SINGAPORE - With details of more than 70 initiatives to help the elderly lead healthy and active lives, the full report of the $3 billion Action Plan for Successful Ageing was launched on Wednesday (Feb 24) night at an SGfuture dialogue on the future of ageing.
Said Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health, at the launch: "Ageing is really the single most important demographic shift that will affect the future of Singapore."
Announced last August, the action plan was developed through a series of public consultations from 2014 to 2015.
It includes moves such as raising the re-employment age from 65 to 67 by 2017, building another 40 day centres for the elderly by 2020, and setting up a National Silver Academy to help seniors pursue their interests.
Wednesday night's session was the first in a series of SGfuture dialogues that the Ministry of Health will organise. Upcoming dialogues will focus on how the Government and people can work together to implement ideas in the action plan, and identify more projects that could be pursued, said Dr Khor.
"We view the action plan as the start of a journey," she said.
The full report is now available as a printed booklet and can also be downloaded from www.successful-ageing.sg. Over the next few months, 40,000 printed copies will be distributed to the public and to partners involved in the consultation process.
At Wednesday night's dialogue, 60 representatives from voluntary welfare organisations, youth groups, schools, academia and the grassroots discussed the action plan's ideas and brainstormed about what else could be done to help Singaporeans age well.
