ABSTRACT
One of the most challenging social phenomena of the future is population ageing in Singapore, one of the fastest ageing countries in the Asia-Pacific region. In Singapore, where the average life expectancy at birth is about 77 years, the elderly population is considered to comprise those who are 60 years and above (Department of Statistics 1997). The population-ageing trend has been conspicuous. In 1970, there were about 116,100 persons aged 60 and above. The number increased by over 50 per cent to 170,400 in 1980. By the turn of the century, the number will rise to about 329,900, some 11 per cent of the population. It has been estimated that 25 per cent of Singaporeans will be above 60 years by 2030 (Cheung and Vasoo 1989; Shantakumar 1994). Recently, the official retirement age has been raised from the previous 55 years old to 60 years and 62 years; it is intended to further increase this to 67 years in the near future (Shantakumar 1999).1
