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Calls for Greater Care for Cambodian Elderly Amid Demographic Shift

Members of Older People Association attend monthly gathering in Siem Reap. (Photo: HelpAge Cambodia)
Members of Older People Association attend monthly gathering in Siem Reap. (Photo: HelpAge Cambodia)

Mork Nep and her husband are living all by themselves in a small house in L’vea village, Siem Reap province. Making and selling the sweet sticky rice cake are what keep her active daily before the 20th day on the calendar arrives.

The date is like a day-off for her. It’s a precious day where she finds happiness in bonding with her peers at the Older People Association (OPA) – a kind of village elderly care club.

After her three children moved out, Mork Nep, 65, and her husband, 75, joined the OPA in Siem Reap, where the 171 members try to overcome loneliness by meeting up once month at a designated house in their village.  

“When we gather, I feel so happy,” Mork Nep said in a phone interview. “We have health checkup, exercise, dance, and answer [quiz] questions from the teacher. Some answers are wrong, some are right, but it all makes me so joyful,” she added.

Calls are increasing for greater care for older persons in Cambodia as the country is undergoing a major demographic shift. Some 8.86 percent of the country’s 15.5 million people (2019 population census) are considered old people of 60 years old and above. This number, according to the census, is projected to reach more than 23 percent of the total population by 2050. The changing population dynamics, it said, is the result of declining fertility and increasing longevity. The fertility rate in Cambodia declined from 2.7 children per woman in 2008 to 2.5 in 2019. Meanwhile, life expectancy during the same period had increased by 13.49 years (from 60.81 years to 74.3 years) for men and by 13.14 years (from 63.66 years to 76.8 years) for women. Rapid population ageing presents substantial challenges to the country.

The government and various local and international organizations have rolled out policies and taken steps to address the challenges facing older persons, especially those in poor households. But observers said more needs to be done.

“The changes in society and the economy have altered lifestyles, forcing some children to move far away from their parents in search of work. As a result, many elderly people are not receiving the care they need,” said Pa Chanroeun, president of the Cambodian Institute for Democracy.

The OPA in Siem Reap is just one of many that have been established in communities across Cambodia under joint efforts between the government and international organizations such as HelpAge Cambodia.

Chuch So, director of the OPA in Siem Reap, said that since its creation in 2022, the association brings together its members once a month to do social activities and exercise, have basic health checkup and enjoy snacks.

“Exercise makes their bodies feel lighter and helps reduce their feelings of loneliness,” he said.

Younger members, meanwhile, go beyond the call of their duties. They take turn looking after their older colleagues in their 70s and 80s at their houses.

“They can’t walk, so we help them bathe and frequently check on them to ensure they don’t feel lonely,” said Pras Khun, 61. “When we have food or snacks, we share with them and encourage them to exercise too.”

Mutual benefit

OPA Siem Reap is more than a social club. It has a self-help financial scheme to assist its members in time of needs.

Chuch So, the director, said each member pays 12,000 riels in annual membership fee. As part of the benefits, each member is entitled to take out two loans per year to help finance their livelihood activities. Each loan must not exceed 1 million riels and must be repaid within six months along with the monthly 2 percent interest.

The loan helps Mork Nep finance her rice cake business to support her living.

“I have children, but they all have their own families. They spend what they earn on their families, and they are also struggling,” she said.

“However, when we gather once a month, I feel delighted. When I’m sick, they check on me and even give me 20,000 to 30,000 riels as well,” she added.

At 53 years old, Mon Kun, a farmer, does not meet the definition of old person yet. But the association also welcomed younger members like her to help care for the older ones. In exchange, Mon Kun can have access to the mutual fund when she needs money.

“When we need to buy medicine or go to the hospital, we use the money [30,000 riels] they give us. Other members also help by checking on me,” said Mon Kun. While her husband earns income by driving a motorbike taxi, she backs him up by growing vegetables and raising livestock at home.

“Before, we never came together because we only focused on our work and didn’t pay much attention to our health. But with this association, we have better health and have become more friendly towards each other,” she said, adding that when it is her turn, she would go house to house to check on older members and tend to their needs.

Such a mutual approach helps foster a much needed a sense of community in Cambodia’s current socio-economic reality, where many old people in the countryside are left to fend for themselves after their children ventured out of their villages to look for work in other cities or abroad.

Attempts were made to seek comments from the Ministry of Social Affairs, Veterans, and Youth Rehabilitation but they were unsuccessful. When reached by phone, Touch Channy, the ministry’s spokesperson, asked to submit the questions via Telegram. The questions were submitted but no answers were received.

Pa Chanroeun, the president of the Cambodian Institute for Democracy, said the government should do more to address the issues facing the elderly, whose number will increase significantly in the next 20 years. He said the focus should be on people of 65 years old up who are currently not eligible for the benefits offered by the National Social Security Fund.

“We lack programs and activities for the elderly. Even finding a place to exercise in Phnom Penh is difficult, making it hard for them to stay active, which also contributes to their mental health challenges,” he said. “I believe we should prioritize elderly people who are over 65 years old.”

In the meantime, at OPA Siem Reap, members eagerly look forward to the 20th day of each month.

Dos Naroth, a 42-year-old daughter of Pras Khun, said her mother is happier each time she returns from her monthly social gathering.

“She knows more about health and she told me she feels better. She and her fellow members talk about random things and I am happy with that,” Dos Naroth said.

And so is her mother, Pras Khun.

“All the activities we do together make me happy,” she said. “I would be so lonely if this program didn’t exist.”

NOTE: This story was produced by ‘Batch 22’ student of the Department of Media and Communication (DMC), Royal University of Phnom Penh.

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