Where the Elderly Will Live:

Case Study - Batak Elderly, North Sumatra, Indonesia

Nurman Achmad

Department of Anthropology, Universitas Sumatera Utara, Indonesia

Keywords: Elderly, Culture, Live

Abstract: The increase in life expectancy is reflected in the increasing number of elderly population (elderly) from year

to year. Elderly is the last period of the human life cycle where life expectancy is worthy of the hopes and

dreams of every elderly. However, where the elderly will live is a fundamental question which is still being

debated. By carrying out these problems, this paper was made regardless of the success or failure of

government efforts to empower the elderly. Using a qualitative phenomenological approach, researchers

interviewed the elderly, elderly families and related stakeholders in handling the elderly's problems. The

selection of the three groups of informants is intended to get answers from various groups. This research was

conducted in Tanah Karo, Simalungun and Toba which are the dominant areas of the three Batak ethnicities

in North Sumatra. The results of the field were analysed using the NVivo device, it was found that there was

a relationship between culture and individual desires which finally culture did not have full power over the

elderly. The choice of where the elderly will live is greatly influenced by many factors besides the cultural

factors themselves.

1 INTRODUCTION

The old days are the last days of the human life

cycle, in this time there will be an aging process that

is a process that is dynamic as a result of cell changes,

physiological, and psychological. The aging process

is a process that converts healthy adults into brittle

accompanied by declining reserves of almost all

physiological systems of the process accompanied by

increased susceptibility to disease and death. The

high number of elderly people who continue to

increase from year-to-year is the effect of one of the

highest numbers of life. This shows one of the

achievements of national health goals. The increase

in the elderly population leads to anticipation. The

elderly is one of the crucial issues faced by many

countries in the world today. The composition of the

elderly population grew rapidly both in developed

and developing countries. Based on data from United

Nations 2015, there has been an increase from the

years 2000, 2015 and predicted in 2030 and 2050 the

number of elderly will continue to increase. The

region of Africa in 2000 amounted to 42.4 million,

then in 2015 it has been 64.4 million and predicted in

the year 2030 will increase to 105.4 million and in the

year 2050 predicted to be 220.3 million. Furthermore,

in the European region there has been an increase of

147.3 million in 2000, increasing 176.5 million in

2015 and predicted in 2030 will increase to 217.2

million and then in the year 2050 will reach 242.0

million. Then the Asian region in 2000 there were

319.5 million elderly and in 2015 has risen to 508.0

million elderly and projected in the year 2030

continues to increase to 844.5. Million elderly and in

the year 2050 to 1293.7 million elderly. When viewed

further, an increase in the number of elderly from

2000 to year 2015 has occurred an increase of 51.9

percent in Africa, 19.8 percent in Europe and there

was an increase of 59.0 percent in the region of Asia.

(World Population Ageing 2015).

Based on the projection from the WHO, that

Indonesia will experience increased elderly figures in

the year 2020. Based on the results of the 2013

Susenas, the number of elderly in Indonesia has

reached 20.04 million people or about 8.05 percent of

the entire population of Indonesia. When compared to

gender the number of elderly women is greater than

men, i.e. 10.67 million people (8.61 percent of the

entire population of women), more than men who are

only 9.38 million people (7.49 percent of the entire

male population). (Infodatin: 2015). Provinces that

have a proportion of elderly over 7 percent are IN

Achmad, N.

Where the Elderly Will Live: Case Study - Batak Elderly, North Sumatra, Indonesia.

DOI: 10.5220/0010055804270432

In Proceedings of the 3rd International Conference on Social and Political Development (ICOSOP 3 2019) - Social Engineering Governance for the People, Technology and Infrastructure in

