Tech to the fore for Singapore's seniors

SINGAPORE is reaching a critical juncture for addressing the social impact of its status as the most rapidly ageing population in Asia. According to the United Nations, elderly Singaporeans - those aged 65 and over - will make up almost half of the total population by 2050. In our fast-paced and technology-entrenched country, I couldn't help but wonder about this elderly population, who still remember a world without smartphones, the cloud, and social media, and who might be the most susceptible to falling behind on digital trends.

Technology has come a long way in their lifetime, and many have been alive to witness everything from the first people landing on the moon to dramatic advances in medical technology to the rise of an Internet-dependent society.

How do people in this population, then, reconcile the 21st century's rapid technological advancement with the life they once knew, in which everything was a little simpler, slower, and less connected?