can be very challenging for some. Of course, children
will not have to think of this but the adults do. But then they have families of their own and they need
to provide for their needs too. This becomes a problem when they are not nancially stable.

Another problem is when they are not physically present since they are abroad or working hard
elsewhere in the Philippines or the world.

The Problem with Health Insurance

Having health insurance anywhere in the world is a necessity. In the Philippines, the opposite is
happening. This is very important especially for the elderly. We all know that when you start to get
older, health issues occur as well. We fail to acknowledge this fact and how insurance can really help
sustain a longer life. Even after they leave this world, the people who are left to mourn for them can
bene t from it. Many take the risk of paying for it, some are not convinced and most are not
nancially capable.

How the Government Can Help

The Philippines have tried to exert any type of effort to stop the numbers from growing. They issued a
twenty-percent discount for medications, hospitalizations, groceries, eating in fast food chains and
restaurants and basically anything that involves the elderly. They even have special areas for senior
citizens in buses, trains or even exclusive lines to pay for goods at the store. This has really helped
older people travel easier and they can really use the discounts that the government has given them.

How the Society Can Help

No matter where you are located, we can help the elderly by assisting them with their medications
and to support them nancially so that they will not have to try and feel the burden they think they are
putting on their families. Extending a helping hand by supporting medical missions and giving special

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treatment to less fortunate senior citizens who cannot afford it. We can also help them cross the
street, take them where they want to go and all those other simple yet meaningful gestures that we all
want to experience when we grow old, too.

Elderly abandonment in the Philippines is one of the many reasons why more chaos happens in the
household and how families become broken because there is just nothing more that they can do. The
issue still exists and it is still currently a problem among families since it de es how their tradition
works and how it’s supposed to continue. It is very hard for them, I am sure of that, but their tears
cannot change the reality.

It is indeed heartbreaking to see photos and videos of the elderly being abandoned and being spread
throughout various social media platforms but we can only do so much. We can always try to help out
and do what we know is right and best for the elderly but we need to work together.

The Philippine government has exhausted all their efforts to help lessen this problem but bottom line
is poverty is still the root cause of this. Something that is beyond them and something that needs a
radical change at how Filipinos look at their culture, their people and their place in society.

 About the Author  Latest Articles

About Bon lia Utzurrum

Bon lia is a full-time mother rst, and part-time journalist second. She
was born and raised in the Philippines, a tropical country which gives
sunny smiles to her life that fuels her ideas when writing. She’s very
competent in both social analysis and journalism, which empowers her to
speak and be vocal especially in motherhood. Bon lia has been a freelance writer for different
companies handling different clients, catering to their speci c niches, thus making her an
e cient and versatile article writer. She is always keen to be part of interesting projects.

 Elderly Culture

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