SINGLE ELDERLY IN ONE-ROOM RENTAL FLATS : A STUDY ON THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE

Abstract

A project, named "Improved Living Conditions of the Elderly" (ILCE), was carried out, and as the name suggests, this project has led to the improvement of the living conditions of the elderly in Singapore. This study is an exploratory effort aimed at evaluating the impact of this project on the quality of life of the elderly. Specifically, this study examines whether the project influences (a) the functional status, (b) the physical health (actual and perceived), (c) the social functioning, (d) the psychological status, and (e) the level of life­ satisfaction of the elderly. A questionnaire was distributed to two groups of the elderly- those staying in flats already improved by the project (n = 60), and those staying in normal, standard flats (n = 60). This questionnaire contains scales like the Hypochondriacs Scale for Institutional Geriatric Patient (HSIG), the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), and the Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), and it measures the performance of the elderly on the five domains mentioned above. No significant findings were obtained with regard to the improvement of the ILCE on the quality of life of the elderly. In fact, the results show that, for certain domains, the elderly in the improved flats indicate a lower quality of life compared to those staying in the standard flats. Possible explanations for this trend are given. A discussion on the implications of the findings for Social Planning and Policy-making in Singapore, evolving from the research questions and hypotheses posed, is given. Also, recommendations on how to help the elderly to live independently in the context of the wider community are given.