Holiday work - Part 1: Understanding the ‘The Elderly Challenge’

• Explain in your own words, the FOUR key recommendations of the report.
• State ONE way that the CAI report is recommending to make our public housing more elderly-friendly
• State TWO ways on how we can ensure that the quality of elderly care here in Singapore is affordable
• After reading the CAI report, what do you are the THREE things that you can do, as an SST student, to help overcome these elderly challenges

Housing for Seniors: The housings in Singapore will be made more elder-friendly, making the elderly feel more welcomed into the community and convenient for them. The place is also flexible for people of all ages, making the elderly become closer with their families.

Accessibility for Seniors: Transportations in and out of buildings will be designed in a way that it is accessible for people of all ages and convenient for them, facing not much difficulty, especially for the elderly. Their way of living would be much easier.

Caring for Seniors: There would be a diversity of healthcare and eldercare services accommodating different types of illnesses and needs, and these would be cos-efficient and easily accessible for the elderly.

Opportunities for Seniors: Activities organized by community groups, involving people of all ages, to make the elderly have health and active lifestyles and they would be more sociable, becoming closer to their families and friends.

The Government should consider specific measures to facilitate the development of retirement housing by the private sector, in particular, varying the length of land leases to lower land costs, to cater to seniors who desire such lifestyles.

The Government should top-up Medisave accounts of less well off Singaporeans when there are budgetary surpluses to ensure that seniors have the means to afford healthcare services.

The Government should adopt a holistic, family physician (FP) - centered approach towards the management of healthcare needs for seniors, given their close proximity to seniors in the community and ability to ensure that they receive the most appropriate level of healthcare services within the community.

I could help the elderly/seniors in my house, or do voluntary work in homes, to make the elderly feel more welcomed in our society and not like 'outcasts'.

I can also help by thinking of ways to make the elderly's lives more convenient and finding some of the non-elderly things, and trying to amend them.

I can also try to organize some activities once in a while for the elderly and my family (eg. grandparents and family) to make them closer to each other and care for each other more.

- Done by Michelle Dapito