The 2015 National Elderly Day (HLUN) that is due every 29 May was celebrated by SurveyMETER with 75 elderly people from Watugedug hamlet, Guwosari village, Pajangan sub-district, Bantul district. It took place on May 29, 2015, from 13.30 to 17.00 p.m. in the courtyard of the house of the Hamlet head of the Watugedug, Mr. Mugiyanto.

A series of activities were held with joy in the celebration, commencing with elderly gymnastics, games (creating banana-leaves wrappers for females and young-coconut-leaves woven diamonds for males), welcoming the local government apparatus, cutting the rice cone to mark the commemoration, handover elderly companion cadres’ vests, sharing stories about old-school games, and completed with the SurveyMETER's door prizes distribution.

Of the 75 attendees’ elderly in Watugedug Hamlet, not only those who were still healthy and full of ability but several came with the help of a cane. Known that some of them were previously unable to participate in activities since the roads were up and down, and later they were picked up using a car provided by SurveyMETER. It was also attended by the Guwosari village head, village apparatus, hamlet head, neighborhood association (RT) head throughout Watugedug hamlet, community leaders, and a group of PKK (a community-based woman's social organization).

The 2015 HLUN commemorative activity agenda was very distinctive from the previous year's one. We used to conduct activities in the form of campaigns (challenges) to provide care for the elderly by handing out stickers and flowers at markets, at malls, at the main intersection streets of the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY), and at other venues or public spaces.

In conjunction with being supported by SurveyMETER, the event was also fully nourished by the Watugedug hamlet community since the spouse women group in each RT independently sponsored a variety of traditional snacks such as dawet ice, porridge, traditional snacks both steamed and fried from cassava, bananas, bacem tempeh (soybeans), etc. to enjoy together.

At the commencement of the event, the Guwosari village head H. Muhamad Suharto expressed his gratitude to SurveyMETER for conducting the programs and activities so far. He also expected the elderly in his village to afford to always live a healthy and happy life, along with maintaining physical health as well as enhancing spiritual well-being.

It was such a shape of love and affection from SurveyMETER to the elderly group in the assisted areas. Among the elderly assistance programs for this hamlet conducted by SurveyMETER from April 2015 to April 2016 were: providing 3 units of blood pressure measurement devices (tensimeters), presenting experts  (H. Sudiman, M. Ag from the Social Organization Melati Sleman), preparing mentoring materials for elderly companion cadres, arranging anti-senile gymnastics training for elderly companion cadres, serving homecare (home visits for bedridden elderly), equipping 7 elderly companion vests (as the identity when carrying out mentoring activities), granting souvenirs during homecare visits, and providing transport allowance as well as various allocations and actions encouraging cadres in carrying out assistance to the elderly. (TPA/JF)