Ageing In Singapore

Ageing is a part of life that all Singaporeans must face and, in fact, all families will have next of kins who will undergo that life stage. Singapore Ageing assembles a team of researchers, administrators, practitioners, advocates and academics from varied social service and care sectors, to share their thoughts, concerns and future challenges faced by an ageing Singapore in different arenas.With the Singapore demography showing a greying trend, it is increasingly vital for the government and the social, health and economic sectors to meet the needs of an ageing nation. The appropriate services and support have to be in place to respond to the issues faced by seniors. This edited volume serves as a useful resource for those who are working or researching in the field of ageing.

This book brings together the emerging body of work on age-friendly neighbourhoods in Singapore, the Asia-Pacific region, Europe and North America. It begins with an overview chapter on the current state of policy, practice and research on age-friendly neighbourhoods in Singapore. This is followed by an annotated bibliography of published materials on age-friendly neighbourhoods in the above-mentioned countries and regions, encompassing theoretical work and empirical research reported on in journal articles, books and conference proceedings. The annotations for Singapore also map the grey literature, including unpublished dissertations and theses. The aim is to provide a sense of the scope of, issues in, and discourse on age-friendly neighbourhoods, the development of which is increasingly being recognised as a key strategy to support healthy ageing and enhance quality of life in ageing societies.

Older persons are often portrayed as social and financial burdens because pensions, health and social care have to withstand increasing old age dependency ratios. Due to a lack of access to representation or a lack of social and economic power, older people have found few opportunities to have their voices heard, making age an immensely political issue. Written by an impressive team of authors, this book provides an in-depth analysis of the experience of ageing in Singapore examining key issues such as health, work, housing, family ties and care giving. It looks at how social categorization enters into everyday life to elucidate the multiple meanings of age and identity encountered in a rapidly changing economy and society. Providing original critical discourse from Asian writers recording Asian voices, Ageing in Singapore will appeal to a wide readership and is an invaluable resource for policy makers, service practitioners and scholars working on Asian gerontology.

Singapore is the world’s second-fastest ageing society and will become a super- aged society by 2030. This book fills an important research gap by examining Singapore’s efforts to achieve healthy ageing. It draws on both semi-structured interviews and secondary data (e.g. government documents, journal articles, books, reports) to examine hot topics such as financial wellness of older adults, ageing in place, dementia friendly communities and digital connection with older adults in the time of the 2019 coronavirus disease (COVID-19). In the interviews, experts and professionals provide valuable insights into the issue of healthy ageing in Singapore. The book ’s goal is to provide a comprehensive portrait of healthy ageing in Singapore, while also sharing valuable lessons to help other countries achieve healthy ageing.

Around half the world s population live in countries where the fertility rate is far below the replacement rate and where life expectancy is increasing dramatically. Using Singapore as a case study, Social Policy in an Ageing Society explores what might happen in a dynamic and prosperous society when falling births, longer life expectancy and rising expectations put disproportionate pressure on scarce resources that have alternative uses. David Reisman investigates the challenges facing Singapore, where a rapidly rising median age and the growing pressure of the elderly upon medical attention are threatening to disrupt the economic and even the political status quo. The dependency of the old upon the young is becoming a financial and an emotional burden. Health care is swelling in quantity and price. Voluntary and compulsory savings are being used up. New demands for pensions and subsidies are challenging the national ideology of family network and self-reliance. Despite a wealth of prospective problems, the author argues that viable solutions can be found. Discretionary savings can increase. Reverse mortgages can monetise owner-occupied property. A higher participation rate can give the elderly the opportunity to earn a living for themselves. This book concludes that public policy must play its part in facilitating these solutions. It must ensure that the old retain their dignity. The old should not lie where they fall. This comprehensive, intelligible and highly original cross-disciplinary study will appeal to a wide-ranging audience. Readers will include academics, researchers and students with an interest in health economics, the economics of development, social policy and administration, public policy and the socio-economic aspects of medicine.

A rapidly ageing population is the most significant demographic issue confronting Singapore in our lifetime. This has created new and increasing demands on Singapore's healthcare system and on the families of the older adults. The challenge is in providing a system of care that is humane, effective and sustainable financially. This requires coordination between state funded providers, the family and the community. This book offers a multi-disciplinary perspective by researchers from various disciplines such as medicine, sociology, anthropology and law on managing healthcare and end-of-life decisions in Singapore. Providing information and suggestions for better policy formulation towards the aged, this book is an invaluable resource for policy makers, serivce practitioners and scholars working on Asian gerontology.

This bibliography offers valuable annotated references on housing for older population for those interested in these initiatives and discussions. It begins with an overview piece on the state of policy, practice and research on housing for the older population in Singapore. This is followed by an annotated bibliography featuring published and unpublished work, spanning recent decades, pertaining to housing for the older population with emphasis on Singapore. It encompasses theoretical and empirical research reported in journal articles and book chapters as well as grey literature, like dissertations and theses, conference proceedings, working papers and newspaper articles. The bibliography also contains additional citations covering global studies, in particular, in Asia, North America and UK. It is hoped that this bibliographic material will serve as a useful starting reference point for discussions on housing of older people in Singapore and also for key developments in other parts of the world. The goal is to encourage additional scholarship.