By Carolyn Quek
COMPARED with old folk in other Asian states, the elderly in
Singapore are contributing both practically and financially to
their families, according to a 2008 global ageing study by Oxford
University.
Unfortunately, they also get less support of the same kind from
their children and grandchildren.
Said British gerontologist Sarah Harper, one of the researchers
behind the study: 'We have this idea that older people are a burden
on our society but that's because we tend to look at it through our
tax system, that they are not in work.'
This is far from the truth, because the study showed that older
people still made significant contributions towards their loved
ones at home, she said yesterday, in presenting the study at a
conference by the International Consortium for Intergenerational
Programmes.
Around 1,000 seniors each from various places worldwide were
asked if they had given financial and practical support to their
family members over a six-month period.
The study also asked respondents - aged above 55 - if their
children or grandchildren had done the same for them.
