Lecture 11: Liveable Cities for elderly Flashcards
Explain about the elderly
- The elderly represent one of most rapidly increasing grp in society & majority live in cities
- UN Def n of elderly generally refer to ppl aged 65 yrs or older
How is world’s pop n of elderly changing?
According to UN’s World Social Report 2023,
- growing at fastest ever rate, abt 761 million as of 2021
- expected increase > twice by 2050, to 1.6 billion, >16% of total global pop n
=> 1/6 ppl in world will b elderly (silver tsunami = silver cities)
What are 2 primary reasons for ageing pop n in cities?
- Declining fertility rate
- Increase in life expectancy
What are issues faced by elderly in urban cities?
- Econ well-being
- Social well-being
- Psycholo well-being
What’s the diff btw social & psychological well-being of elderly?
- Social well-being
(Me w Others concept)
sense of belonging to community, b able to establish +ve r/s w others, contribute to society - Psycholo well-being
(Me concept)
self-acceptance, feeling of purpose, meaning in life, personal growth, dvlopment, environ mastery/control (ie hv sense of independence)
What is the meaning of top down and bottom up approaches?
- top down approach - implement by govt
- bottom up approach - implement by community/NGOs
What are some top-down approaches to meet elderly’s econ needs?
- implement central provident fund
- implement laws eg Maintenance of Parents act
- re-employ, retrain skills to help elderly support themselves
What are some approaches to meet elderly’s social needs?
- family bonding and social integrate in workforce
- govt, Volunteer Welfare Organisations (VWOs) set up elderly homes, day-activity centres to encourage social interact n
What are some approaches to meet elderly’s socio-econ needs? (Hint: hc)
- Promote healthy lifestyle, regular screening
- (top-down) Insurance; eg in SG, Medshield
What are some approaches to meet elderly’s psychological needs?
- Set up elderly homes, day-activity centres to encourage social interactions
- make physical environ more liveable for elderly (eg within their homes, outdoors)
How do needs of elderly in LDCs compare to elderly in DCs?
essentially, same needs, but experience more severe problems in terms of:
- lack of retirement savings
LDCs lack financial means to support elderly in terms of pensions
=>regulatory means to establish mandatory national savings for all need strategic planning, resources)
=>LDCs face challenge in manage rapid pop n growth, econ dvlopment
- poor access or lack of hc amenities, svcs
- lack of retire, nursing homes, professional hc workers, edu n
Elaborate on effectiveness of Central Provident Fund in meeting elderly’s econ need
- Central Provident Fund (CPF), compulsory social security system, enables working S’pore citizen set aside portion of work income as funds for retirement
=>cater to future elderly needs as it emphasise idea of personal responsibility in saving for retirement
=> their children oso encouraged top-up CPF amt for them
LIMITATION
- might not be in time for current gen; elderly unhappy w late age withdrawal at 55 yrs old
- income inequality - some elderly may hv insufficient CPF retirement savings to last them till old age
- some elderly even spent all CPF withdrawals
Elaborate on effectiveness of implementing laws to meet elderly’s econ needs
- Laws eg Maintenance of Parents Act 1995 make provision for maintain parents by their children
->elderly entitled to sue their child for maintenance in form of monthly allowances or lump-sum payment
LIMITATION
- create social tension, implicat n, -vely affect family ties
- elderly may find suing their child for monthly allowance embarrassing
- elderly w/o children or CPF wld not receive any support
Elaborate on effectiveness of re-employ, retrain skills in meeting econ needs of elderly
- re-employment is re-contracting employees who hv reached retirement age, allow them continue work if willing & can
eg as of 1 July 2022 in SG, re-employment age (max age employee can be re-employed until) is 68 yrs. So, employers must offer to eligible employees who have reach retirement age (63 yrs), re-employment until 68 yrs old. Otherwise, employer fine up to $5 000 and/or term of imprison of up to 6 months
eg In city of Phoenix, Arizona, USA, senior citizens eligible for reduced tuition rate. At Arizona State University, oni pay 50% of standard rate for undergraduate classes, 25% of standard rate for graduate class
LIMITATION
- elderly citizens w limited edu n in workforce often forced to conduct hard manual labour w/o enough income
eg SG senior forced work late into their life, cnt still make ends meet
eg 2015 study on elderly poverty by AP Ng Kok Hoe of LKY Sch of Public Policy found that: relative poverty rising dramatic amg elderly in workforce, w poverty rate amg working elderly rising significant fr 13% in 1995 to high 41% in 2011
- too many targeted help schemes, each w diff criteria, limiting condit n attached
=> challenging for elderly to seek help
=> confusion, misunderstand cause some to fall thru bureaucratic cracks
Elaborate on effectiveness of family bonding and social integrate in workforce in meeting elderly’s social needs
- Promote elderly’s contribut n
Fosters inter-generational/family bonding thru many public edu n program since 1999
eg In Italy, care homes r rare; elderly care in city is seen to b family’s responsibility. Majority of older ppl continue live at home for rest of life, supported, cared for by family members - Social integrate in workforce:
ads used to promote social construct that elderly can oso contribute +vely in urban (working) environ, to b valued for wealth of knowledge, life experience
LIMITATION
- intergenerational family bonding - such initiatives may isolate elderly living alone or those w lost connections or in conflict w family members
- at work place: poorly skilled, educated elderly may not feel socially inclusive in workforce; cnt perform too physically, mentally demanding jobs compared to younger counterparts
- hard to integrate w younger workers, meet potential employers’ expectations