Revolution Industry 4.0, pages 427-432

ISBN: 978-989-758-472-5

427

Yogyakarta (13.20 percent), Central Java (11.11

percent), East Java (10.96 percent), Bali (10.07

percent), North Sulawesi (9.14 percent), South

Sulawesi (8.54 percent), West Sumatera (8.41

percent), West Java (7.58 percent), Lampung (7.50

percent), East Nusa Tenggara (7.40 percent), and

West Nusa Tenggara (7.38 percent). As for North

Sumatera based Susenas 2013 elderly figures of

6.33%. And when viewed from the results of BPS

Province through North Sumatera in year number

2014, which is 842,913 people. This figure will be

more interesting when noted further, namely the

increase in the number of population at the age of 65

+ than the aged 60 – 64 years. This indicates an

increase in the live figure chart, which is definitely

affecting the population structure. A study from Adib

Mohammad in the elderly in urban communities, in

1996 resulted in an interesting explanation. Based on

the experience of elderly life, how is the perception

of a place to live for them. From the study, the

findings were obtained that 56.0% of respondents

argued that elderly citizens should reside at home, and

the other 42% reside in the family and the 2% answer

does not know. No respondent wants to reside in the

orphanage Werdha. It shows that respondents almost

agreed unanimously that the elderly should be living

in a family environment, be it at home or in relatives

' homes. Elderly views are clearly legible in this

study. Elderly are still consistent to continue to

maintain and develop a living environment based on

the concept of family. In view the respondent is

depicted that the family agency of the House and its

inhabitants is the most beautiful and even a kind of

paradise for him. Because in the family, the elderly

can carry out normative functions such as:

reproduction, economics, education, religion, social

culture, love and compassion, protection and

preserving the environment. By carrying out the

function, the elderly will gain welfare of birth and

bathin (Adib, 2008).

So the house is the main choice of elderly dwell

sites. But in his actions, the elderly who live in the

family sometimes do not go smoothly. Still there is a

love of grief and treated less humane by her own

family. Some were forced to be servants in his son's

house, who had been treated thus caring. The family

is the smallest unit of the community consisting of the

head of the family and some who gather and live

somewhere under one roof in a state of

interdependence. The family has an important role in

nursing because the family provides resources that are

essential to providing health services for themselves

and others in the family. In the life of man in his

family, the act of horns or treatment in the family is

not detached from the culture that the family

embraced. As known, quoted from the cultural

definitions expressed by Prof. Koentjaraningrat (one

of the Indonesian anthropologists) that culture is the

whole system of ideas, actions and works of human

beings in the framework of the life of people who

belong to human beings by learning ". This suggests

that what man does is something that is a series of

ideas and actions that are recognized by the people as

something that has occurred hereditary in a long

period of time. Furthermore, it is called the cultural

value system which is the highest and most abstract

of the customs. Yet cultural values serve as guidelines

for human life in the community. On this basis then,

what family members do in family life is already lined

up in the culture that has occurred hereditary.

In creating a conducive family environment,

Clifford Geertz in 1963, once cited a priyayi saying

that, if the parents lived with his son, it is not good to

say that the parents "live by" with his son. It is

considered an insult to parents, but it is advisable that

young people or (children) who "live in" are parents,

even if they are in fact the opposite. While viewed

from the side of the family, in the view of the

respondent as a good and ideal. The idealistic size is

used cultural or customary values that apply in the life

environment of the respondent. The reason is that

staying at home and in the family allows family

members to be able to carry out the function of his

obligations "that has been taught religion" namely

respecting parents. The phenomenon gathered with

family and his grandson is increasingly interesting to

be analysed from the cultural side. Another case of

research in foreign countries that to delay the coming

of the forgetful (Javanese senile or buyuten), a kind

of disease feared by many elderly, then should the

elderly be brought close to the life of grandchildren.

In Javanese culture, there is often a behaviour that

gives the pet a gift to his grandchild. The pet can be

either chicken or rabbit. That habit, in Javanese

concept can be intended to delay the senility. In the

psychological sense, it can be interpreted also so that

the elderly can be close and familiar with their

grandchildren and grandsons. Likewise, the

granddaughter and a grand-grandmother can be close

to the elderly. (Sunarto, 1978). And based on that

concept, the researcher believes that the family

treatment of note Bane is a guided treatment of ethnic

culture. With this statement, researchers are very

interested to see Batak family treatment towards the

elderly.

ICOSOP 3 2019 - International Conference on Social Political Development (ICOSOP) 3

428

2 RESEARCH METHOD

This research is a qualitative study by using a

qualitative approach to ethnography. Research

qualitative, rooted in a qualitative approach, which

seeks to explain facts or social reality deeply,

understands the social reality of what it is based on

the subject experience structure (native's point of

view). He captures the meaning (meanings) found at

the events or subjects studied, being "learning from

the people", not just "learning about the People"

(learn about the peoples). An important aspect of

extracting the ' meaning of the subject's experience

structure ' is that characterizes qualitative research

close to the subjects being researched, studying in its

natural context that seeks to understand or interpret

the phenomenon seen from the side of human-

attached meanings (researchers) to him. Qualitative

research includes the use of studied subjects and a

collection of various empirical data-case studies,

personal experiences, introspection, life travel,

interviews, observational texts, historical, inter-

transactional and visual-describing the moments and

meaning of daily life and problematic in one's lives.

