As more people live longer, Singapore must rethink how it organises work, communities and support systems to help individuals navigate multiple transitions in life, said the Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office Indranee Rajah, as she officiated the launch of the SMU’s Longevity Societies and Economies Institute (LSEI). The institute studies ageing through economic and societal lenses, with a focus on translating research in areas such as workforce transformation, retirement systems and financial security to help Singapore harness the opportunities of longevity. Ms Indranee said that at SMU, the Centre for Research on Successful Ageing (ROSA) has undertaken research on how individuals can age well. LSEI will go one step further by examining how entire societies must evolve as people live much longer lives, shifting the focus from ageing as a life stage to longevity as a structural transformation that will profoundly reshape societies and provide opportunities for all.
LSEI has established partnerships with five organisations in the government, community and private sectors – the Agency for Integrated Care, Workforce Singapore, Lions Befrienders, St Luke’s ElderCare and Singlife to conduct joint research.
SMU Professor of Sociology (Practice) and Director of ROSA Paulin Straughan, who is the Interim Co-Director of LSEI, said Singapore faces the question of how to harness the opportunities of longevity, especially with more seniors ageing well, and move away from the assumption that what worked well in the past 60 years will continue to do so.
SMU Vice Provost for Strategic Research Partnerships and Interim Co-Director of LSEI Dr Cheong Wei Yang said that the Government and businesses have data and plans that they are trying to implement, which the institute can do research on.