58. There are no laws to protect the older persons when they become incapacitated and if their wills which was communicated earlier were not fulfilled by family members. Access to healthcare services 59. The issue of long queues in public hospitals was reiterated alongside the shortage of gerontologists and primary healthcare practitioners in Malaysia. Due to the lack of resources in public hospitals, older persons are sometimes forced to wait longer to access medical services including obtaining prosthesis. Insufficient funding for care centres 60. The small scale operators mostly have issues with their resources including financial and trained human resource which impede their ability to pursue licensing requirements. Operators see compliance and licensing process as a tedious process shrouded with red-tape as it requires clearance from multiple agencies. The majority of operators are unlicensed or choose the least restrictive option even though some nursing services are being provided. 61. The Social Welfare Department provides grant assistance for care centres in the form of annual grant to cover the cost of meals and maintenance of their premises. This step was taken to ensure that care centres provide quality, safe and comfortable services to residents. However, care centres must be registered under the Care Centres Act 1993 to be eligible for the said grant. 62. Although the Government provides some funds for shelter homes, the funding assistance and support are inconsistent across the different providers (public, NGOs and private). It is based on grant applied and does not necessarily reflect the quantum of care provided. In addition, the current fees charged by private residential care operators do not reflect the quality of care that residents receive. The standard of care of service providers is affected by costs and the market. At the same time, the staff of service providers may not share the language of the older persons. It may create language barriers between the staff and residents. REPORT ON CARE SERVICES FOR OLDER PERSONS AND SUPPORT FOR CAREGIVERS 39