MALAYSIA’S INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT SUITABLE EVEN FOR ACTIVE AGEING

 

MALAYSIA’S INFRASTRUCTURE IS NOT SUITABLE EVEN FOR ACTIVE AGEING

By Fong Muntoh

Aging is not a disability. But in Malaysia, it often feels like our built environment treats it as one. While we speak often—and proudly—of “active ageing,” the infrastructure around us says otherwise. From dimly lit signage in shopping malls to uneven pavements and poorly marked stair edges, even relatively fit and independent older adults are being sidelined, quite literally.

Let’s get one thing straight: this is not just about wheelchairs or frailty. This is about how people in their 50s, 60s, and 70s—still active, mobile, working, and contributing—are subtly excluded because we design spaces with only the young and able-bodied in mind. It's time we call this out.

Small Fonts, Big Problems

Take a walk in most Malaysian hotels, malls or even hospitals, and try to read the signs. If you're in your 40s or 50s and your arms are getting longer every time you try to read a menu, you’ll know exactly what I mean. The font sizes are too small, and the colour contrast is often poor—silver on beige, or grey on white. These combinations may look sleek on a designer’s screen, but they are a nightmare for older eyes.

As we age, our pupils shrink and the lens in our eyes become less transparent. This means we need brighter light and better contrast to see clearly. If a person needs to squint, tilt their head or whip out a torchlight just to find the bathroom or the exit, we’ve already failed them.

Floors That Fight Back

The second culprit? Flooring. And I’m not even talking about potholes or broken tiles—though there are plenty of those. I’m talking about shiny tiles in hotels that create glare and depth perception issues, pebble-wash paths that trip up confident walkers, or random height differences in walkways that have no warning lines or textured cues.

A slip or fall can be life-altering for an older person. But the risk is not always due to weakness or frailty—it’s often due to poor design. The floor shouldn’t be a hazard course.

Ramps, Rails and Real Inclusion

We’ve come to associate accessibility with wheelchairs. So some developers check the box by building a ramp and calling it a day. But what about grab rails in stairwells, handrails along long corridors, benches to rest at intervals, or escalators that don’t suddenly stop working and become a long vertical trap?

Older adults may not need a wheelchair, but they benefit from support. A simple railing can make the difference between confidence and hesitation, independence and dependence.

From 40 to 80: Infrastructure Should Age With Us

Here’s a perspective we don’t hear enough: you don’t suddenly become “old” at 70. The ageing process is gradual, and the needs evolve over decades. Vision, reaction time, balance, and strength change subtly but significantly from age 40 onward. A society that truly respects its elders doesn’t just react when someone is bedridden—it anticipates and adapts ahead of time.

Think about it: a person at 45 with slight presbyopia (the need for reading glasses) starts noticing small signs. By 55, they’re struggling in dim restaurants. By 65, they might avoid night driving. Should we wait until they fall before we start taking design seriously?

The Case for Age-Inclusive Design

Age-inclusive infrastructure is not charity work. It’s not a CSR box to tick. It is national planning with foresight. By 2040, Malaysia will be a super-aged society, with more than 14% of the population over 65. That means every tenth person will be affected by poor design—if not more.

Good design is invisible. It allows people to move, see, interact and feel safe without even noticing it. Wider lifts. Brighter, evenly distributed lighting. Clear signage in large fonts and high contrast. Non-slip flooring. Resting areas. These aren’t expensive; they just require intention.

The Cost of Inaction

When our infrastructure ignores the realities of ageing, we push older adults into isolation. They stop going out. They stop spending. They stop engaging. That’s not just a health issue—it’s economic.

We like to say we’re a family-oriented society, but families rely on environments that support everyone. If we don’t fix this, we’re forcing our parents—and eventually ourselves—into shrinking lives, simply because the mall was too dim, the sign too small, and the walkway too risky.

It’s Time We See It

Malaysia has made strides in healthcare and elder services, but the battle is not just in hospitals or nursing homes. It’s in public toilets, LRT stations, and sidewalks. It’s in everyday interactions that either include or exclude.

Ageing actively should not be an Olympic feat. It should be something that’s naturally supported by the spaces we live, work, shop, and rest in.

Our cities, our buildings, our infrastructure—they all need glasses. It’s time we help them see better.