She is just 34, but Ms Priya Elangovan is already worried about growing old in Singapore.
“I’ve seen cars honk impatiently as they wait for the elderly to cross the road. I also find that people can be impatient when younger seniors are unfamiliar with using mobile apps,” said the media professional.
These concerns are compounded by fears she has about being able to afford ageing comfortably, or whether she would have a support system and community to grow old in.
“I worry about growing old in a country where I cannot rely on anyone for help. While my parents can rely on me now to help them get around, what happens if I am old, single and trying to buy food or cross the road? I will have to fend for myself.”
While Ms Elangovan contemplates the bleak scenario of her own golden years, there are many who are already living the reality of being old in Singapore.
Mr Anthony, a 75-year-old security officer, who lives alone, told CNA TODAY that he prefers to keep to himself.
He limits his interactions with his neighbours, saying he does not wish to “disturb” them. He has also been estranged from his family and children since his divorce, and does not have many friends in Singapore, having spent a significant portion of his younger days working overseas.
But for others, like 74-year-old Doris Tang, growing older has been a treat. She enjoys her retirement years as she now has the time to pursue her own interests, learn new skills and serve the community.
Since retiring in 2012 from her role as a production worker in a factory, Ms Tang has been caregiving for her grandson, volunteering and picking up new digital skills.
“I see people living longer now, into their eighties and nineties. This means I still have another 20 years… so I think about how I want to spend these two decades,” she said.
“I feel like I still have the energy and capability to do and learn things, so I want to do them. I don’t want to waste (my abilities). As long as you believe you still have value, you will be happy.”
The contrasting daily lives of Mr Anthony and Ms Tang reflect how ageing in Singapore is not a uniform experience, and how the country must grapple with increasingly varied needs as its population greys.
Not only is Singapore’s ageing population growing, but the demographic profile of its elderly is also changing — they are living longer, ageing healthier and tend to be more highly-educated and more affluent than earlier cohorts, which could give rise to differing expectations and needs as they age.
As Dr Ad Maulod, a senior research fellow at Duke-NUS Medical School’s Centre for Ageing Research and Education, noted: “Older Singaporeans are not a homogenous monolithic, they are incredibly diverse, and will become more so in the future.”
Getting to grips with ageing has taken on an added urgency, with the country projected to attain “super aged” status in 2026, as more than one in five here is expected to be 65 years old or older. By 2030, one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 or above.
