How to bring a smile to the face of your lonely, old neighbour

We cannot leave it to the Government alone to make our elderly citizens feel less isolated.

- Kelvin Tan

My mother recently passed on at the age of 88 after being in poor health for two or three years. On both counts, she's done better than average. The Ministry of Health has reported that Singaporeans typically have to live through 10 years of poor health before passing on at an average age of 84.

But a longer lifespan also means more social isolation. Studies have shown that loneliness follows a U-shaped curve. You get less lonely from young adulthood to midlife and more so from older adulthood.

My godmother aged 85, for instance, was devastated by my mother's passing. Her husband had passed on 13 years ago, and she couldn't help feeling left behind — despite having grandchildren and children who shower her with attention and love.

Such narratives are repeated every day and will only get louder. Over the years, a senior may feel their environment and the high-tech world they live in becoming less familiar as their friends pass on and their children move out of their homes. Some then start to withdraw from society.

The recent Age Well Neighbourhoods announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his National Day Rally speech are a forward-looking initiative. But for Singaporeans to be less sad and lonely in their old age, we all must play our part — with a little help from technology. Let's understand the issue and tackle it.

First things first. Seniors prefer to live in their own homes and in a familiar environment. While new Community Care Apartments for assisted living are sprouting, these are in new and unfamiliar locations for seniors who will need time to adjust and make new friends. There could also be some friction on account of communal sharing of amenities, given different individual habits and patterns.