Being Happy at an Old Age: How Does the Social Welfare Assurance Work?

Abstract

The increment of elderly population demands the readiness of government and society. This study investigates elderly hope of happiness and how to provide social insurance ideally by the state to meet the hope. The aim of this study is to gather information related to elderly hope of happiness deeply and comprehensively so that the policies formulated can be relevant to the needs. To achieve the aim, this study used qualitative approach by employing phenomenology research design. The study was conducted in three sites, namely DKI Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and West Java. The data were collected through interview, observation and library research. To collect the data, there are 44 informants purposively selected to be studied. They consist of 32 elderly and 12 key informants from government and non-government institutions. The findings of this study reveal that for elderly, 'happy' means getting supports from society, being humanized, gathering with family, and having financial insurance. During this time, the word 'welfare' has been focused on the economic and material context; when in fact, these are not what the elderly need. Therefore, in developing policies regarding the elderly service, it is recommended to the government to consider and concern mainly on the elderly hope of happiness.