Correspondingly qualitative researchers apply

various interrelated methods. He observed

(observation), was involved in the events with the

subject (participatory) to give interpretation

(interpretive) to him to find meanings to the

proposition (Creswell, 2009).

This research is conducted in three districts as the

dominant residence by the third ethnic Batak, Batak

Karo, Batak Simalungun and Batak Toba. The reason

for determining the location of the research is because

it is a district with the dominant ethnic of the three

ethnic Batak. Using a qualitative approach,

researchers sought to explain the fact or social reality

deeply, understanding what social reality is based on

the structure of the subject experience (Natia's point

of view) at the research site.

The research subject is 5 elderly families from

each of Batak ethnic groups. The five elderly families

who become informant in this study consist of one

elderly family of divorced widows, one elderly family

of widows left dead, a family of elderly men who still

live together with their children who have not been

married, the family of women whose children are

unwed and living with him and the family of women

who live alone.

In determining the informant to be interviewed in

depth, researchers use the ethnographic approach.

First, researchers found a village device to ask for

permission and to convey the intent and objectives of

the research to be conducted. From the village device

then gather the elderly and convey the purpose of the

researchers. And as a method of collecting data

collector in the form of participant observation, the

village device asked for the willingness of some

elderly to receive researchers stay at home to get data

for the purposes of this research. Some elderly states

his life received researchers and some research

assistants lived in elderly homes. The elderly who

receive researchers directly become informant that

will be observed by participants and interviewed. The

results of the interview data were made in verbatim

form and subsequently made categorization so it was

easy to get the meaning and value of the research

results. To conduct data collection in this research, it

is done by:

Observation: The collection of data by observing

directly the activities occurring in the village so that

in this research get an overview of the condition of

the research object. To get data through this

observation. The data expected from this observation

aims to strengthen the results of the data obtained, by

observing, researchers can see the immediate

activities of the elderly.

In-depth interviews, it is an attempt to explore the

information by verbally questioning and against

individuals who will later be answered with verbal

answers as well. This interview was done to the

elderly in order to get a wish from the elderly where

he would live.

3 RESULT AND DISCUSSION

The ideal of the elderly place of residence into

three patterns, the first pattern of the elderly,

according to social and cultural conceptions living

with his children who do translate and the conception

of elderly in his successful home and the conception

of the third elderly living with his children who are

still looking but not yet.

At the first conception, literature to live elderly is

actually registered in the social governance of Batak

people's life. This decision is liquid of a long series

that is regulated. The elderly should stay with the

boys from girls and it is known by the elderly and

families, as presented by the old informant as well as

the customary leader says:

“Kalau orang tua itu tinggalnya sama anak laki-

laki. Maka itu anak laki-laki mendapat pembagian

harta warisan yang lebih banyak dari pada

perempuan gunanya untuk menafkahi dan merawat

orang tuanya”

Where the Elderly Will Live: Case Study - Batak Elderly, North Sumatra, Indonesia

429

(“If the old man lived the same son. Therefore, the

boys get a share of inheritance that is more than

the use of women to provide and care for his

parents”)

In the second conception, the elderly is happy and

happy to live alone in his old house which is seen far

from simple, although deserted at home without any

friends or friends talking. This statement is derived

from interviews with several informers, one of which

says:

“

Paling enak tinggal di rumah sendiri. Bisa suka-

suka. Tidak ada yang marah atau melarang. Dan

lebih nyaman karena sudah berpuluh tahun tinggal

di rumah sendiri. Perasaan sepi bisa diatasi

dengan melakukan aktifitas ke lading ada duduk di

warung kopi. Jadi terhindar dari riuhnya suara

anak-anak atau cucu. Namun sebulan sekali anak-

anak akan datang dan membawa cucu. Kegaduhan

suara mereka hanya bias dinikmati paling lama

dua hari. Karena setelah itu mereka akan pulang ke

kota untuk bekerja. Tidak jarang mereka hanya

data pagi dan sore sudah pulang. Untuk bermain

pun kami tinggal dilingkungan teman sebaya, jadi

ada teman-teman yang diperlukan untuk

mengobrol, itulah yang dilakukan di warung kopi”

(“

Most delicious stay at home. Can like. No one is

angry or banning. And more convenient because it

has decades of living at home. The feeling of quiet

can be solved by doing activities to lading there sit

at the coffee shop. So avoid the sound of children

or grandchildren. But once a month the children

will come and bring grandchildren. Their noise is

only biased for the longest time in two days.

