‘Singaporeans need to understand scale of ageing problem’
By Andrew Loh
In land scarce Singapore, and with a population which has exploded in the last decade or so, personal and community space will increasingly be an issue which the government needs to be mindful of. At the same time, Singaporeans and residents must also be prepared to compromise on occasions when space has to be allocated for more pressing needs.
On 1st February, Channel NewsAsia reported that the government is planning to set up an elder day care centre at the void decks of two blocks in Woodlands, at the northern part of Singapore. Residents there were said to be unhappy as "the centre will affect the value of their flats." They petitioned the Member of Parliament of the estate, Ellen Lee, against the move.
Subsequently, the Ministry of Health said it will review the plans for the centre.
Since the General Election in May last year, the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) has introduced measures to address the needs of the elderly in Singapore. The projection for the number of those 65 years and above is sobering — almost 800,000 in 2030. That's almost one-quarter of the local population.
"In 1997, there was an estimated 217,400 elderly persons aged 65 years and above forming 7.0 per cent of the population. By year 2030, the figures will increase to 798,700 elderly, forming 18.4 per cent of the population." (Singapore Home Nursing)
Never before has Singapore been faced with such a situation, which is aggravated by the falling birth rate. At present it stands at 1.20, a slight increase from the previous year's 1.15 but still far below the replacement rate of 2.1. (Today)
2012, being a Dragon year in the Chinese calendar which is traditionally believed to be a good year to have offspring, may see a further tick up the charts. But no one is expecting any great leap forward.
Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong recently underscored the importance of tackling the issue of care for the aged on a national scale as well.
"Aged care involves not just responding to the functional or health-related issues of our seniors, but their social and emotional needs as well. Ultimately, what matters is the quality of life they have as they age," he was reported to have said. Gan also emphasised that the government will be focused on elder care this year.
One of the government's initiatives is "to build in the heartland more centres like The Salvation Army's Multi-Service Centre in Bedok." These centres will allow the elderly to "age in place" in their own home, instead of in an institution. "When I visited the Salvation Army centre in Bedok," the minister said, "it appeared very popular with the residents there, and was operating at full capacity."
Minister of State for MCYS Halimah Yacob, echoed the same sentiments. "The aim is to enable not just the healthy elderly, but also those who are frail and need help, to carry on living independently in the communities they are familiar with, rather than spend their autumn years institutionalised or in nursing homes."
Growing number of elderly
It is neither desirable nor possible to build the large number of nursing homes all over the island to cater to the needs of the elderly.
The number of frail elderly individuals stands at 35,000 presently. This number will jump to 83,000 by 2030 because of the growing number of unmarried ageing singles.
But, as the Woodlands incident has shown, the government will run into problems with the existing residents of the estates earmarked to have these centres installed. Concerns include the curtailing of community space, the value of the flats in the area and even that such centres "would be 'inauspicious' as it may mean more deaths in the estate."
Residents and Singaporeans must be made to understand the seriousness and the scale of the issues which need to be addressed, and come to a deeper understanding and appreciation of the problems we face.
If, as some residents were reported to have said, Singaporeans support care for the elderly but do not want such centres to be built in their estates or near their homes, then it would be the height of hypocrisy and of deep selfishness. It would be a real demonstration of a total lack of empathy for our senior citizens. And it would speak very lowly of us as citizens of a professed first world country.
While Singapore has one of the fastest ageing populations in the world, it has an advantage over others in that it has time to address the issue, and to put in place the necessary infrastructure, programmes and schemes to cushion the impact and, more importantly, to see to it that our elderly citizens live the last years of their lives in dignity and security.
But if Singaporeans are unwilling to understand or compromise so that these measures can be implemented, then all of us will end up losers because what happens to the elderly will affect all of us. Each of us will one day be in the same position as those who are today struggling in their old age — for even something as basic as a space in familiar surroundings, providing a sense of safety and security.
Surely, we Singaporeans are able to understand these basic needs of the elderly, and are able to accept and compromise so that our old have peace of mind — even if it means the value of our flats coming down a little, if at all.
As Minister Halimah said, "If we do not support the frail elderly, they will end up in nursing homes, which would be quite sad."
Are we so heartless that we are not even willing to give up a little space for the elderly — even at the void deck?
Andrew helms publichouse.sg as Editor-in-Chief. His writings have been reproduced in other publications, including the Australian Housing Journal in 2010. He was nominated by Yahoo! Singapore as one of Singapore's most influential media persons in 2011.
