GROUP 4

KNOWING THE COMMUNITY

COMMUNITY OF NEEDS: ELDERLY

RAMOLETE, Jesamine, PASCO, Resha, BORJA, Paola, GESLANI, Keisha, NASOG, Carl,
COLOMA, Roni

1. Purpose for its Establishment/Creation

In ancient times, most people who reached the age of 50 passed away, while the lucky
ones could live up to 60 or 70 years old. At this time, there were inequalities among the elderly
between good and bad. People who lived into their 40s were given respect, while weak people
who also reached their 40s were considered a burden to the community. Throughout the
centuries and changes in perspectives towards the elderly, life expectancy is now approximately
79 years old for men and 83 years old for women. Many are forced to move to retirement
communities, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes. Some even describe this
phenomenon as "ageism." According to the WHO, ageism refers to stereotypes or how we think,
prejudice or how we feel, and discrimination or how we act towards others or oneself based on
age.

Elderly is an old adjective dating back hundreds of years. It comes from an even older
noun, which the Oxford English Dictionary traces to the 10th century and defines as "in a wider
sense, a predecessor, one who lived in former days." Elderly in the Online Etymology Dictionary
says that it is bordering on old age. In the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, it means that it is past
the middle age, which is between 40 and 60. According to the United Nations, the elderly are
people who are over 60 years old. However, families and communities often use other
socio-cultural referents to define age, including family status, physical appearance, or
age-related health conditions

2. Membership

Around the world, there is no definite standard of age that considers people becoming a
part of the senior citizen company. However, westernized countries consider the age of 60 to 65
the age of a senior citizen because it is the age at which most people retire. While in the
Philippines, people are considered senior citizens when they reach the age of 60. An article
confirmed between 1900 and 2000 that the average life expectancy increased by nearly 30
years in the United States and most other developed countries, such as Japan, Italy, the United
Kingdom, Canada, Germany, and France. This led to a discovery for the first time in history that
most people born today can anticipate living for seven, eight, or nine decades or longer. Adults
aged 60 and above comprise our country's fastest-growing demographic.

Ideas emerge from the minds of people who are well aware of the services and
amenities offered to enable members of this community to optimize their lifestyles as they reach
retirement age. As there are two sides to every coin, this community has both positive and
negative aspects. Senior living communities provide three significant benefits: connection,
well-being, and security. Starting with connection, it is critical to maintaining a community where
peer connection and relationships are recognized as foundations of wellness as the community
thrives. Followed by another factor, ' well-being,' which is significant because aside from
exercise and eating right. Activities and opportunities to boost all types of wellness, namely:
cognitive, physical, emotional, spiritual, and the like, can be significantly observed in exceptional
senior living communities. Lastly, security for senior living is an opportunity to enjoy
maintenance-free living and all-inclusive fees while developing a plan for future care, leaving us
with the conclusion that this community provides the autonomy of independent living and a full
range of advanced care options, should the need arise.

Aging can be a difficult stage of life for many individuals if they do not plan every step of
the way. The seven disadvantages of elderly communities that one should consider and must be
open to discussion are as follows: Higher Rate of Depression, High Costs, Lack of Privacy,
Loneliness, High Staff turnover, No Age Diversity and Have HOA’s or Homeowners Association.
With this said, one cannot deny that being a part of this community can be a good choice for
some in order to reside amongst people their own age, but the fact that there are numerous
downsides must be considered to ensure that living within this community retains peace and
tranquility.

3. Community structure: Community Social Structure

The most evident hierarchy in the old community is Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs, which
is not an authority, ranking, or prestige hierarchy but rather a hierarchy of needs for the elderly
community. Maslow's theory suggests that the most basic level of needs must be met well
before individual will strongly desire, or put forth any effort towards, the secondary or
higher-level needs. The idea was not designed to assess a complex situation over a broad
spectrum of individuals. The idea is simply to acknowledge that people, as a whole, have five
basic needs: physiological, safety, belonging and love, esteem or social needs, and
"self-actualization." Maslow stated that the aging group is relevant to the theory. This is one of
the factors contributing to the difficulty of caring for the elderly person. In contrast to what the
younger person sees, the non-elder person sees something different. Elderly people truly
perceive, consider, and hold beliefs about their surroundings, physical processes, interpersonal
relationships, safety, and self-worth. Therefore, compared to someone half his or her age, their
conception of self-actualization would be different.

In addition, If we actively examine the elderly population and think about the aging
process, it becomes clear that Maslow's hierarchy is far more useful when it is reversed. The
behavioral incentive of self-realization serves as the pyramid's base fulcrum on which all other
motivations rest. You won't see how Maslow's pyramid accurately represents an elderly person's
demands until you invert the triangle. The majority of people have consciously or unconsciously
inverted Maslow's pyramid by the time they reach the milestone age of 65 since the elderly have
attained self-actualization, self-esteem, and personal fulfillment by this time in their lives. The
elderly seek to maintain a decent state of health and to be pain-free as their ultimate goals.
putting an end to harmful habits.

Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs Inverted Maslow’s hierarchy of Needs

A leader or a person in charge is essential for the district to work and prosper, just like
any present community. A community leader helps inspire and mentor others, assists in
problem-solving and decision-making, and invents for the good of the community as a whole
(Plaza et al., 2021). In the Philippines, the primary organization supporting the well-being of
older persons/elderly is the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD). According
to Carlos (1999), Elderly care and a volunteer program for the aged are the key areas of
concentration for DSWD services, which also emphasizes employing the elderly as resources
for other socioeconomic endeavors. Homes for the Elderly, Senior Citizens Centers, Senior
Discounts and Privileges, and The Training of the Elderly are a few of their initiatives. With the
support of the DSWD or their local barangay leaders, they aim to help the elderly acquire
economic self-reliance and social responsibility.

Additionally, several Non-Governmental Organizations also help provide for the needs of
the seniors in the Philippines—some of the organizations being: the Coalition of Services of the
Elderly, HelpAge, and Sinag Kalinga. The following NGOs have the same purpose as the
DSWD, providing community-based programs for the elderly such as health care, residential
facilities, livelihood, and inclusive disaster risk reduction and management.

Furthermore, the elderly community can be seen as an egalitarian community/group

because they enjoy even services and discounts available for the elders. Although some homes
for the aged require a service fee for the elders to enjoy the amenities and assistance given to
them, there are also homes for the aged that are available for the abandoned elders funded by
the government. The private houses and government-funded houses offer the exact
activities/needs of the elders, like their social, emotional, physical, occupational, and
recreational needs as well as crafts and growth education development. Senior citizens are also
provided an equal minimum discount of 20 percent for places of culture, leisure, amusement,
and transportation. They are also given free medical and dental services in governmental
establishments everywhere, with an exemption to their payment of individual income taxes.

The government has also created a pension system for retired seniors from the
government, private offices, veterans, and recently self-employed workers to provide the elders
with social security benefits at their current age. The Social Security System (SSS) provides
monthly cash benefits for a lifetime to retired workers (due to old age) in the private sector and
self-employed workers or employees that belong to the informal sector, provided that they can
pay at least 120 monthly contributions. Retired workers who have contributed for 120 months
are given a minimum of 1,200 Philippine Pesos, while pensioners who have contributed double
the amount are given 2,400 Philippine pesos. Retired governmental employees are provided
with the Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) that provides social security benefits,
loan windows for individual and institutional borrowers, economic empowerment, pre-need
plans, and general insurance, provided that they satisfy the required conditions. The conditions
are as follows: rendered at least 15 years of service, at least 60 years of age at retirement, and
is not receiving a monthly pension benefit from permanent total disability. Retiring governmental
employees can avail of retirement pension through a 5-year Lump Sum and an Old Age
Pension with the lump sum payable at the time of retirement and the monthly pension payable
after five months of retirement date. The other option for elders availing of the retirement
pension can receive a cash payment equivalent to 18 times the Basic Monthly Pension (BMP)
that can be availed upon retirement with a monthly allowance for life. The government also
provides a Board of Pensions for Filipino Veterans under the R.A. 65, Filipino Veterans of Bill of
Rights, named the Philippine Veterans Affairs Office (PVAO). The PVAO grants educational
benefits, disability, and death pensions to veterans and the next of kin (spouse and children),
medical care and treatment, and burial benefits. The educational and disability benefits provided
by PVAO depend on the number of years in service and the assignment of veterans. However,
all the other benefits provided can be received by any veteran and their surviving unmarried
spouses. The veteran should be at least 65 and should not receive a similar pension for the
same consideration from other government funds or the United States government. To this day,
the amount received by the pensioners has reached the amount of 5,000 Philippine Pesos per
month. With the government’s support, elders in the Philippine community can still enjoy their
life without feeling excluded and unwanted but rather feel appreciated and respected.

The elderly community’s role is an asset to their families, communities and society. Their
contribution – as carers, advisers, mediators, mentors and breadwinners – is invaluable, but
frequently unrecognized.
REFERENCES:
Publisher. (2022, January 10). Am I a Senior Citizen? Age, Terminology, and What Old Means.

greatseniorliving.com. https://www.greatseniorliving.com/articles/senior-citizen-age

Why seniors matter — and how they contribute to our everyday lives. (n.d.).

https://evidencenetwork.ca/why-seniors-matter-and-how-they-contribute-to-our-everyday

-lives-2/?fbclid=IwAR2Z_ebuRBZB1-0d7Ef95jL1FFtSC-R_cdtgCIhKvejo9trfE-QScCTEwr

Fried, L. P. (2015, February 6). Making Aging Positive. The Atlantic.

https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/06/valuing-the-elderly-improving-public-

health/371245/

Andrade, L. M. (2014, June 1). The experience of others and becoming a senior citizen.

https://www.scielo.br/j/rgenf/a/FmDB54HqrdBKyrk7QJZgcVg/?lang=en

Administrative Order No. 5 Series of 2010. (n.d.).

DSWD.https://www.dswd.gov.ph/issuances/AOs/AO_2010-005.pdf
Carlos, C.R.Ph.D. (2009, May 6). Concerns of the elderly in the philippines. Philippines Social
Sciences Review. https://journals.upd.edu.ph/index.php/pssr/article/viewFile/1279/1616
Plaza. C.H; Windon, S.; Robotham, D. (2021, July 23). How to become a community leader.
How to become a community leader. (2021, July 23). Penn State Extension.
https://extension.psu.edu/how-to-become-a-community-leader#:~:text=The%20role%20of%20a
%20community,to%20benefit%20the%20community%20itself.
Liotta D. (2020). Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs Flips Over for the Elderly.
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/maslows-hierarchy-needs-flips-over-elderly-dennis-b-liotta-md-m
ba