Project Outline: A Better Life for Older People

Project Outline (Cat-11:Future Trends)

Identify 10 potential problems from the scenario given.
Identify 5 most important problems.
Find out the fundamental problem.
Identify 10 potential solutions.
Identify 5 best potential solutions.
Find out solution to fundamental problem.
How to solve: …..

Problems
1. The elderly (above 80s), are being more and more respected by the society. They get over respected?
2. Singapore has an aging population.
3. The elderly have contributed to the building and improvement of Singapore.
4. The government is too lenient on the elderly. It is unfair towards the rest.
5. It is unfair to other people as the rules and laws under the Elderly Special Rights Act are biased against the elderly.
6. The age to become “elderly” is 80, all people under 80 are not considered “elderly”. So, senior citizens age 60-79 is not counted “elderly”?
7. There is a lot of differences between a 79-year-old and 80-year-old? Only 1 year age difference?
8. All elderly cannot be sentenced to jail or death, only a fine. Does it mean the elderly can commit any crime they want to, like stealing?
9. Studies have shown that life expectancy at birth for Singaporeans have increased from 61.3 years in 1957 to 81.8 in 2010. So, only people above average life expectancy are counted elderly?
10. More and more old people, not enough young population to replace old.
11. We might need to pay more government taxes to support the Aging Population of Singapore.
12. Elderly are given too much priority.
13. Elderly are given many more special rights.
14. The Government gives senior citizens privilege over normal citizens aged 21 to 59, however, why does the government give the 80-year-old in the scenario privilege over the the other senior citizen driver of age 60? Given this scenario, if comparison occurs between a 79 year old and a 80 year old, the 80 year old would have a privilege no matter what mistake he makes over the 79 year old and even if he is in better health than the 79 year-old?
15. elderly fail to take care of themselves or be more careful because they know people are taking care of them
16. -create a dependence mentality, rather than encouraging independence
17. -public will be unhappy that they have to support elderly that are not helping themselves
18. -elderly exploit the benefits they have when they can be more prudent, more wise

19.-and as mentioned in the scenario, the elderly may get exploited to commit crimes since their punishment is significantly lower

20.-What is the point of the policies?? Does it achieve its purpose or will it just add additional costs and burden for tax payers?
21. Public
- Road hazard to other public
- Protect the elderly at the expense of the public 22. Police officer is stupid
- Poor enforcement
- Follow rules without looking at the context
- Which rule precedes which, does the elderly rule precede all other laws?? That’s atrocious, that’s equal to giving them freedom to be lawless.

23. Impartiality (is it equal and fair?)
- Who to set the benchmark? How to set the benchmark, who decides what is elderly? what if someone is younger but actually need the rights more?
Punishment of Criminals Targeting the Elderly – any crime with elderly victims involved require perpetrators to mandatorily receive double the punishment provided in the Penal Code or referenced from precedent cases for typical adult offenders.
- this is unfair to the perpetrators, they didn’t do anything more wrong, does this mean its less serious to kill a 40 year old man rather than an 81 year old man? No, there is not principle for this rule and no justice to it 24. moral hazard
-elderly fail to take care of themselves or be more careful because they know people are taking care of them
-create a dependence mentality, rather than encouraging independence
-public will be unhappy that they have to support elderly that are not helping themselves
-elderly exploit the benefits they have when they can be more prudent, more wise and as mentioned in the scenario, the elderly may get exploited to commit crimes since their punishment is significantly lower What is the point of the policies?? Does it achieve its purpose or will it just add additional costs and burden for tax payers?

Information needed:
At present (may 2012), elderly baby-boomers are between age 62 to 70 years old.-born during world war 2 and after that.
Younger elderly receive between $500 to $999 per month, but those above normally receive less than $500.
During his speech at Hong Lim Park on the 16th February 2013, Leong Sze Hian lambasted the White Paper for its claim that the large foreign influx is needed to to support the elderly in Singapore so they can have a better life.
“I tell you that the very basis of the White Paper is wrong. Because it says the population is aging, people are not producing babies that is why we need immigration. You know what’s the problem? In the developed country they have this problem, why? They have pensions, cost government money. Do you have pensions?”
“So what is the problem with the population aging when the government is not spending any money on the aging population?” (adapted from The Online Citizen)
As you can see, it seems like our current Government has promised to take good care of our elderly citizens. In fact, if you’ve been following the news, you would have heard of Capitaland’s intended new venture into what they term “Silver Hospitality”. On the cards are state-of-the-art medical facilities set to include the controversial Google Timeloop, where users can literally relive the same hour over and over again using cybernetic implants. Instead of living in pain and solitude, one can choose to live in the hour of one’s favourite memory – a mother having a happy family dinner with her now-deceased husband and grown-up children, for instance. Well, it probably would feel real even if it isn’t, but I guess that eases the pain.(adapted from projectscompetitions2014.wiki.hci.edu.sg)
Sources:
-Citation: Miriam, Ee, “Prosperous State, Prosperous Old? Growing social Stratification among Elderly Singaporeans”, ARI Working Paper, No. 185, May 2012,www.nus.ari.edu.sg/pub/wps.htm.
-The Online Citizen

Solutions:
Educate children to be more filial, so elderly would not need so much of the government’s help.
Increase pensions for elderly.
Elderly should include senior citizens and not only 80-year-olds.
Elderly should include 60-79 year-olds.
There should be a law that if any elderly commits a crime, they will be fined more, and may be sentenced to go into a special old folks’ home.
Amount of help given to the elderly by the government should be controlled, so as to not affect other citizens.
The laws should not be too biased towards the elderly.
The elderly should pay transport fees, but it will be very cheap, like 5 cents and up to 10 cents every ride.
It should be fair to other people as the rules and laws under the Elderly Special Rights Act are too biased against the elderly.
People born before 1950s should be counted as elderly people and treated as elderly.
The government should educate the elderly about their special rights and let them know how they can play a part in the society and not abuse their rights and privelages.
If the elderly happen to commit crimes, they should be confined to their houses and not allowed to go out. However their children can visit them them as and when they wish on top of the fines.
Elderly­ (>=60years of age) who are disabled or have certain serious illnesses should priority over healthy (>=80 years of age).