ABSTRACT
Since the 1980s, when the Singapore government identified a demographic change taking place in Singapore from a youthful to a greying population, there have been some shifts in the national outlook regarding this challenge. Initially, there was a flurry of bureaucratic activity by the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Community Development (now known as the Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports). A National Population Unit was set up to forecast the attendant effects of the demographic shift, and to help promote relevant research (for more details see Mehta, 2002: 152–6). Several Inter-Ministerial Committees were established such as the Inter-Ministerial Committee on the Ageing population, 1999 and Inter-Ministerial Committee on Health Care of the Elderly, 1999.
The successive policy reviews on issues related to older persons led to the crystallization of a national policy on ageing in Singaporey. … The national policy on ageing reinforces the state’s position that it does not take sole responsibility for the care of older persons. Family is the first line of care, in holistic terms, including the provision of instrumental, financial and emotional support and care.
(Teo et al., 2006: 30) The philosophy of self-reliance is promoted for all residents, and the paradigm of care for older people is a partnership of the individual, family, community and the state. The term ‘Many Helping Hands’ is popularly used in the local context to summarise the multiple partnership.