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Government will strengthen support for seniors and their retirement needs. This includes boosting the Mahjulah Package, raising the CPF Enhanced Retirement Sum and enhancing the Age Well SG programme. [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.instagram.com/p/C3aHqofLgdV/] |
“Together, we will make Singapore an endearing home for all ages, where seniors can age with dignity and grace, connected with friends and family, and enjoying greater peace of mind.” - Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, National Day Rally, 20th August 2023
This year 2025, Singapore turned 60 years old on August 9. The Prime Minister, Lawrence Wong, gave the National Day Rally Speech and he spoke that Singapore has become a superaged country where more than 20% of the population are above 65 years old.
Here is an excerpt from his speech:
Singapore has become a superaged country as of 2025 –
Besides nurturing our young, we will also take good care of our seniors.
Our society is ageing rapidly. And I will show you a chart that illustrates this. In 2015, when we celebrated SG50, about 13% of Singaporeans were aged 65 and above. Today, as we mark SG60, it is just over 20%, over a period of ten years. According to the United Nations, a country with 21% or more of its population aged 65 and above is considered “super-aged”. We will likely cross that mark by next year. In 10 years’ time, when we have SG70, we expect the figure to rise to over 25%.
The good news is that Singaporeans are living longer. We can see this all around us – in our families, our neighbourhoods, and our communities. During walkabouts, MPs meet many more seniors – even centenarians. Here is Hazlina with her Fengshan resident Mdm Wong. She does not look like it, but Mdm Wong is 100 years old! Our ground experience is borne out in the statistics. Two decades ago, there were 400 people in Singapore aged 100 and above. Today it is close to 1,500 and continuing to rise!
What I have just described is our life expectancy or our life-span. Some lived to 90s, 100 or more, but on average, it is now almost 84 years. But we also look at another measure that adjusts the life-span to focus only on the years when we are in good health. We call this the health-span. Our average health-span is 75 years. That means we spend – on average – about 10 years living with illness or disability. And we must try to bring this figure down, and certainly not allow it to get bigger.
Because imagine if you retire at 65. You may have another 20 or more years ahead of you. How will you feel if much of that time is spent in and out of hospital, or on a wheelchair? It will be tough – not just for the individual, but for the family too. So the key is to have both longer and healthier lives – ideally our health-span should be closer to our life-span.
Technology can help with this. With better early detection of disease. And better and more effective treatments and cures – including for once-life threatening ailments like cancer and heart disease.
[SOURCE: https://www.pmo.gov.sg/Newsroom/National-Day-Rally-2025]
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=179ifkW4Se8&t=2609s – See 41:00 of video]
My mother recommends Age Well SG:
I endorse Age Well SG, a national Programme in Singapore, aimed at supporting seniors to age actively and independently within their communities. I am grateful to the Singaporean Government for helping our aging population. I heard from my mother on some ways that the Programme had benefited her:
1. Healthcare
2. Subsidized Medicare
3. Good insurance
4. Not much to pay at Polyclinic
5. Doctors do their job well
6. Give money
7. There are courses and activities like painting and cooking
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3 initiatives in Age Well Neighbourhoods
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Age Well Neighbourhoods:
I also want to commend PM Lawrence Meng for announcing the Age Well Neighbourhoods initiative. Here is the summary:
· Singapore will launch "Age Well Neighbourhoods" to support seniors who prefer to age at home, starting in Toa Payoh, where there is a high senior population.
· The initiative expands on Community Care Apartments' (CCAs) essential elements, providing accessible physical touchpoints, home-based services, and healthcare access for seniors.
· The aim is to enable seniors to age with dignity within their communities, offering services like home fixes, health checks, and social activities while staying integrated, not isolated.
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“We need old friends to help us grow old and new friends to help us stay young.” – Amish Proverb Grandchildren are the crown of the aged, and the glory of children is their fathers. – Proverbs 17:6 (ESV) Sometimes the smartest
way forward is to look back. Tired of artificial intelligence? [PHOTO SOURCE: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=1452634906865463&set=pb.100063569019244.-2207520000&type=3] https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/09/kinship-care-month-2025-happy-220th.html https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/10/introducing-lovina-eichers-amish-kitchen.html |
Conclusion:
I feel that Age Well SG is becoming like the Anabaptist Trio, in terms of elderly care. The Amish (and also Conservative Mennonites) have the Dawdy Haus AKA Grandpa House for their elderly parents. The Hutterites (Bruderhof) who live together care for the elderly as though the children there have three roles: grandchildren, grandfamilies and grand-friends. As quoted in the Bruderhof FAQ:
Caring for one another is a privilege, and the benefits flow both ways – young people who have lived in a household with older people will tell you about lessons in humor, persistence, and humility that they’ve picked up in the process.
