Latest news with #PAWE
The Star
14-07-2025
- General
- The Star
Seniors find joy in booming network
BURSTS of laughter fill a senior citizen activity centre in Taman Gombak Permai, Selangor, where men and women gather for a morning of making friends and sharing stories. But this is not your typical place where the elderly socialise with their peers; it's a growing network of 'Pusat Aktiviti Warga Emas' (senior citizens activity centres), or PAWE, all over Malaysia where the able-bodied silver-haired community congregates with gusto, purpose and dignity. With 15% of Malaysians projected to be over 60 by 2030, ageing has become one of the country's most pressing demographic shifts. Participants engaging in a cognitive health check activity at the Sungai Tua PAWE. As such, these centres are emerging as lifelines to keep seniors engaged, independent and even economically productive. Sanctuary for seniors Rosita says the Lembah Pantai PAWE has 332 registered members.A vacant plot initially earmarked for a community hall in Taman Gombak Permai, is now the Sungai Tua senior activity centre under Selayang Municipal Council (MPS). It is Selangor's first such centre under a local authority. Before any PAWE existed, the elderly local community had no place to spend their time when their children and grandchildren went off to work or school, said retired kindergarten teacher Ruslina Othman, 61. 'There is nothing much to do at home,' she said. 'The activities here are good for our physical and spiritual well-being. 'We can make new friends, and sometimes reunite with old friends. Mohd Sharizwan finds the Sungai Tua PAWE centre conducive and convenient.'When we return home, we feel happy. 'I hope this (centre) lasts,' she said. The Sungai Tua PAWE, located on 0.58ha of government land and having a built-up area of 4,387sq ft, is just one of the 192 centres operating nationwide. According to Women, Family and Community Development Ministry, all the centres are administered by voluntary organisations registered with the Registrar of Societies (ROS) and supervised by the Welfare Department (JKM). 'JKM provides annual operational financial assistance of RM50,000 for each PAWE,' the ministry's corporate communication said in reply to StarMetro. To date, there are 21 PAWE in Selangor and 10 in Kuala Lumpur. Retiree Phriya Mayavan, 69, takes a 15-minute walk from her home nearby to the Sungai Tua PAWE in Jalan Laksamana 2 almost every day. 'It is good exercise for me. I like the health talk organised today. 'It keeps our mind active and open,' said the former production operator. The PAWE is where Phriya socialises with other seniors and accompanies them to run errands and even visit the Social Security Organisation (Perkeso), Employees Provident Fund (EPF) and JKM office if need be. 'Some seniors here even sponsor food for those who don't have much money,' she said. The bright and airy centre houses a games area with carrom tables and board games, a lounge with two massage chairs, classroom, surau, kitchen and disabled-friendly toilets. Mohd Sharizwan Kang Abdullah, 65, a retired security officer, finds the centre conducive and convenient for them to socialise – an important activity to ward off loneliness among the aged. 'Socialising can help reduce the occurrence of depression among seniors,' said Sharizwan. Pensioner Misnan Mohd Damin, 65, concurs, sharing that now that he is retired, he needs to take better care of his physical and mental health. 'The world of retirees can be lonely. 'We need to learn to be with people and make new friends,' added Misnan, acknowledging the supportive centre staff for catering to the seniors' needs. Building more PAWE According to the ministry, new centres are set up with development budget allocations approved under the Malaysia Plan. A total of RM17mil had been allocated since 2018 for PAWE under the 11th Malaysia Plan. Initially, all states received the allocation based on the planned number of approved PAWE. However, at the end of the 12th Malaysia Plan (2025), only nine states received the allocation for the establishment of PAWE. Several states have channelled funds to improve PAWE premises and services. The Johor government, for example, allocated RM385,000 in 2024 and RM584,000 in 2025 to upgrade 12 PAWE premises and services improvement projects. State initiative MPS Community Development Department director Affendei Samingan said the Sungai Tua PAWE opened on Sept 1 last year. He attributed the centre to Datuk Seri Amirudin Shari who is Selangor Mentri Besar and Sungai Tua assemblyman. Affendei said Amirudin was instrumental in the initiative to care for the elderly at the local council level. 'We had to work out something since we had the site already. 'While our department's forte is community programmes and sports, building a PAWE made us go further,' he said. He added that building the centre cost RM2.5mil. Affendei said MPS reached out to international non-governmental organisations (NGOs) like Japan's Council of Local Authorities for International Relations (JCLAIR). 'We submitted a paper requesting for a subject matter expert to be sent from Japan to guide us in building a PAWE,' he said. Adapting similar architectural concepts like PAWE centres in Japan was challenging, said Affendei. 'These included accommodating public transport adjacent to PAWE locations. 'Their centres are more clinical in architecture too, with more advanced technology. 'We did our best in adopting their design in terms of use of air-conditioning and open space for the seniors to meet,' he added. At the moment, the Sungai Tua PAWE is managed by MPS staff, comprising a chairman (MPS deputy president), secretary (Affendei) and a treasurer. A PAWE needs to be run by a registered association under ROS. 'We are getting this done because we need to form the executive committee. 'We are spending public money to give back to the community, so good governance is needed, including checks and balances to run the centre at an optimum level,' Affendei said. For now, it is open from 9am to 12pm Mondays to Fridays. Registered members, now at 481, come for activities in the morning and return home in the afternoon. 