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Aging Population

Decent Essays

“To a large extent, current research and development and government policies have helped to ease the aging process.” Discuss this statement in relation to your particular field of study or interest (e.g. economics, science, medicine, social policy, architecture, psychology, technological inventions).

Population ageing is both a triumph and a challenge” (Lim, 2008). With the advances in economics and medical development as well as better health systems, Singaporeans now are having longer life expectancy than they used to have in the past. Current research has shown that Singapore is one of the fastest ageing populations among Asia. However, the drop in birth rates over the past years has resulted in a smaller ratio of younger …show more content…

The health care system within the country has been upgraded to cater to the seniors. This is to provide a complete and affordable health care system for the elderly. These care systems or places can be easily accessed, afforded and directed to many different needs faced by the elderly. For example, building more hospitals so that they can be easily accessible and topping up of the Medisave accounts, when there is a surplus, for the less well-off Singaporeans as the priority (Sadasivan and Osman, 2006).
Research has shown that most seniors will want to live independently. By “enabling ageing-in-place” (Lee, 2009), the government improves the infrastructures, such as the Housing Development Board (HDB) buildings, and public transport system. These improvements will enable them to move around freely and easily and they will find it easier to gain ace to public amenities with the elderly-friendly transport system.
From the researches done, it can be seen that the problem of ageing is a norm for economic developed countries. The shift in age structure will have an effect on the country’s economy. However, this problem can be solved by having policies that benefit both the elderly as well as the country. “We are crafting new policies, improving our infrastructure and developing effective programs to enable older citizens to lead full and happy lives” (Lee, 2009). The government ensures

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