Singaporeans are living longer – but are we ready for old age? Singapore’s life expectancy at birth has risen from 59 to 80 years in males, and 63 to 85 years in females from 1960 to 2015. Life expectancies of 90 years and beyond in the near future might be a reality closer than we thought. Yet rising life expectancy, accompanied by a falling fertility rate and an ageing population, brings its set of challenges: the prospect of more seniors in post-retirement age, possibly outliving their financial resources; a shrinking old-age support ratio; the unknown impact on the quality of life of seniors; heavier care-giver burden; the inexorable growing healthcare expenditure; and the higher possibility of intergenerational conflict.
How can we prepare for old age? Professor Chia Kee Seng, Dean, Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, and Professor Chong Siow Ann, Vice Chairman, Medical Board (Research), Institute of Mental Health, share more.
Media Coverage:
- A lifetime of health and wealth makes for good retirement, The Straits Times Opinion, 30 June 2017