Singapore Settee

Neglect of elderly - Singapore government partly to be blamed

While many people are travelling during the Chinese New Year, it must not be forgotten that each year, Singapore welcomes more than 10,000 new citizens. Many of these new citizens take the opportunity to visit their parents and other family members - not only during Chinese New Year but also during the Ramaddan month, during Deepavali andon other holidays.

Some travel with the entire family so it allows them to bond together as a family. Hence, the issue of neglect of the elderly in Singapore is not necessary due to a loss of our cultural norms. However, structural changes in society has made bonding more difficult. And I believe the government has made this task a bit more difficult to surmount.

In earlier days, it is common to have three generations of the same family staying together in a large house. The effort to provide housing to all within the land caused the ever rising HDB flats. These are now getting smaller in size while the names has not change. A five-room flat built in the 80's are certainly bigger than one built in the 90's. How do you get more people into one small unit.

Furthermore, the concept was that you get married and you get a flat. That caused an entire generation (and it is still the same today) to grow up learning that when you marry, you must move out to your own flat. Anything else means you are either a loser or you are a miser. How can anyone stand up to such a test.

Lately, the issue is to get the elderly employed. I wonder how many of us are ready to supervise the elderly and the outcome of it. A few years from now,we will probably not be surprised to hear a younger person telling off an elderly as it will be a common notion. After all, we would have hear plenty of such comments at our workplace. As more elderly continue working later into their years, more of them would be subjected to performance measurements, work appraisals, and would fail to measure up like any one of us. Respect of the elderly would be totally lost.

Yes, the elderly needs to continue to work to be able to ensure their financial stability but at what price? I foresee the demise of the Parent's Maintenance Billbecause someone is bound to argue that the parent should continue working so as to be less dependant upon the younger generation. After all, the Singaporegovernment is telling everyone to do so.

Unfortunately, it will not be neglect but a total lost of respect for the elderly. You will probably agree with your colleague that "that old so-and-so is useless", "that old so-and-so is really a dinosaur and does not accept your views", etc. When this is said all over Singapore, then we are is a situation where it is unique. What happens when you hear the same being said of your still working father.

posted by JHG J Chang @ 9:19 am