Malaysia Enters Aging Society, Private Sector Invests in Elder Care and Seeks to Learn from Taiwan

(Central News Agency reporter Huang Zi-qiang, Kuala Lumpur, April 14) Malaysia has entered an aging society, with the pace of population aging accelerating and demand for long-term care rising. However, systems and regulations are still under development. In recent years, private enterprises have successively invested in long-term care, talent cultivation, and senior care industries, with industry players expressing hopes for opportunities to learn from Taiwan's experience.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), a society is considered "aging" when the population aged 65 and over reaches 7% of the total population; "aged" when it reaches 14%; and "super-aged" when it reaches 20%.

In 2021, Malaysia's population aged 65 and over accounted for approximately 7% of the total. The Department of Statistics Malaysia (DOSM) projects that by 2040, those aged 65 and over will account for 14.5% of the population, while the youth population will account for 18.6%, with the ratio between the two gradually narrowing. The government estimates that Malaysia will officially become an aged society by 2048, and demand for elderly care is expected to continue rising. Malaysia's population reached 34.4 million in the first quarter of this year.

In response to the rapid increase in elderly population, private enterprises have begun investing in long-term care services in recent years. Warren Beh, founder of Wagaya Senior Assisted Living Center in Penang, said in an interview that since entering the long-term care industry in 2019, starting with home care services, they have now served many families and observed many caregivers enduring heavy long-term care burdens.

He pointed out that they currently provide home care services for disabled seniors, including assistance with bathing, feeding, and basic medical care, reflecting continuously increasing market demand and indicating growing household reliance on professional care resources.

Poh Jing Di, senior care manager at "Qing Ping Le Zhi Jia" (Home of Peace and Joy), told the Central News Agency that Taiwan's long-term care system developed earlier and has already established a comprehensive framework in talent cultivation, professional certification, and care systems. In contrast, Malaysia's long-term care industry is still in its early stages of development, with systems, regulations, and professional certification all requiring further improvement.

He noted that compared to Taiwan, many Malaysians still view long-term care as an extension of caring for the disabled or nursing homes, with understanding of long-term care still limited to daily life assistance. This contrasts with Taiwan's promotion of healthy aging, community care, and improving seniors' quality of life, indicating a gap in concepts.

Poh believes Taiwan's long-term care education is at least decades ahead of Malaysia's and worth learning from. He hopes that in the future, Malaysian long-term care professionals can continue to visit Taiwan for exchanges, gain firsthand understanding of Taiwan's long-term care systems and care models, and bring relevant experiences back to Malaysia to help promote the development of local long-term care and silver industries.

He said that with the rapid aging of the population, long-term care should not only be about care services but should also integrate concepts such as medical care, health promotion, smart technology, age-friendly housing, and community care to further develop the silver economy and create more diverse elderly care models.

To respond to population aging, the Malaysian government has launched the "National Aging Blueprint 2025-2045" (NAB), covering areas such as economy, employment, education, social security, healthcare, and long-term care, aiming to establish a lifelong elderly support system.

However, current long-term care regulations are scattered across laws such as the "1993 Nursing Homes Act," the "1998 Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act," and the "2017 Private Elderly Medical Care Facilities and Services Act" (Act 802), without a dedicated comprehensive legal framework specifically regulating the long-term care industry.

By 2025, Malaysia's population aged 60 and over has reached 4.1 million. With the continued increase in elderly population, demand for medical care, smart assistive devices, health management, and age-friendly products is growing simultaneously, driving the gradual development of the silver economy.

The "Oriental Daily News" cited analysis by Malaysian Member of Parliament Howard Lee, stating that under accelerating population aging, Malaysia's future care needs will continue to rise. Although the silver economy presents significant business opportunities, there is currently insufficient professionally trained care workforce.

He pointed out that if the Malaysian government invests resources in developing the care industry, it will help address aging challenges, create numerous job opportunities, and drive the development of the silver economy.

To address the shortage of care personnel, Perak state in northern Malaysia has promoted senior care TVET courses since 2023 to cultivate professional care talent. Some graduates have even achieved monthly incomes of up to RM15,000 (approximately NT$120,000), indicating that the long-term care industry is gradually forming a new job market.

With Malaysia's population rapidly aging, long-term care is no longer just a social welfare issue but is gradually becoming an emerging industry driving the silver economy. If systems are gradually improved and overseas long-term care development experiences, including Taiwan's talent cultivation and care models, are learned from, it will help enhance the quality of elderly care in Malaysia. (Editor: Yang Sheng-ru) 1150714