Abstract
This conceptual paper explores the rationale for selecting Taiping, Perak, Malaysia, as a study location for ageing research within the framework of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Age-Friendly Cities and Communities (AFCC). Taiping’s rich historical and demographic context and designation as the pilot site for Malaysia’s Age-Friendly City initiative in 2019 highlight its potential as a model for studying ageing in place. This research aims to analyse Taiping's unique characteristics, such as its ageing population, urban design, and social structures, to evaluate its readiness to meet the needs of older adults. The study highlights key factors influencing Taiping’s selection, including community support systems, social participation opportunities, accessible infrastructure, and alignment with WHO’s eight AFCC domains. Preliminary findings suggest that while Taiping exhibits promising features, such as strong community engagement and a wellpreserved historical environment, gaps remain in integrating age-friendly practices and policies. This paper addresses these gaps by proposing a conceptual framework tailored to Taiping’s context, aiming to enhance urban planning and policy development for ageing populations. By doing so, it contributes to the global discourse on age-friendly urban environments and offers practical implications for policymakers in Malaysia and beyond.
Keywords
References
- Ali, W. N. A. W., Hussain, N. H. M., Nayan, N. M., Abdullah, M., & Teh, M. Z. (2022). The preferences and requirements of green garden retirement care of the elderly: A case study at RSK Taiping, Perak, Malaysia. Planning Malaysia, 20. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v20i21.1113
- Armugam, T. C., & Vellymalay, S. K. N. (2017). Dorongan penempatan dan keselesaan diri warga tua di Rumah Seri Kenangan (RSK), Taiping, Perak. e-BANGI, 12(1), 90-110.
- Awang, H., Lung, T. C., Rashid, N. F. A., Mansor, N., Yoong, T. L., & Subbahi, K. F. (2024). Preparedness to age in place among older adults in Malaysia. Ageing International, 1–16. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12126-024-09558-9
- Buffel, T., Handler, S., & Phillipson, C. (2018). Age-friendly cities and communities. Policy Press: Bristol, UK. DOI: https://doi.org/10.51952/9781447331322
- Chang, C. T., Lim, X. J., Supramaniam, P., Chew, C. C., Ding, L. M., & Rajan, P. (2022). Perceived gap of age-friendliness among community-dwelling older adults: Findings from Malaysia, a middle-income country. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(12), 7171. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127171 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph19127171
- Department of Statistics Malaysia. (2023). Demographic statistics of Malaysia 2023. Department of Statistics Malaysia.
- Department of Statistics Malaysia. 2024. Perak: Principal Statistics of Population, Administrative District. https://www.dosm.gov.my/portal-main/release-content/current-population-estimates-by-administrative-district-
- Department of Statistics Malaysia. 2024. Selamat Menyambut Hari Warga Emas Kebangsaan 2024. https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=945958757564129&set=a.228653445961334
- Ismail, H., Halil, F. M., Abidin, A. W. Z., & Hasim, M. S. (2020). Ageing in Place or Late Life Move? The Malaysian elderly generation housing options. Asian Journal of Behavioural Studies, 5(18), 1-17. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21834/ajbes.v5i18.185
- Ismail, S., Abdulkaareem Salih, S., Zainal Abidin, I., Hamid, T. A., Syed Abdul Rashid, S. N., Ahmad, S. A., & Ibrahim, R. (2022). Observing the factors affecting the development of age-friendly cities in Malaysia. In 1st International e-Conference on Green and Safe Cities 2022 (pp. 582–596).
- Marzuki, A. A., Nor, N. N. F. M., & Rashid, S. M. R. A. (2021). Aging Population Trend in the State of Perak, Malaysia. Quantum Journal of Social Sciences and Humanities, 2(5), 1-9. DOI: https://doi.org/10.55197/qjssh.v2i5.82
- Rashid, K., Mohamed, T., Azyze, S. N. A. E., & Ismail, H. (2022). Determining elderly-friendly features based on an age-friendly city approach: An empirical analysis on local perspective in Taiping and Ipoh, Malaysia. Planning Malaysia, 20, 1–15. DOI: https://doi.org/10.21837/pm.v20i24.1212
- Taiping Municipal Council. n.d. Info Taiping. https://www.mptaiping.gov.my/index.php/en/
- Taiping Municipal Council. (2023). Community services report: Elderly care and support in Taiping. https://www.mptaiping.gov.my/index.php/en/
- The Star. 17 February 2022. Perak is at the forefront of elderly welfare. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2022/02/17/perak-at-the-forefront-of-elderly-welfare
- The Star. 31 October 2019. Taiping was picked for the Age-Friendly City pilot project. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2019/10/31/taiping-picked-for-age-friendly-city-pilot-project
- The Star. 4 November 2018. Retirees flock to Perak, making it the nation’s ‘oldest state’. https://www.thestar.com.my/news/nation/2018/11/04/retirees-flock-to-perak-making-it-nations-oldest-state
- Tobi, S. U., Fathi, M. S., & Amaratunga, D. (2017, October). Ageing in place, an overview for the elderly in Malaysia. In AIP conference proceedings (Vol. 1891, No. 1). AIP Publishing. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5005434
- United Nations. (2020). World population ageing 2020: Highlights. United Nations Department of Economic and Social Affairs.
- World Health Organization, n.d, Taiping, https://extranet.who.int/agefriendlyworld/network/taiping/
- World Health Organization. (2007). Global age-friendly cities: A guide. In World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/ageing/publications/Global_age_friendly_cities_Guide_English.pdf
- World Health Organization. (2020). Decade of healthy ageing: Baseline report. World Health Organization. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789240017900
- Yusof, N. M., & Yasin, S. M. (2023). Enablers and barriers to the realization of an age-friendly environment in Malaysia: A thematic review. Malaysian Journal of Sustainable Environment, 10(2), 231–254. https://doi.org/10.24191/myse.v10i2.21103
Downloads
Full-text downloads recorded for this article, by month.
No downloads have been recorded for this article yet. Figures appear here once readers begin downloading the full text.
How to Cite
Share this article
License
Copyright (c) 2024 Noorlailahusna Mohd Yusof, Suziana Mat Yasin (Author)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Author (s) should affirm that the material has not been published previously. It has not been submitted and it is not under consideration by any other journal. At the same time author (s) need to execute a publication permission agreement to assume the responsibility of the submitted content and any omissions and errors therein. After submission of revised paper in the light of suggestions of the reviewers, the editorial team edits and formats manuscripts to bring uniformity and standardization in published material.
This work will be licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) and under condition of the license, users are free to read, copy, remix, transform, redistribute, download, print, search or link to the full texts of articles and even build upon their work as long as they credit the author for the original work. Moreover, as per journal policy author (s) hold and retain copyrights without any restrictions.
Keywords
Section
Published in
Vol. 16 No. 4(I) (2024)
Cybercrime Awareness, Financial Wellbeing & Age-Friendly Cities
View issue contents
Published
Submissions
Have research to publish? Information Management and Business Review welcomes submissions.
Make a Submission