Vol 10, No 3 - Financial Planning Association of Malaysia

Traditional Family Practice of
Filial Piety Evolving
Traditionally, the elderly in Asia expect
their children to look after them during
old age and more often than not stay with
their children.
The children, whilst realising the many
practical issues and challenges of keeping
their parents in their homes, are reluctant
to accept the concept of retirement living
as a better living alternative for their
parents.
This reluctance is due to the perception
of their filial duty to their ageing parents.
Allowing them to live in retirement
villages is often seen as a neglect of their
filial duty and hence a loss of face.
However, this traditional practice is fast
evolving with changing global conditions
as revealed by one inter-generational
study undertaken in Asia recently. This
study revealed that children are starting
to appreciate and accept living in
retirement villages/nursing homes as a
socially acceptable alternative for their
parents. They are starting to appreciate
and embrace the reality that by allowing
and encouraging their parents to live in
retirement villages/nursing homes is in fact
an act of filial piety without any loss of face.
The various research undertaken over
the last few years suggest that more and
more elderly Malaysians prefer to live
independently. Retirement villages could
provide the alternative lifestyle choice
they are looking for.
What is a Retirement Village?
The idea of the retirement village has
developed from the need to provide an
alternative lifestyle choice for members
of the community who have reached
retirement age. The aim is to create a
secure environment where people can
socialise and mix with those of their own
age, thus helping to remove some of the
loneliness and boredom often associated
with growing old.
The trend in retirement village development
in Australia and other developed economies
Residential Aged Care Facility
is towards a resort lifestyle model that offers
a range of lifestyle activities and services to
its residents. Also more and more residents
are looking for developments that have
or have ready access to aged care (nursing
home) facilities.
Such “ageing-in-place” development
offers the residents the opportunity to
age gracefully and with dignity and where
their changing care needs over time can
be met at one familiar location.
Retirement village developments with
on-site aged care facilities are able
Retirement Village
Ageing-In-Place Development
Where the retirement village and
the aged care facility are co-located
in one location – residents
changing care needs over time are
met in one familiar place.
16 The 4E Journal