Having a sense of agency key to seniors here ageing well: Study

Those with this belief tend to stay connected, continue to do things that give them purpose

- Chin Soo Fang Senior Correspondent

An intergenerational fashion showcase by seniors from social service agency Lions Befrienders and student-designers from the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts at the Intercontinental Alliance for Integrated Care's gala dinner on Nov 21. The alliance, which conducted the inaugural multi-region study, is an initiative launched in 2024 by the Singapore University of Social Sciences, alongside a dozen other universities across Asia, North America and Europe. ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR

(ST PHOTO: ARIFFIN JAMAR)

A key predictor of how well a person in Singapore will age is whether he has a sense of agency, which is the belief that he continues to shape the course of his life, a new study released on Nov 21 has found.

Older adults who have this belief tend to stay connected with others, feel greater satisfaction, and continue to do things that give them purpose. In contrast, those who feel their choices no longer count are not always physically frail, but age more poorly as they lose motivation, confidence and relationships.

This was one of the findings from the Singapore chapter of an inaugural multi-region study by the Intercontinental Alliance for Integrated Care (IAIC) on what it means to age well across different cultures.

The IAIC is an initiative launched in 2024 by the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS), alongside a dozen other universities across Asia, North America and Europe.

It aims to advance holistic patient-centred solutions that address the complex needs of ageing populations around the world.

The study involved researchers in Canada, China, Hong Kong, Singapore and the UK conducting surveys using a shared framework and guided by common research questions, with the aim of understanding how older adults across the different societies understand ageing.