Because after that they will return to the city to

work. Not infrequently they are just data morning

and afternoon already home. To play as we live in

the middle of peers, so there are friends needed to

chat, that's what is done in the coffee shop")

The third conception, the elderly will be living

with his unmarried children because the unmarried

children are the date, even though their children are

already large and already working. There is no

difference with age, while his son is still unmarried,

his children will live with the elderly.

So, the reason that the elderly live with their

unmarried children is not because it is more pleased

or choose the same love of unmarried children, but

more than carry out their responsibilities as parents of

his unmarried son.

Regardless of the age of their unmarried child is

the responsibility of parents. Because in the

understanding that applies to Batak people and the

general public in Indonesia, the task of parents is to

marry their children. In Batak culture it is a way to

reach Cawir Matua (the ultimate satisfaction of life).

3.1 Child or Family Perspective on

Elderly Places of Residence

In the child and family perspective there are two

main causes behind why children expect the elderly

to stay with him. The first perspective is because the

child feels it has been his responsibility to meet the

elderly because it is based on the prevailing customs,

the boys receive a bigger inheritance and one of the

goals is to care for parents in the old days. The second

perspective is because children want to devote to their

parents.

The old man's age will stay in the boy's house this

statement is known and understood by all the people

of the Batak community. Because of Batak people,

the family support in the old days as other cultures

understood and embraced by ethnic groups in

Indonesia. And it is also a form of appreciation and

respect for what the child has received as he is still a

dependent family. It is said by one of the informants:

“ya, memang sudah sepantasnyalah orang tua itu

tinggal sama anak laki-laki. Karena orang tua telah

membesarkan, masak segala hasil keringatnya

sewaktu membesarkan di abaikan dengan

membiarkan mereka tinggal tidak bersama”

("Yes, it is registered as the parents are living the

same son. Because the elderly changed raised ripe

all the results of his fragness while raising in ignore

by letting them not be together")

The boy considers that that cost the whole need of his

parents after the elderly is his child, especially the

boy. The children would finance his parents even

though perhaps his parents did not stay with him. In

fact, if a girl wants to help her finances to charge her

parents, she must ask her son for permission in order

not to be in offense with her brother. And that gift was

no more than a gift given by a son. More details are

presented by the informant that is considered as the

customary leader of the elderly residence as follows:

“tinggal tidak tinggal orang tua di rumah, yang

membiayai kehidupan orang tua ya anak laki-laki.

Kalau orang tua mau tinggal bersama anak laki-

laki, yach semua kebutuhan orang tua sudah ikut

ditanggung anak. Tapi khan banyak orang tua yang

tidak mau tinggal bersama anaknya, mereka

tinggal di rumah lamanya tetapi anak tetap

mengirim uangnya untuk keperluan orang tua nya”

ICOSOP 3 2019 - International Conference on Social Political Development (ICOSOP) 3

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("Living not the parents at home, which finances

the lives of the parents of a son. If parents want to

live with a boy, Yach all the needs of parents are

borne by the child. But the khan of many parents

who do not want to stay with his son, they live in

his old house but the child still send his money for

the purposes of his parents")

This statement is emphasized by the informant who is

the son of one of the elderlies who had a deep

interview said:

“ walaupun yang ideal itu tinggal sama anak laki-

laki, tetapi terkadang orang tua itu merasa lebih

nyaman sama anak perempuan, makanya ya tidak

mengapa, kan masih saudara. Biaya untuk

kebutuhan orang tua di kirim atau dikasikan ke

anak perempuan supaya menantu tidak merasa

dibebani dengan adanya orang tua dari si

perempuan. Pokoknya dimana orang tua mau

tinggal dan merasa nyaman, anak-anak ikut aja.

Payah kalau melawan cakap orang tua, nanti dia

tersinggung dan kecewa”

("Although it is the ideal stay the same boy, but

sometimes the old man feels more comfortable with

the same daughter, so yes no why, right still brother.

The cost for parents ' needs is to send or indicate to

a daughter so that her son-in-law does not feel

burdened with the parents of women. Anyway

where the old want to stay and feel comfortable, the

children follow Aja. It was a disappointment that he

was offended and disappointed")

Child or family perspectives on the elderly residence

are confirmed based on, the specificity and

obligations of a child to his or her parents and the

understanding of more Democrat by following the

will of the elderly, but still fulfilling his

responsibilities in meeting the needs of the elderly.

