GERONTOLOGICAL IMPLICATIONS OF THE SINGAPORE POPULATION

Abstract

The aged are an integral part of our society. Therefore, it is our responsibility to see to their needs, problems and aspirations. As such, the purpose of this academic exercise is to examine the structural changes of the Singapore population, with the main objective of studying the gerontological implications of the Singapore population. This academic exercise comprises five chapters. The first gives a brief introduction to the subject matter. Several statistical measures which are used in the following chapters are also dealt with. In the second chapter, trends in the age structure of Singapore are discussed. The time period covered in this exercise is from 1947. Chapter II deals mainly with the period 1947 - 1986 while Chapter III and the subsequent chapters are concerned with the period beyond 1985. Thus the third chapter will deal with the analysis of projected population structures from 1985 onwards to 2070. Following this is a discussion of the implications of the projected changes in the age structure on the labour force of Singapore. Chapter V extends the discussion of the implications of the greying of Singapore to the social aspects, paying particular attention to the area of supports for the aged. The final chapter concludes on the gerontological implications of the Singapore population. It is found that by raising the retirement age and/or widening the population bane, the inevitable ageing process can be slowed down.