Housing and Social Policy in Malaysia: Provision for the Elderly

Malaysia was categorized as an ageing nation when the elderly population reached 7.2% (1.8 million) by 2005. In a society where aging is progressing, and where even among elderly people there is an increasingly larger class of older senior citizens, the increasing number of elderly people requiring appropriate housing and personal care will be an even greater issue of importance. To cope with the increase in elderly, Malaysia needs to have a careful housing and social policy plan to fulfill their housing needs. However, it seems that there is an ambiguous relationship between housing and social policy in Malaysia towards the elderly society. This paper seeks to discuss the provision of housing and social policy structure for the elderly to be housed in Malaysia. Past and current propositions on housing for the elderly will also be reviewed.