'Once the centre gets approval from ROS, there will be a supervisor and assistant to manage it,' said Affendei. He said they were also open to university students and corporations to conduct their corporate social responsibility (CSR) projects with the seniors at the centre. Beyond day care All PAWE are encouraged to carry out programmes and activities based on five dimensions under the National Senior Citizen Policy. These are Positive Ageing (holding positive beliefs), Healthy Ageing (forming healthy lifestyles), Active Ageing (optimising involvement in family and society), Productive Ageing (contributing to economic activities) and Environmental Ageing (senior- friendly internal and external environments to age well). Intergenerational membership In Kuala Lumpur, the Lembah Pantai PAWE at Jalan Sri Sentosa 8 in Taman Sri Sentosa started operations on Jan 2, 2020. It is open from 9am to 3pm on weekdays, and if there are events, on weekends too. Its chairman Rosita Rahim, 68, is busy making the premises, parked under Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL), a vibrant one for the elderly. They now have 332 registered multi-racial members. The outspoken pensioner's last post was with the Prime Minister's Office as a secretary, and she also lectures at the National Institute of Public Administration (Intan). In fact, she said they have opened their PAWE to younger members aged 18 and above to drive intergenerational membership. 'The younger generation needs to socialise and realise that they will be senior citizens too one day, so they must be prepared to cope in the environment,' she said. Managing a PAWE is hard work, Rosita said, as it involves a lot of collaborations and networking with NGOs, universities and private entities to equip the centre with facilities. She said Universiti Malaya (UM) and EPF offered support like conducting workshops and useful skills courses. Rosita said more needed to be done to make PAWE more accessible and senior citizen-friendly. 'Lembah Pantai has six zones and many seniors cannot drive, so there is a lack of transport. 'Railings and wheelchair ramps need to be installed at the bus stops. 'The infrastructure for seniors needs to be improved,' she stressed.
The Star
14-07-2025
- Health
- The Star
Changing mindsets on care for elderly
Hakimah helping retiree Govindasamy Muthan, 67, understand the results of his sarcopenia screening at the Lembah Pantai PAWE in Kuala Lumpur. — Photos by AIDA AHMAD/The Star AS MALAYSIA progresses towards becoming a 'hyper-aged society' by 2059, when 21% of the population will be 65 years old and above, experts are advocating for a paradigm shift in how we care for our seniors. For Muhammad Mujada Rosli, 46, who serves on the committee of the Lembah Pantai Senior Citizens Activity Centre (PAWE) and manages the Genting Dementia Care Centre in Segambut, it starts with awareness and prevention. Doris says their modules for seniors are activity-based, with small group interactions and movement. 'PAWE promotes healthy ageing and prevents dementia. 'It is about building a sensitive, intergenerational community that sees ageing as something we're all a part of,' he said. While Malaysia's regulations for care centres operate on a one-caregiver-to-four-patients model, PAWE centres are meant to keep people healthy before they require that level of care, he added. That prevention-first mindset is echoed by Assoc Prof Dr Doris Padmini Selvaratnam from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM). She is part of a group of experts who designed the Wellness Across Ages intergenerational programme for high-rise communities, under the Gerontological Association of Malaysia (GeM). Muhammad Mujada says PAWE helps prevent dementia and promotes health ageing. The pilot project is supported by the National Centre for Excellence in Mental Health (NCEMH) under a Hasanah Foundation Mental Health grant. 'Most senior citizens don't respond well to jargon-heavy talks or PowerPoint slides,' Doris said, 'so our mental health modules for the programme will be activity-based, with small group interactions and movement.' But to run such programmes effectively in high-rises, she said, they needed support from joint management bodies (JMBs) and the management committee (MC). 'When we have that, we can analyse outcomes,' she added. In urban areas − where more elderly people now live in condominiums or apartments − isolation is a growing problem, especially after illness or injury. Assoc Prof Dr Hakimah Sallehuddin, a geriatrician at Hospital Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah, UPM, who is also involved in the pilot project, believes PAWE can fill that gap. 'We need activities for post-stroke patients too, screening for sarcopenia, and spaces that foster intergenerational relationships,' she said. 'At high-rise buildings, we need to help the seniors build intergenerational communities where young people can also communicate with the elderly population.' People living in high-rises who want to be part of the pilot project can email gempesona2025@ Malaysian Research Institute on Ageing (MyAgeing) director Dr Rahimah Ibrahim, who delivered a talk on 'Interge-nerational Relationships and Care for Senior Citizens at Home and in the Community at Lembah Pantai PAWE', sees PAWE as a critical link but says it needs to evolve. 'Most seniors prefer to age in place,' she said, citing the Malaysia Ageing and Retirement Survey Wave 2 (2021-2022). 'We need services like home rehabilitation, respite care or trained caregiver support.' She believes PAWE can be that bridge: offering referrals, caregiver training and even serving as a hub for cooperative or social enterprise services. More inclusive, intergenerational spaces where children can do homework, seniors can engage, and caregivers aren't left to carry the burden alone will help tremendously, she added.