4 CONCLUSION AND

SUGGESTION

A decent place to stay for elderly Batak

In Indonesia, up to now, the place to stay in the

elderly is limited to three choices: ' Stay at home. Stay

in a child's house (Co resident) and stay in the

orphanage. Some of these forms or models are still

relatively not well developed in Indonesia, but have

been implemented by developed countries (Suriadi,

1999). There are also some forms or models are:

1. Family based

In this model, elderly remain in the family

environment together with other children or relatives

or at home the elderly lives alone with a husband or

wife even live alone as a widow or widower with or

without a child. The family as the first socialization

institution in the community is the most feasible

handling problem for the elderly, especially because;

a) Emotional support from the family environment

is very successful in addressing the problem.

With the economic-financial support, the

problem will be easily resolved.

b) The elderly can still divert his experience to all

family members, especially young generations.

c) The interaction between younger generations is

easy to realize so that in the long term it will be

very beneficial for the use of elderly in

development.

d) The family will start the starting point of the

growing mindset, patterns of attitudes and

patterns of appropriate action against the elderly.

e) Reducing the burden of government resources in

an effort to address elderly issues.

2. Community Based

In this model the elderly stay in their own homes

or live in their respective family homes and only

use facilities for certain times of the day. During

the day the elderly will go after a program of

meetings such as health, religion and arisan

meetings.

3. Institutional-based

Service or care through the board is given elderly

to those requiring intensive service for the

purpose of healing, rehabilitation and short and

long treatment.

But in this study, the elderly is family based. The

argument that the elderly deserves to stay fills his old

day has always been a warm debate in the family. But

actually, the Batak culture has established a place of

residence that should be for the elderly. In the Batak

man the son is the one who holds the power after his

parents are not. The tribute and placement of the boy

is evident in the lives of the Batak people, whether it

be ownership of the material or in making family

decisions. Therefore, the designated place of culture

is in the family home of his son. Because in this case

the boys are most responsible for the family.

Although the harmony between the elderly and the

daughter-in-law may be lacking, it is the

responsibility of the son who completed how the wife

must obey the husband. It is also seen how the honor

was tested. If the child can be subdued and obeyed by

his wife by accepting the elderly as a mother-in-law

and caring for her with a full person, then this is a

satisfaction for the elderly. It means that the son has

power, good-homed and respected by his wife. This

condition occurs in all the Batak people, that the ideal

Where the Elderly Will Live: Case Study - Batak Elderly, North Sumatra, Indonesia

431

place of residence is in the House of his son. Living

in a boy's house is not considered a that in the

residence of a daughter's house. Because as a

household commando in believe is a man, who is

making a living is a man, so that the elderly eat is the

result of the terrible effort of his son.

Batak cultural relation to the elderly

In the life of man in his family, the act of horns or

treatment in the family is not detached from the

culture that the family embraced. As known, quoted

from the cultural definitions expressed by Prof.

Koentjaraningrat (one of the Indonesian

anthropologists) that culture is the whole system of

ideas, actions and works of human beings in the

framework of the life of people who belong to the

human being by learning".

This suggests that what

man does is something that is a series of ideas and

actions that are recognized by the people as

something that has occurred hereditary in a long

period of time. Furthermore, it is called the cultural

value system which is the highest and most abstract

of the customs. Yet cultural values serve as guidelines

for human life in the community. On this basis then,

what family members do in family life is already lined

up in the culture that has occurred hereditary.

Like the Batak Hamoraon Philosophy (Wealth)

means having wealth or having many treasures.

Various efforts are made to work hard to study in

order to be Mamora (Rich). Batak will not hesitate

mangaranto, go leave the hometown to find material

wealth. Fight with all efforts and capital in the

Pangarantoan, to be able to gain wealth. If you need

to wander all over the world. Hasangapon is

Interpreted as praiseworthy, or Tauladan, honorable,

almost impeccably, for it causes people to always

behave well, respect and mutually saying love.

Hagabeon can be interpreted as having offspring. In

addition to the Batak philosophy, the social Structure

of Batak people also are so that harmony is achieved

in community life. Respect for the old, courteous to

others and love the young. Until now, the culture still

survives and is still are by Batak people wherever

they are. Both in the village, in the city and abroad.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The author would like to thank the Ministry of

Research and Higher Education for the provided

facilities through the Decentralization Research

Competition scheme.

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