82. The Department of Social Welfare and National Skills Development Council, Ministry of Human Resources has developed Modul Penjagaan Warga Emas (Aged Care) under the National Occupational Skills Standard (NOSS) to improve the quality and competence of care centres. NOSS outlines the dexterity required of an employee working in Malaysia at a certain level of employment to achieve specific skills. Law reforms 83. That international regulations and laws on the rights of older persons should be translated into domestic laws, should Malaysia consider the introduction of such laws. 84. An updated database on older persons to serve as a baseline in developing policies or laws to resolve issues linked to the rights of older persons. 85. Addressing the needs of those who have to be placed in institutional homes to ensure they are cared for appropriately with dignity and compassion. The Care Centres Act 1993 does not define the types of enrolment of older persons in institutional homes and it is recommended that enrolment should be based on the health conditions/status of older persons. 86. The need for regulatory reform - the new aged care law should integrate all the different aspects of law for continuum of care. 87. Current laws regulate requirements for physical environment and administrative operations, but there is no provision on minimum standards of care. Fees normally denote the comfort that a resident can get from the facility. Therefore, it is suggested that operators should be licensed based on level of care provided by them. 88. Since the private care centres and nursing homes for older persons are governed by the Care Centres Act and Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 respectively, the Government should strictly monitor these services. The standard of private care must be scrutinised, to ensure exploitation and abuse do not occur. REPORT ON CARE SERVICES FOR OLDER PERSONS AND SUPPORT FOR CAREGIVERS 45

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