ST Letters : Providing homes for well-off retirees

Mar 28, 2010

YOUR LETTERS

Providing homes for well-off retirees

I refer to the editorial, 'How the old will live' (March 14), and agree that retirees should be given a choice of living arrangements.

With Singaporeans becoming more affluent, there is a segment of elderly citizens who are financially stable but live on their own for various reasons. Examples are elderly couples with no children, or those with children who are all overseas, or who prefer not to live with their children.

The result is elderly folk fending for themselves, with some depending very much on foreign domestic help. An unfortunate few are abused by their maids and neglected by family members as well.

When elderly folk who live on their own grow older and become less mobile, their social lives are affected.

A recent case reported in the media was of a well-off Singapore couple who moved to Australia in 1983. The wife was believed to be suffering from dementia when she killed her husband of 70 years.

Shortly before the tragedy, she reportedly asked a friend to help look for a retirement village for her husband and herself.

So it looks like there is demand for accommodation that caters to this group of elderly people who are financially stable but without family support.

They could be put up in studio apartments or a hotel-style project - with house-cleaning and meals taken care of.

This would free them from household chores so that they can use their time and wisdom to do something meaningful for society.

I hope the authorities will look into this idea.

Doreen Tan (Mrs)