8 in 10 older adults prefer to age in current homes: Study

Sign of a desire for stability, supported by amenities and strong sense of community

- Chin Soo Fang

Eight in 10, or 82.8 per cent, of older adults in Singapore prefer to age in their current homes, a study has found.

This indicates a desire for continuity and stability, supported by accessible amenities and a strong sense of community, the researchers said.

The ongoing study by the Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (Rosa) at Singapore Management University (SMU) also found that higher levels of social isolation were associated with a lower sense of attachment to the respondents' neighbourhoods.

However, living arrangements, such as whether they were living alone or with others, were unrelated to how attached they felt to their neighbourhoods.

The researchers polled 6,020 Singaporeans aged between 53 and 79 in September. The early findings were discussed on Oct 22 at Rosa's fourth annual symposium on successful ageing, held at SMU.

Professor Paulin Straughan, director of Rosa, said: "We have just expanded the boundaries of home to beyond our own flat - to our neighbourhood."

The question is how to "level up" neighbourhoods - with the right amenities and by providing social interactions - so that they will have an impact on Singaporeans' well-being, she added.

The study also found that 70.3 per cent of those polled said eldercare or active ageing centres were important or very important for ageing in place. However, only about 50 per cent of them live within a 10-minute walk of such amenities.

Prof Straughan said this does not mean Singapore has to keep building more eldercare or active ageing centres, as senior-friendly activities can be held in malls, parks and community centres.