An ageing population means that the proportion of old people is increasing while the proportion of young people is shrinking due to declining birth rate. This would cause a lot of damages and negative impacts in many ways.
The Individual is the most important role for preparing the country to cope with an ageing population. However there are other roles such as Government and Community.
The first role responsible for preparing the country to cope with an ageing population is the Individual. The role of individual is important as it will prevent over-reliance on the state. The individual has to ensure that he ages gracefully through early lifelong planning. He has to take personal responsibilities and not rely on the government. The individual is encouraged to maintain a healthy lifestyle by watching his diet, exercising regularly, go for regular healthchecks and be financially prepared for his life in old age. By attending talks and reading relevant financial planning materials, he can learn more about retirement planning.
In this way, the burden to manage an ageing population does not fall entirely on the government and therefore the government can allocate resources to meet the other needs of the country.
The 2nd role responsible for preparing the country to cope with an ageing population is the Government.
The government is important in preparing the nation to cope with an ageing population because as a caretaker of the country, he should take initiatives to make laws and introduce measures to protect the interests of the senior citizens and prevent them from being a burden to the nation and its resources. For example, the government introduced the CPF, tax relief, Tribunal for the Maintainance of Parents and public housing schemes. The CPF is a compulsory savings scheme for all employees. CPF members can withdraw their savings upon reaching the age of 55. However they must keep a minimum sum in their Retirement account, so that they could receive monthly sum from the age of 62. This is to ensure financial protection for the senior citizens in their old age.
The government also introduced Tribunal for the Maintainance of Parents. Parents can get the courts' help to seek financial support from their children who are capable of doing so, but are not. The government also introduced tax relief to people who are taking care of their parents, grand parents or great grandparents and those who are contributing to their own or elderly dependents' CPF Retirement Account. This is to encourage more people to take care of the aged and to prepare for their own retirement. The government also provides public housing schemes to encourage Singaporeans to take care of their parents. First-time buyers of government flats can get a housing grant if they buy a flat in the area where their parents are living.
The role of government is important in managing an ageing population as he has the resources to provide a safety net for its citizens.
The 3rd role responsible for the country in managing an ageing population is the Community.
The community has an important role in preparing the country to cope with an ageing population. It can provide social and emotional support and provide healthcare and social services. For example, subsides from the government enabled voluntary welfare organisations to run community based organisations for the senior citizens. Some community organsations also offer free healthchecks and recreational activities for senior citizens. These help them to maintain physically, socially and emotionally active.
In this way, the burden in managing an ageing population will not fall entirely on the government and therefore the government can allocate resources to meet the other needs of the country.
P.S : Was wanting to delete this post but never mind! A proof that I AM memorizing ss essays. Haha!!
P.S.S : Got the inspiration to blog out this because someone did the same thing on their blog. So I decided to try!
P.S.S.S : This is my last resort to memorize ss essays. -_-
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