As social distancing measures have been implemented in Singapore, many businesses have closed and the economy has suffered. But along with the financial hardship, there's also a social recession going on, impacting the city-state's already isolated elderly hardest
Singapore is a city state that prides itself for its multitudes of successes; its economy, education system – and even the ageing process.
The country’s proportion of elderly is projected to rise to 23% over the next decade, poised to make Singapore one of the most rapidly ageing countries in Asia. Greater longevity doesn’t always track directly to better quality of life however, and social researchers are increasingly concerned about the prospects of older Singaporeans to go through «successful ageing».
Singapore’s Department of Statistics provides evidence of a growing trend toward single-person households. Today, about 15% of the city’s households, roughly 208,000 in total, are composed of just one person. That’s an almost two-fold increase from the 8.2% recorded in 2000, and it’s a trend that has made it particularly important for community groups to fill a potential void in people’s lives.
Even before pandemic conditions set in, some studies suggested the workaday lifestyle common to Singapore was setting a stage for elderly isolation.
So while the issue of social isolation for the elderly in Singapore has increased since the circuit breaker measures were introduced in early April, several organisations have introduced and adapted existing projects to fit the times.
Most of the existing resources from social service organisations such as the Singapore Red Cross have been channelled into ‘Telebefriending’, a tech-assisted way to connect isolated persons to trained callers who provide support and advice.
The country’s proportion of elderly is projected to rise to 23% over the next decade, poised to make Singapore one of the most rapidly ageing countries in Asia. Greater longevity doesn’t always track directly to better quality of life however, and social researchers are increasingly concerned about the prospects of older Singaporeans to go through «successful ageing».
Singapore’s Department of Statistics provides evidence of a growing trend toward single-person households. Today, about 15% of the city’s households, roughly 208,000 in total, are composed of just one person. That’s an almost two-fold increase from the 8.2% recorded in 2000, and it’s a trend that has made it particularly important for community groups to fill a potential void in people’s lives.
Even before pandemic conditions set in, some studies suggested the workaday lifestyle common to Singapore was setting a stage for elderly isolation.
So while the issue of social isolation for the elderly in Singapore has increased since the circuit breaker measures were introduced in early April, several organisations have introduced and adapted existing projects to fit the times.
Most of the existing resources from social service organisations such as the Singapore Red Cross have been channelled into ‘Telebefriending’, a tech-assisted way to connect isolated persons to trained callers who provide support and advice.
There’s a lot of activity that can go on. Ageing does not have to be a terrible thing in Singapore
Angelique ChanThis article was written by
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