Aging Population Yang Qifan Chen Yun Marcel Wong Liang Kun

Content Scenario/background What the government did to improve on the situation Problems faced by elderly Steps taken to aid the elderly/welfare issues How Singapore’s management of aging population reveal good governance/sound policies

Scenario/background By 2012, the first batch of post-war baby boomers will be 65 years old Currently, one out of 12 Singaporeans is aged 65 or above By 2030, one out 5 Singaporeans is aged 65 or above.

Content Scenario/background What the government did to improve on the situation Problems faced by elderly Steps taken to aid the elderly/welfare issues How Singapore’s management of aging population reveal good governance/sound policies

Baby bonus Introduced on 1 April 2001 A cash gift of up to $4,000 each for 1st and 2nd child $6,000 each for 3rd and 4th child This scheme encourages Singaporeans to give birth more so as to prevent the population from aging

Extended age of retirement Retirement age raised from 62 to 65 More people can remain in the workforce and the working population can increase However, this extension can cause fewer job opportunities for the younger generation Government pensions will also be given at a later date

Content Scenario/background What the government did to improve on the situation Problems faced by elderly Steps taken to aid the elderly/welfare issues How Singapore’s management of aging population reveal good governance/sound policies

Health - Many health problems starts to surface at the later phase of our lives Transport - Elderly may have problems travelling from one place to another Interaction - Elderly may have problems keeping up with the society as they had retired and may not have enough interaction with the outside world Housing - Elderly needs both cash and a house to live in, what can they do? Finance - Many elderly do not have a stable income as they had retired

Content Scenario/background What the government did to improve on the situation Problems faced by elderly Steps taken to aid the elderly/welfare issues How Singapore’s management of aging population reveal good governance/sound policies

MEDISAVE A person will need to contribute 6.5-9% of his/her salary into this fund every month. An additional 4% of interest will be provided by the government annually. This fund will allow the elderly to pay for their own medical fees even if they do not have a stable income. Health

MEDIFUND Helps the elderly who cannot afford to pay for their medical bills despite Medisave and MediShield. As of 2008, this fund stands at $1.66 billion. The government will put in more money when there are surpluses from the budget.

MEDISHIELD Subsidizes medical fees for the elderly who has severe illnesses and/or have prolonged hospitalization.

STEP-DOWN CARE SERVICES Further care is provided at certain centers for the elderly who are released from hospitals but have not completely recovered. These centers include nursing homes, community hospitals, day rehabilitation centres and more.

PRIMARY CARE PARTNERSHIP SCHEME The elderly who are aged 65 or above and do not live near polyclinics may apply for this scheme which provides outpatient services by private General Practitioners. The fees are subsidised at $4 per visit and 70 cents per drug.

VOLUTARY WELFARE ORGANIZATIONS These organizations are supported and encouraged by the government in terms of funding and services to provide healthcare for the elderly. Such organizations run daycare centers, community hospitals, hospices and others.

Lease Buyback Scheme Helps the elderly sell their HDB flats to the Government for cash After selling their flats to the government, the elderly can continue living in them Home owner must be aged 62 and above to be eligible This ensures that the elderly have a place to live in and at the same time, cash to help cope with their monthly expenses Housing

CPF Everyone has to put aside a certain percentage of their income into their CPF account The sum in the CPF account and be withdrawn after retiring or 55 years of age This ensures that the elderly still has an income after retiring Finance

Barrier-Free Society Wheel chair can now be move into public buses Home, flats and buildings had been changed into elder-friendly places (eg. Less staircases, more ramps) (eg. More handles and bars to hold on to along pavements) This ensures that senior citizens have a safe and unhindered travel passage Transport

There are many senior citizen corners in Singapore so as to promote interaction between the senior citizens There are many physical fitness corners in every neighborhood to encourage elderly to exercise This is to keep senior citizens mind active and help them to keep up with the society Interaction

Content Scenario/background What the government did to improve on the situation Problems faced by elderly Steps taken to aid the elderly/welfare issues How Singapore’s management of aging population reveal good governance/sound policies

The Singapore government had looked into every single aspect of senior citizens’ life and improve them respectively This can be seen as the government tries to solve health problems, financial problems, transportation problems, housing problems, etc of the elderly.

Many policies that are targeted at senior citizens are very helpful and reliable and they usually have a direct benefit on them Singapore is a country that treats elderly with care and respect.

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