The Star
24-06-2025
- Business
- The Star
Checks to ensure no foreign workers at Selayang stalls
Selayang residents taking part in morning exercise at the Senior Citizens Activity Centre (PAWE) in Sungai Tua. — Courtesy photo Selayang Municipal Council (MPS) has carried out over 80 operations this year on hawker and roadside stalls to ensure compliance with rules on hiring foreign workers. MPS deputy president Az'har Samsuri said foreign workers were only allowed to work in licensed restaurants, not roadside stalls or hawker setups. He said MPS had been working with the Immigration Department on this matter. 'We now have clearer guidelines. 'If we find foreign workers in hawker zones, we will issue compounds or revoke permits,' he told StarMetro after chairing the local council's monthly full board meeting at its headquarters. Since January, Az'har said over 200 notices had been issued by MPS for various offences linked to hawker stall operations, including the use of unlicensed foreign labour. 'This is not about targeting any group. 'It is about maintaining compliance and ensuring fair trading opportunities for Malaysians. 'If they are hired at proper restaurants with the right documentation, that is permitted. 'But anything under the hawker category is not allowed,' he reiterated. In a separate matter, Az'har said MPS' Senior Citizens Activity Centre (PAWE) in Sungai Tua was now fully operational. 'The RM2.4mil activity centre for senior citizens opened on June 16 and has received strong response, with 68 elderly residents participating on the first day alone,' he said. Activities at PAWE include light exercise, art workshops, religious talks, and health awareness sessions. 'We are also looking into providing estate planning modules such as will-writing, because many of our seniors are not familiar with these processes,' said Az'har. He said MPS might consider opening more such centres in Rawang and other areas under its jurisdiction if the pilot project proved sustainable. Regarding the local council's monthly meet-the-client session on June 13 at Menara MPS, Az'har said they received 43 walk-in complaints and enquiries. 'This platform has helped resolve many issues quickly, especially on enforcement, compounds and planning matters.' He said MPS hoped to extend it to twice a month.
Barnama
18-05-2025
- Business
- Barnama
Activity Centres For Older Persons Will Help Malaysia In Transition To Aging Country
Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (third, left), Social Welfare Department director-general Datuk Che Murad Sayang Ramjan (second, left) Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali (middle) at the officiation of a PAWE in Kampung Benoni here today. PAPAR, May 18 (Bernama) -- A total of 190 Activity Centres For The Older Persons (PAWE) registered with the Social Welfare Department throughout the country are now actively conducting activities as Malaysia prepares to become an aging country by 2030. Social Welfare Department director-general Datuk Che Murad Sayang Ramjan said the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry (KPWKM) channels RM50,000 annually through the department to each PAWE to implement their programmes. 'The members in PAWE include former government officers, private sector employees and members of the public who will create more ideas and turn the centres into an attractive programme as they become places to gather. 'The activities include health checks, physical training suitable for the elderly and intergenerational programmes involving youth in PAWE to allow them to learn skills like handicraft,' he told reporters during the officiation of a PAWE in Kampung Benoni here today by Domestic Trade and Cost of Living Minister Datuk Armizan Mohd Ali, who is also Papar MP. Che Murad Sayang said that with intergenerational activities in PAWE, youth in each area can learn certain skills that have various traditional and cultural values. He added that his department would introduce Activities for The Older People empowerment programmes through the ANY WHERE, ANY PLACE, ANY TIME (PAWE@3A) programme. In PAWE@3A, activities are held even without buildings as they are social support and elderly development activities done through strategic collaboration between government agencies, non-governmental organisations and local communities. On PAWE in Sabah, Che Murad Sayang said there are 23 such centres operating in the state with a membership of 6,471 with two more centres opening in Kota Belud and Pantai Dalit in October. Kampung Benoni PAWE chairman Pg Abdul Halim Pg Rambang, 71, said the centre began operating in November last year and there are currently 155 registered members.
