Debate on President’s Address: Edward Chia on empowering seniors to ‘give back to society’

The new cohort of seniors will lead healthier lives through HealthierSG, and with more focused engagements and more formal employment and volunteering opportunities, they will be able to “give back multi-fold to society” in many aspects, said MP Edward Chia. This will, in turn, ensure that seniors are valued, included and actively contribute to the community, he added. Speaking in Parliament on Thursday (Apr 20), he stressed that ageing should not be viewed as a “silver tsunami” but as a “silver lining”. He said seniors have the capacity to contribute and the Government must engage and empower them to contribute to the community and lead purposeful lives. Mr Chia said newer cohorts of seniors who are more educated and healthier due to advanced healthcare will feel they have more to contribute to society. He stressed the need to create more opportunities for them to do so. Mr Chia pointed out that men appear more likely to experience loneliness in old age compared with women, due partly to traditional gender roles which may lead to fewer social connections in later life. He urged the People’s Association to look at ways to attract more older men to senior activity centres. He also stressed the need to get more companies to provide inclusive workplace policies, such as offering career pathways for them to re-enter or remain in the workforce.