ELDERLY AWARENESS AND AVAILMENT ON THEIR PRIVILEGES AS STIPULATED ON PHILIPPINE EXPANDED SENIOR CITIZENS ACT (RA 9994)
Dr. Carlo Bryan C. Borrico, Corazon C. Borrico, and Leonardo P. Borrico
1System Plus College Foundation
1,2 Holy Angel University
Corresponding author: Dr. Carlo Bryan C. Borrico (borrico.Carlo[at]auf.edu.ph)
Abstract
The Philippine government tried its best to design a law for senior citizens while Filipino families took care of their senior citizen member. They designed a law that recognized the contributions of senior citizens in nation building. However, in the report of Dr. De Leon (2014), even though senior citizens have identification card as their single most important document to access their benefits and privileges, what was identified as a gap is the supply side i.e., limited availability and accessibility of health services and medicines, issues related to access of mandated senior citizen benefits. This aimed to describe the level of awareness on the rights, benefits, privileges, and health services of elderly residing in Barangay Dau. A descriptive design was used. Self-made questionnaire to capture awareness and availment of elderly rights, benefits and privileges was used. Frequency, percentage, mean, and standard deviation were used. The result revealed that all of the participants were aware of grant of twenty percent (20%) discount from all establishments and provision of express lanes for senior citizens in all commercial and government establishments and reported they availed it. However, it is noticeable that all participants are not aware of the free medical and dental services in government establishments and the monthly stipend five hundred pesos (Php500.00) for indigent senior citizens. On the other hand, out of 92.5 percent participants who were aware of the continuance of the same benefits and privileges by GSIS, SSS, PAGIBIG, only 53.3 percent availed it. Lastly, out of 98.8% participants who were aware on mandatory PhilHealth coverage, only 93.5% availed it. It is important for health administrator and health worker to strengthened their information dissemination to increase the elderly awareness and to avail their rights, benefits and privileges.
Keywords: Elderly, Aging, RA 9994
Topic: Health Policy, Services and Economic