Dying alone is not always a bad death or symptom of societal neglect

I refer to the article, "No one should die alone, and be left undiscovered for weeks" (Nov 28). Mr Sng Hock Lin urged that as a society, we must do more to promote social connectedness among our citizens, especially for the elderly living in one- or two-person households, and thereby reduce the incidence rate of our elderly dying alone. As he puts it, "Singapore needs to step up now".

- Bernard Chen Jiaxi

Within the context of a rapidly ageing society as well as the proliferation of smaller nuclear families, I would like to offer a different view.

Dying alone is typically viewed either as an outcome of anti-social behaviour, or the result of some form of family, community or societal neglect.

The idea that some people may be exercising agency at the end of life and that they do not want attention from social services, or the wider community, receives little or no consideration.