The Silver Jubilee Home for the Aged

The Silver Jubilee Home for the Aged, hereinafter referred to as ‘The Home’, was founded in 1935 by Mr Cheah Leong Keah, a prominent Penang businessman, to commemorate the Silver Jubilee of King George V. Mr Cheah Leong Keah donated 22.5 acres of land for the establishment of the home, located at Sungai Dua. The Home is a non-governmental organization (NGO) for those elderly persons who are unable to afford, or find, suitable senior care. Originally, two blocks of single storey hutchments were built to accommodate 2 residents each, but today there are more than 6 blocks of cluster units accommodating around 175 residents. The upgraded units now consist of bedrooms with adjoining toilets and bathrooms, with a medical ward, recycling center, TV room (otherwise known as the Clubhouse), a dining hall and rehabilitation center on-site.

In terms of staffing, on the administrative side there is a manager, an assistant manager, a financial officer, and numerous additional officers in charge of various other divisions. Overall, The Home employs roughly 57 people in total. The Home is also extremely lucky to have kitchens that cater for both Muslim and non-Muslim residents, a laundry facility, a Surau (a kind of Islamic building used for worship), and a large multi-purpose hall with badminton equipment that can be rented out to provide The Home with some extra income. Additionally, there is the lovely and roomy Cheah Leong Keah Dining Hall, which has two entertainment wings, one of which is an activity block where the residents can watch ASTRO/TV shows and participate in karaoke sessions.

The General Committee has put in a lot of effort to maintain and improve The Home in a number of areas, and were able to do this due to the tremendous generosity of the general public. About 220,000 Malaysian Ringgit is spent on The Home each month, and all cash donations are tax-exempt. The Home is also very happy to receive donations in kind, such as food, clothing, etc. Any destitute person of 60 years of age or older may apply for admittance, regardless of race, creed, or gender. However, the General Committee will ultimately decide whether to accept or deny an application for admission after interviewing each applicant. Candidates must be Malaysian citizens who live in the province of Wellesley or Penang, and entry and living support is offered for free.

Interview

Interviewees
Dato Loh Yeow Boo (Dato is an honorary title in Malaysia)

Q: Can you briefly introduce yourself?

Dato: I am Loh Yeow Boo, and I joined The Home as a committee member in 2017, before becoming Chairman in 2020. Prior to joining The Home, I worked as a professional accountant in a public research organization.

Q: What is your main role in the organization?

Dato: As Chairman, my role is to make sure everything is transparent and accountable.
This is to ensure that the good reputation of The Silver Jubilee Home is not ruined. I also provide the concept and direction for the Home in planning for the future. This is mainly because other people are not so bothered about The Home, especially the younger generation.

Q: Could you tell us a little about the residents in the home?

Dato: Currently there are 135 residents in the home. Half of them live in the cluster units, while the rest stay on the medical ward. We are still taking in residents, but we will only take those who meet the criteria. Most of the residents are Chinese, with only a few of them of other races such as Malay and Indian. Every resident that comes to reside at The Home needs to declare their financial situation to the management of The Home, and the cost of all of their living expenses, etc., are thereafter borne by The Silver Jubilee Home.

Q: What kind of activities take place in the Silver Jubilee Home on a daily and weekly basis?

Dato: The activities that are carried out by the residents on a daily basis include, singing karaoke, listening to the band, gardening, playing mahjong, and so on. Other than the activities in the home, the residents are allowed to go on an outing for 4 hours once a week, and for one full day once a month.

Q: What were the challenges met by your organization during the COVID pandemic, and how did you overcome them?

Dato: Due to our restrictions on entry and exit from the home, we were able to keep the COVID-19 outbreak at bay for 18 months. However, at the same time, we experienced problems in receiving donations in kind from the public. Therefore, there were shortages in the supply chain for items of daily need such as food, beverages, medicine, and so on. Fortunately, we were able to handle the issues in the supply chain by assigning certain jobs to the staff. For example, some staff were assigned to take care of the residents while some staff were assigned to buy items of daily need from the market. This was done to ensure the supply chain for daily needs was fluid.

Q: What part do you think the organization plays in the life of the local community, and the lives of its citizens?

Dato: First of all, The Silver Jubilee Home provides care and shelter for the homeless. For anyone who wants to be one of the residents of The Silver Jubilee Home, they must first register themselves and go through an interview procedure conducted by a general committee member. After the interview, the general committee member will investigate the financial and family condition of the applicant before approving their application. Only those who are the poorest and most needy can be approved. Thereafter, the staff of The Silver Jubilee Home will take care of each resident’s needs on a daily basis and also their financial needs to ensure they have their own funds and savings. Economies of scale could be achieved if the number of residents increases as the cost required to support each resident will be lower. Furthermore, The Silver Jubilee Home provides opportunities for members of society to engage in acts of kindness, by accepting donations in cash, or in kind, from the public.

Q: What is your plan to make the organization better in the future?

Dato: As there is some vacant land in the area, I am planning to grow fruit or vegetables on this land, and rent it out to other people on a short-term basis. In addition, I am also planning to start our own clinic and provide in-house cleaning and care services. Currently, the medical services in the home are provided by part-time doctors, and doctors from Penang General Hospital. By having our own clinic, we could provide better in-house care, and also ensure medical services are provided at the time when residents actually need it.

Reflections

We got to know more about the history and the operation of The Silver Jubilee Home from the interview with Dato Loh Yeow Boo. From the interview, we were amazed by their gratitude for the donation of the land by Mr. Cheah Leong Keah in 1935, as they appreciate each and every acre of it and make sure that it is used wisely and efficiently. Furthermore, they also showed how much they care for the residents in the home. The staff take good care of them by preparing them healthy meals, looking after their daily needs, and monitoring the financial conditions for each one. Moreover, they also provide lots of entertainment and other activities, important services such as laundry and physiotherapy, and generally ensure they can live comfortably and safely. More than that, the residents are encouraged to do a little light work, such as sewing or recycling, and in this way their lives are not boring. To be honest, it was a big surprise to us that The Silver Jubilee Home provides meals and shelter to the residents for free, which means they do not charge fees to any of the residents for living in the home. This is a huge act of kindness from them, especially towards those who are so poor. It is important for us to understand that it is not easy to operate such a big home for the aged without collecting fees from residents, so donations in kind or cash are needed by them to keep things going. Thus, we hope that we can promote The Silver Jubilee Home to more people through this report and also gather the power of more assistance to help them.

References

Administrator. The Silver Jubilee Home for the Aged. http://www.silverjubileehome.org/txtpat/

Researchers

Hello Everyone! My name is Audrey Kor Yong Jing. I’m a third year student taking a Bachelor of Economics degree in the School of Social Sciences, USM. I was born at Sungai Petani, Kedah, but currently live in Butterworth, Penang. My hobbies are drawing, watching movies and listening to music. I love to watch the Harry Potter series of movies, too.

Hi everyone! I am Andrian Lopez Matius. I am a second year student currently pursuing a Bachelor of Economics degree at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Penang. I particularly enjoy studying Economics as I love to seek the answers to the world’s problems. I was born in Sibu, Sarawak, and am currently staying at Kuching, Sarawak. During my leisure time, I like playing games, watching netflix series, and jogging. I also like to join volunteer activities as I love to engage with, and help, people.