FOR a long time, Wai, 45, struggled to find suitable living arrangements for her elderly father. While she wanted to ensure that his day-to-day needs were met, she was not keen on the idea of having him live in a nursing home, which she considered only a “last resort”, as he was still active and did not require that level of care.

“Seniors like my father have worked all their lives. What families want is to try and provide good care for them, and hope for them to live well as they age,” she said.

She then learned about Red Crowns Senior Living, an organisation that sets up assisted-living arrangements for seniors. The care agency helped move her father into a Housing and Development Board (HDB) flat with other senior residents. It also engaged helpers – supervised by the residents themselves – to assist them with daily tasks such as showering and dressing as needed, as well as with meaningful activities such as exercise, walks and making handicrafts.

The familiar, home-like environment and purposeful engagement helped her father transition more seamlessly in his care journey, said Wai, adding that the living space provided an intimate setting for friendships to form.

Red Crowns’ co-living set-up thus presents a much-needed option in the eldercare space. “It is more ideal than living alone at home with a helper, going to a day activity centre that provides limited-time care and one-size-fits-all activities, or nursing homes,” said Wai.

Her and her father’s situation illustrates the complex care needs of seniors, and raises the question of what it means to age well. This is particularly pertinent for Singapore, which is one of the fastest-ageing countries globally.

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By 2030, one in four citizens will be aged 65 and above. As a proportion of the population, this demographic is rising at a faster pace compared to the last decade due to trends including longer life expectancies and declining birth rates.

Ageing is part and parcel of life, and along with fulfilling basic needs, many seniors naturally have to contend with issues such as frailty, chronic diseases and social isolation, which can require specialised attention. At the same time, it is important to build a society that is equipped to not only deal with such issues, but also to provide an environment in which seniors can live with meaning and purpose.

Efforts in this direction can take many forms, from strengthening our aged-care systems and infrastructure to changing societal attitudes about the elderly, many of whom continue to be physically and mentally robust and are active contributors to the community.

Supporting the needs of the silver generation

Demographic and technological shifts mean that the needs of the elderly have evolved, and the challenges faced by many seniors are lesser-known to the general population. In recognition of this, several local enterprises have stepped up to spur change by providing products and services that are tailored to the aged.

On its part, DBS keeps an eye out for partner organisations that cater to the eldercare space in innovative ways, to see how it can support them in these endeavours.

“We stand at the forefront of innovative ideas from many of these businesses and want to enable them to bring them to market,” said Claire Wong, head of the Business for Impact chapter at DBS Foundation.

One such business for impact (BFI) is Red Crowns, which was awarded the DBS Foundation Grant Award in 2022. The business aims to offer more eldercare housing options that go beyond traditional nursing homes, as these tend to be labour-intensive, medicalised and can feel like institutions rather than homes.

Under its assisted living model, Red Crowns rents HDB and condominium units and matches four seniors to each unit in a co-living arrangement. It also provides concierge services for medical assistance, and residents can request help with daily tasks such as showering, dressing and transportation.

This model fills a niche in the eldercare space by providing an alternative to nursing homes. Importantly, it alleviates social isolation and caters to ageing folks who prefer to live independently in a home-like environment, but want assistance when needed.

Joshua Goh, founder and CEO of Red Crowns, explained: “Ultimately, what we’re trying to do is help the elderly age with grace and dignity, and in their natural communities for as long as possible.”

He expressed gratitude for DBS Foundation’s support, which enabled Red Crowns to build credibility with the public – something that was vital for a young organisation with a relatively novel proposition. DBS Foundation also helped connect the care provider to like-minded partners.

Goh said that his organisation wants to support more seniors by expanding its network of co-living spaces. “We hope to have (these spaces) located within a common area, so we can plan more social activities for the seniors and foster a vibrant community for them to enjoy.”

Another BFI supported by DBS Foundation, GentleFoods, seeks to aid those with dysphagia, an affliction that disproportionately affects the elderly. Those with dysphagia have difficulty swallowing, and nerve and muscle issues can cause people to be more prone to the condition as they age, said GentleFoods founder Yiru Shen.

A pureed or blended diet is most appropriate for dysphagia patients. “However, we found that many people with the condition do not enjoy their meals. As a result, many are malnourished, and most will grow thinner as days go by,” she said.

GentleFoods thus creates familiar, safe and nutritious softened foods that are designed to stimulate the appetite through appearance, taste and smell. In providing suitable food options for the elderly and patients with swallowing difficulties, the company also hopes to ease the load on their caregivers by reducing the time they spend on preparing such specialised meals.

