Richard Coulstock LRPS - Elderly in Singapore

from RPS The Decisive Moment - Edition 16 - June 2019

by Documentary Group, Royal Photographic Society

Small Town Inertia - J A Mortram

Members’ Images - Richard Coulstock LRPS

Singapore has an international reputation as a modern metropolis. It is home to gleaming skyscrapers, iconic hotels, and the world’s first Formula 1 Night Race – an event that brings this City State into the homes of a global audience numbering hundreds of millions. This is the face of the city familiar to most casual visitors and many expatriate inhabitants who rarely venture far from their 5-star condominiums or the Central Business District. At weekends they may visit Michelinstarred restaurants or frequent the designer shops and malls that line Orchard Road.

However, there is a world beyond the glitz and glamour.

As a nation of around 5.6 million people, Singapore consistently ranks highly in terms of GDP, education, global competitiveness, IP protection, and many other criteria which measure wealth and progress. It is also one of the most expensive cities on the planet and, like elsewhere in the world, has social issues that need addressing.

Singapore’s statistics show an ageing population. In 1970, the median age of a Singaporean was 19.5, in 2017 that had risen to 40.5 (Source: Department of Statistics, Singapore). The government has certainly been proactive in addressing the needs of the elderly, with schemes such as the Pioneer Generation Package (PGP), medical benefits and various concession systems. In addition, Singaporeans have a very strong culture, centred on the importance of family and a ‘kampong spirit’, which supports social cohesion and caring for your community. This has manifested itself in countless charities and organisations all focused on helping the older generation.

However, the lives of the elderly in Singapore are a million miles away from what most tourists or, indeed, expat residents may experience. The speed at which Singapore has become a global player is nothing short of phenomenal. It is easy to understand how the aged may have found coping with this pace of change to be a considerable challenge. Much of the growth in wealth has passed them by.

Some elderly people gather in places such as Chinatown, spending their days playing board games or chatting with friends. I visited them a few times and learned that their shared accommodation could be small and cramped so meeting in communal areas gave them an escape and companionship. Other elderly people work in ways that seem incompatible with the common perception of modern Singapore. The cardboard collectors, for example, who collect what they can and sell their finds on to recyclers. Still others spend time alone in local parks or coffee shops. Loneliness in such a bustling city may seem a contradiction, but it is also an issue in many countries.

This collection of images is aimed at increasing awareness of the lives of the older generation in Singapore and, in many ways, could be used to encourage all readers to be more conscious of those living through their later years.

www.portraitsofasia.com

Instagram: @kiltedarab