There are some glaring gaps in Singapore when it comes to helping the elderly live independently and with dignity in the final leg of their journey.

We can do more to ensure that all our seniors have access to the Internet and are taught how to use mobile devices for everyday transactions. In most nursing homes, residents are not given Internet access. This needs to change.

The Government must rapidly accelerate the building of more assisted community living residences.

The need for such residences will rise with a rapidly ageing population. It is easier for the poor to get into assisted living arrangements through the public assistance route and the rich to get into private nursing homes.

The bulk of the middle class rely on a maid and stay at home, which is not sustainable when the ageing population grows.

The Government should also build large complexes meant for holding funerals in more accessible locations. Look to South Korea for a good example of a proper complex for funeral rites.

Wong Poh Khwai