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

FOUR key recommendations of the report.

Housing for Seniors

The housing for the seniors is houses that is created for the elderly. It has to be elder friendly, fitted with age sensitive features meant for the senior citizens. An environment that allows the elderly to work freely in.

Accessibility for Seniors

It is rather inconvenient for the elderly or the physically disabled to travel from places to places. To make places easily accessible by the elderly and the physically disabled. Mode of transport and moving around places have to be adjust for it to be more accessible by the elderly and the physically disabled. E.g. More ramps are build in HDBs area, More lifts available

Caring for Seniors

Health care are provided as the elderly have the tendency to fall ill easily, so with the health care, they are able to take care of themselves more, economically and easily.

Opportunities for Seniors

Majority of the senior citizens have abundant amount of free times that can be use for something else. Opportunities are provided for the Senior citizens for them to use their time usefully and meaningfully.

ONE way that the CAI report is recommending to make our public housing more elderly-friendly

The CAI recommends that the Government consider introducing guidelines for the provision of accessibility and safety features in the homes for seniors, through a review of the Code on Barrier-Free Accessibility, to create a more elder-friendly environment that accommodates the needs of seniors.For example, there could be a provision to ensure that at least one bathroom / toilet in the home is large enough to be retrofitted to incorporate elder-friendly features and facilities when the need arises.

TWO ways on how we can ensure that the quality of elderly care here in Singapore is affordable

-Top up Medisave accounts of less well-off Singaporeans when there are budget surpluses that the Government can share with the people. This will help defray healthcare costs as Singaporeans depend on Medisave to meet healthcare needs in their old age.

-Family physicians should play an important role in the management of healthcare needs for seniors. Follow-up by a dedicated family physician within close proximity to the client will ensure that seniors’ multiple needs will be comprehensively and holistically taken care of.

THREE things that I can do

- Organise activities for the Seniors to provide them with the opportunities to mingle with other Seniors to make new friends, to enjoy themselves, to give them a healthy mind for them to lead healthy and active lifestyles.

- Have a campaign to raise awareness among the public so when they see an elderly who needs help they will know what to do to help them. E.g. Elderly in wheelchair cannot go up the ramp, public go up and help.

-Raise fund for the needy Seniors to help them improve their life.