Banks should be more mindful of the needs of older adults and people with disabilities.
A friend of mine, an older adult, complained to me the other day that banks in the country are not friendly to customers of his generation.
So, I made a surprise visit to two banks near where I live to see if his complaint was justified. I wanted to see if banks treated older adults with due respect and accord them special services.
While my friend was not exactly accurate about his complaint, his criticism was somewhat justified. I casually asked the frontline staff whether the bank had any special services aimed at older adults.
He replied that the staff would assist older adults if requested.
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The response by the staff fell short of my expectations. I would have thought banks would be proactive and display signs informing older adults and people with disabilities that designated staff were around to assist them – instead of expecting their customers to request help.
After all, some of these customers may be reluctant or feel embarrassed to ask for help. In this respect, banks should emulate the Immigration Department. A bank officer should come out of his or her room to ensure those requiring assistance have priority service.
In May, I received an email from an octogenarian friend of mine, a wheelchair user, informing me that a foreign bank in Petaling Jaya, of which he is a customer, ignores people with disabilities him. My friend finds it difficult to enter the bank in his wheelchair.
I then emailed the bank on his behalf and followed up with a phone call.
The staff who took my call promised me the bank would act on my complaint.
But until 28 June, nothing had been done. So I sent a second complaint to the bank on that day. Hopefully, the bank would have acted after my second complaint.
Perhaps the Association of Banks in Malaysia needs to direct all its members to be proactive in catering to the needs of older adults and people with disabilities to ensure they are treated with respect and dignity.
Shortly after the banks reopened following the pandemic, I saw a long queue outside my bank branch. Noticing many older adults queuing in the scorching heat, I entered the bank and requested the counter staff to give priority to these older people. But my request was declined.
Joining the queue right at the back, I sent a text to the corporate communications division of the bank.
Within an hour, an officer called to apologise for the unfortunate experience that the older people had endured.
Two hours later, the manager invited me to her office and personally apologised profusely for this embarrassing incident.
Another friend complained to me that banks are increasingly asking customers to switch to online banking.
Now this makes life difficult for older adults who are not tech-savvy or who don’t own a laptop. Don’t banks realise that many older adults may not be computer literate or tech-savvy?
One bank has even stopped cash teller services, causing inconvenience to customers. This move was clearly aimed at reducing its staff headcount and cutting costs. I was told this by a friend, an older adult, who was ‘sweet-talked’ into uplifting her savings held as fixed deposits into “wealth management”.
However, over the next few years, she was informed that her wealth fund had incurred losses, and her principal had dwindled. She hadn’t been properly advised about the risks involved. One of the forms she had inadvertently signed allowed the bank’s “customer relationship manager” to switch instruments, which resulted in these losses.
The compassion of any country is measured in the way it treats its less fortunate members. This includes the treatment meted out by banks to older people and people with disabilities. How they are treated reflects the character and moral fibre of the country.
Government departments, such as those handling immigration and national registration, have special lanes for older adults and people with disabilities. Why can’t banks do the same, and appoint designated officers to attend to these people?
At least on public transport, older people are granted a 50% fare discount. Even cinemas recognise the contributions of older people by offering them lower-priced tickets.
Mahatma Gandhi once said, “The true measure of any society can be found in how it treats its most vulnerable members.”
Not too long ago, we were talking about a “caring society”. But today it looks as if this slogan has been consigned to the annals of our history. Nothing is now heard about this compassionate two-word slogan, in which we, as a nation, once took pride.
Perhaps younger people don’t realise that showing respect for older adults benefits both parties.
When older adults feel respected, their emotional wellbeing improves tremendously. This improves their overall health, as they are psychologically and emotionally boosted.
Younger people gain wisdom from the experiences and perspectives of the older people they are in touch with. These younger people must recognise that they too can benefit immensely from the knowledge, know-how, skills, capabilities and insights of older people.
Many older adults are willing to impart this treasure trove to the younger generation. This invaluable wealth cannot be found in any textbooks except from the knowledge and wealth of experience of older adults.
Nelson Mandela in a message announcing 1999 as the UN’s International Year of Older Persons on 17 December 1998 said: “A society that does not value its older people denies its roots and endangers its future.
“Let us strive to enhance their capacity to support themselves for as long as possible and, when they cannot do so anymore, to care for them.”
No society can walk tall if it has forgotten the past contributions of its older adults and ignores the plight of vulnerable people.
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