"Women's life expectancy is much higher than men's, so we certainly cannot ignore women's health," Head of BKKBN Hasto Wardoyo said at the "Independent, Prosperous, and Respected Elders in the Framework of the 26th National Elderly Day 2022" webinar here on Friday.
Although older women have a much higher life expectancy than older men, they are more susceptible to cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, high blood pressure, as well as osteoporosis and bone fractures, he explained.
Women entering old age experience menopause, which stops the production of the estrogen hormone, which can causes soreness in the body and bone-related problems, he said.
Meanwhile, psychologically, during menopause, women tend to feel anxious, restless, excessively jealous, and stressed, he noted. This condition can lead to divorce, he said.
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In 2021, the number of divorced couples reached about 580 thousand, and the total number of couples who filed for divorce was more than 600 thousand, according to him.
Moreover, Indonesian elderly women are more vulnerable due to the high number of cases of breast and cervical cancer, which raise the risk of mortality and morbidity, he informed.
"Indonesia must be vigilant because this condition is different from other countries that have much better preventive and early detection efforts," he said.
Therefore, Wardoyo asked local governments to strengthen the Elderly Development Program for Families (BKL) so that Indonesian elders can live a more resilient, independent, healthy, and productive life.
"These things are very complex that can influence diseases to emerge in old age, such as psychotic depression and mental disorders that need to be anticipated after menopause," he added.
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Translator: Hreeloita S, Kenzu T
Editor: Rahmad Nasution
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