In 2021, GentleFoods was awarded the DBS Foundation Grant Award to bolster its efforts to scale its footprint in Singapore, expand to international markets, and offer support to low-income elderly groups. The company also hopes to expand its central kitchen.

Shen said that DBS Foundation has been key in helping the organisation gain exposure to new networks. “For example, when I first shared my interest in the Taiwan market, the foundation immediately connected me to (its) partners there,” she said. “I then spent six months with a partner accelerator learning about the market and refining our proposition, and am now working towards expanding into Taiwan.”

Both Shen and Red Crowns’ Goh were driven by their personal experiences to support the eldercare space. Goh’s struggles to find a place for his socially isolated father led him to realise that there was a crucial gap in Singapore’s eldercare housing options, while Shen was inspired after seeing her dementia-addled grandmother reject the pureed foods she was given because they felt unfamiliar to her.

Building an inclusive society

While it is important to acknowledge and alleviate the specialised issues faced by seniors, these efforts must run in parallel with broader moves to cultivate an inclusive and welcoming society. This is a complex but meaningful undertaking, towards which DBS has mobilised its organisational and human resources.

The Chinese New Year marks a time of festive cheer and community spirit, but it is worth remembering that many seniors live in isolation and cannot partake in the celebrations. In light of this, DBS has worked with community partners to engage seniors through various initiatives and events, all in hopes of fostering an inclusive society.

For this Chinese New Year period, about 160 DBS volunteers will spread the cheer by bringing the festivities to 750 seniors, who will be able to participate in activities such as the traditional lo hei, lively karaoke sessions, and bingo. The initiative is a collaboration between DBS and community partners Allkin and Lions Befrienders. It represents a scaling-up of last year’s pilot programme, which involved 66 DBS volunteers and 70 seniors.

The opportunity to foster a sense of community and belonging is not lost on senior citizens such as Sim Hua Gek, 78. She participated in last year’s celebrations, which she fondly described as “a wonderful experience and a great opportunity to get together with other residents and catch up over good food and fun”.

In November 2023, DBS also worked with Lions Befrienders to organise an art workshop for seniors as part of the bank’s Giant Ang Bao Community Art Project.

Along with local paper artist Cheryl Teo, the participants – 22 seniors and three DBS volunteers – applied their newfound skills to create a 2.5-metre-tall artwork replicating the bank’s 2024 hongbao design, using 4,300 kg of recycled festive Chinese New Year packets collected from DBS branches in 2023. The artwork was unveiled in January.

Another key aspect of building an equitable and inclusive community is ensuring that the elderly are not left behind in a rapidly digitalising world. Digital know-how, tech-savviness and scam awareness are now crucial life skills, and the bank has worked with partners such as the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) to improve digital literacy among underserved segments. These efforts include funding digital literacy initiatives and conducting educational workshops.

Last September, for example, DBS Foundation and POSB held a series of memorable digital-literacy roadshows at hawker centres that incorporated aspects of Getai – to entertain seniors while teaching them how to make e-payments on their mobile phones, among other skills. These workshops were very well received among the seniors, and the bank will be reviving these this Chinese New Year.

The essential role played by the bank’s volunteers, who patiently guided the seniors and facilitated these learning journeys, was highlighted by Monica Datta, head of the community impact chapter at DBS Foundation. “(For many participants), simply providing access to digital tools and skills isn’t enough. What’s more important is to have people there to guide and hand-hold them, till they gain the confidence to move forward on their own.”

Ageing with meaning and purpose

While ageing is a natural part of life, it is important to ensure that seniors are empowered to age actively and independently. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, for instance, has remarked that individuals must “embrace ageing positively – you cannot help your hair from growing greyer or sparser, but you can stay open to change, keep learning and remain productive for as long as (you) can”.

Navigating a greying Singapore will inevitably require a whole-of-society effort, and stakeholders spanning the public and private sectors can play diverse and interconnected roles in nurturing a conducive environment for ageing well.

“Many of the societal challenges that we face today are too enormous and complex for any one party to solve; a collective effort is required for change to happen,” said DBS Foundation’s Wong. “In addition, we also have to think of new ways to solve evolving problems. By coming together, we hope to positively affect more lives and livelihoods in the community.”

Goh of Red Crown agrees with this sentiment: “Ageing is a growing issue that affects all of us – the more people come on board, the more we can drive change and redefine what it means to age with dignity.”