Here are two Christian articles that I recommend reading for those who are ageing or taking care of elderly:
Retirement Homes and Caring for Aging Parents
Retirement homes and assisted living are big issues facing families. Today’s question comes to us anonymously, as do many of our questions. “Dear Pastor John, what does the Bible say about retirement homes? Don’t we as children have the responsibility to directly look after and provide for our parents in old age? How do retirement homes fit, or not fit, into this calling?”
https://www.desiringgod.org/interviews/retirement-homes-and-caring-for-aging-parents
Bible Verses to Comfort You When You’re Getting Old
Kat Foley, MA, LMHCA, MHP
Videos on the lonely deaths in Singapore:
Living & Dying Alone In Singapore: Facing Lonely Deaths | Dead Alone In Singapore - Part 1
Jul 5, 2024 #Loneliness #CNAInsider #SocialIsolation
In recent years, more lonely deaths were reported in the media and at least 37 cases were reported in 2023. Who were they and how did they landed up dying alone?
In part one of this series, we meet an expert, Corinne Ghoh who decided to track the cases as there were no official data, uncovering the social dimension of this phenomenon. We also meet Rahman Razali, the trauma cleaner being tasked with cleaning the remnants of decomposed bodies, reveals stories of solitary lives.
Heng Aik Min, who is fear of dying alone at home, shares his worries and how he is trying to prevent his body from decomposing till the state that would affect others. And Linda Tan, an eldercare programme executive, who claims unclaimed body and execute their last rites.
VIDEO SOURCE: https://youtu.be/d499mlwXWfk?si=kUKLiZNbz74GfO5B
What Happens After Someone Dies Alone? | Dead Alone In Singapore - Part 2/3 | Full Episode
Jul 5, 2024 #Loneliness #CNAInsider #SocialIsolation
Trauma cleaner Rahman Razali meets a new client – Bobby. Bobby’s distant aunt died alone and was undiscovered for a few days. After her home has been thoroughly disinfected, Bobby searches for clues about how to settle his aunt’s affairs – and makes some surprising discoveries about a woman he hardly knew.
Meanwhile, eldercare programme executive Linda Tan receives an urgent request for assistance with the funeral of a complete stranger. An elderly man with no next-of-kin was found dead in a public toilet. Linda knows nothing about this man. Can she give him a respectful farewell?
As he deals with an increasing number of funerals for the lonely dead, 26-year-old funeral director Jack Lee finds himself grappling with his feelings about dying – and living – alone. What will he choose to do to raise awareness about an unfortunate phenomenon?
In Part 2 of this series, afterlife service providers show us what it takes to put the lonely dead to rest – regardless of faith and financial status.
VIDEO SOURCE: https://youtu.be/Q1gVNrnkmEE?si=RAc9-ZwDkDkA7MwM
Can We Prevent Lonely Deaths In Singapore? | Dead Alone In Singapore - Part 3/3 | Full Episode
Jul 5, 2024 #Loneliness #CNAInsider #SocialIsolation
Trauma cleaner Rahman Razali and fourth-generation funeral director Jack Lee use TikTok to highlight the issue of those who die alone. Their viral videos aim to raise awareness, encourage donations for funeral costs, and promote vigilance and compassion within our communities.
65-year-old Heng Aik Min, serves as a stark reminder of the isolation many elderly individuals face. Living alone with no next of kin, he volunteers his time to send off others who have died alone, exemplifying the loneliness and selflessness that define his twilight years.
Eldercare programme executive Linda Tan ensures Mr Ho, who was alone in life, is not alone in death, with the help of her volunteers. Through the work of afterlife service providers and the experiences of lonely individuals, this episode explores how everyone can play a part in preventing undetected deaths.
VIDEO SOURCE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jP9HA8syZl0
RELATED BLOG LINKS:
The aging and declining population will have far-reaching impacts. Declining fertility rates will possibly increase immigration. The structure of family and society will inevitably change. - Toshihiko Fukui
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/11/age-well-sg.html
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2023/09/dawdi-haus-for-elderly-parents.html
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2024/10/grandfamilies-on-rise.html
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/02/grand-friends-program-are-awesome.html
https://blackforestproject421.blogspot.com/2025/02/sermons-on-hebrews-10-verse-24-to-25.html
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