Early findings from a pilot study involving Marine Parade’s elderly residents unveiled a wish list regarding what can be improved to the estate.
(The focus is on property to become more functionally friendly)
Strategically placed rest stops, for instance, is in high demand among these folks, as they have to walk a distance along Marine Crescent to get to the nearest wet market without any place to pause for a breather.
Also being looked into is the provision of a step-down health-care centre with clinics under one roof, to save senior citizens the trouble of making their way down to a hospital or specialist clinic, said Dr. Chua Ee Chek, chairman of the ward’s Citizens Consultative Committee.
Zooming down to more basic and immediate needs, the elderly respondents, many of whom have been living in the area their entire lives, have also requested for the installation of bigger peepholes for the main doors of their homes and non-slip tiles in their bathrooms.
Other items in the wish list include sheltered walkways, wellness centres, more food centres closer to their doorsteps, and escalators or lifts to carry them up to the overhead bridge leading to Parkway Parade shopping centre.
In total, some 2,600 elderly residents (who constitute nearly 70% of Marine Parade senior citizens) have been surveyed on matters such as socio-economic and health status, living arrangements and community facilities.
The committee comprises 200 volunteer grassroots leaders and family service centre representatives and hopes to bridge gaps in physical facilities, as well as health-care and social services in the Marine Parade community.
The ophthalmologist, a grassroots leader in the Marine Parade constituency, said he was unable to divulge the study’s initial findings. However, he disclosed what volunteers have been doing to improve the existing infrastructure in the estate. “Some volunteers even took to the walkways in wheelchairs during the day and at night to understand the plight of the elderly before putting in recommendations,” he told The Straits Times.
Earlier, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong had spoken of the study in his National Day Rally speech, urging keen parties to suggest and try out ideas, explaining that ideas that have proved efficient would be implemented in other parts of Singapore.
The five-month long survey is part of a larger, five-year multi-agency study that will shape the government’s support system for the ward and the rest of Singapore, in a bid to prepare the nation for the effects of an ageing population. The study involves Marine Parade grassroots organisations, as well as the Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS), Health and National Development ministries. It aims to enhance the ‘hardware’ and ‘software’ aspects of the district to benefit ageing residents.
Last year, the ward’s Member of Parliament (MP) Goh Chok Tong announced that Marine Parade was selected for the pilot study because the age profile of its residents provided a glimpse into what the country will be like in 2030, when one in five will be aged 65 and above. Housing Development Board (HDB) figures in 2008 showed 23.4% (around 4,500) of Marine Parade’s 19,258 residents have already hit that age group.
The first phase of this study is expected to cost over half a million dollars, and is partially funded by the Tote Board.
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