PROMOTING ACTIVE AGEING IN SINGAPORE USING PARKS AS A PLATFORM

Abstract

According to a report by Global Agenda Council on Ageing Society, Singapore was one of the fastest ageing populations in the world. 38% of her population will be above 60 years old by 2050. To prepare for the challenges of an ageing population, the Council for Third Age embarked on the "Active Ageing" campaign in 2007 to encourage the elderly to adopt an active and socially-participative lifestyle. In this campaign, the council adopts the six-dimensional model of wellness as a guide for active ageing. This model identifies six distinct but interdependent elements – social, intellectual, physical, vocational, emotional and spiritual. Seniors can attain a higher level of wellness and experience a more meaningful life by taking positive steps to improve some or all of these dimensions. This study looks at how parks can contribute to active ageing by providing seniors with green spaces to exercise these six elements of wellness and at how park facilities meet the needs and expectations of the elderly, using Tiong Bahru Park and Bishan Park as case studies. A combination of quantitative and qualitative methods is used to collect and analyse data. The surveys were analysed using charts and the interviews were analysed using content analysis. Briefly, findings show the elderly park users in both parks care a lot more about the physical and environmental factors in the park compared to social factors. Four recommendations are suggested to improve the parks so as to better promote active ageing for the elderly. They include: encouraging mobility, improving park design and facilities, introducing an element of fun and establishing partnerships with other organizations.