<![CDATA[In ageing Singapore, the Sandwich Generation is feeling the squeeze]>

Cruising down the rustic shores of Pahang and Terengganu, he recalls how his father would remind his sons about the importance of getting away as a family every once in a while.

Today, the 61-year-old carries on the family tradition by making it a point to travel with his wife and two adult children at least once a year.

On some occasions, he is joined by the man who started it all " his father, Kor Hong Fatt, 87.

"The idea of travelling as a family started from my father, so being able to still travel with him and my own family is a blessing and a privilege," said Kor Ter Ming, a taxi driver. "It means being able to enjoy the trip full circle, both as a son and a father."

But not everybody is thrilled that their parents are living longer. For Martha Lee [not her real name], being the sole carer for her mother, 92, has derailed her personal and professional aspirations.

Despite having the financial support of five siblings, she has had to care for her mother on her own for more than 15 years. The 60-year-old, who is single, has had to forgo a full-time job because of her caregiving duties. The task has become more difficult as her mother's dementia progressed and her health deteriorated.

"Growing up, I never thought that my mother would still be alive when I reached the age of 60," said the part-time worker, who asked to use an alias to guard against being stigmatised.

Kor Ter Ming, 61, (second from right) at a family dinner with his father Kor Hong Fatt, 87, (far right) accompanied by his two children, son-in-law and wife. Photo: Kor Ter Ming

Kor Ter Ming and Martha belong to Singapore's Sandwich Generation " people who financially support and care for older and younger family members at the same time. Most of those in the sandwiched group would be working individuals between the ages of 30 and 60 but several are retirees in their 60s and 70s who are caring not only for their children and grandchildren but, unexpectedly, for their parents too.

As Singapore tops the world in life expectancy " at almost 85 years, based on a 2017 study that suggests its citizens are now outliving the long-time champions, the Japanese " retirees are no longer automatically the eldest in their families. The problem is expected to worsen as fertility rates drop and life expectancies continue to soar.

Singaporeans are living much longer than ever before. At his National Day Rally in August, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong said centenarians had more than doubled from almost 500 in 2007 to 1,300 now. Much of this is due to greater access to world-class health care facilities and early prevention of chronic diseases.

But there is a downside. Singaporeans may now be the world's longest-living people, but a greater proportion of their lives are now spent in poor health, compared with 30 years ago.

A study conducted this year found that between 2009 and 2017, the proportion of older adults with three or more chronic diseases had nearly doubled. Apart from having difficulty carrying out daily living activities, more Singaporeans aged 60 and above are also experiencing chronic health conditions like high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, cataract, arthritis and diabetes.

Long lives, but poor quality.

An elderly woman selling chocolates in Singapore's financial district waits for customers. Singaporeans are living longer, but a greater proportion of their lives are now spent in poor health. Photo: AFP

And while the current Sandwich Generation like Kor and Martha can count on siblings to share the load of caring for their parents, the next generation will not have such luxury.

Singaporeans are giving birth to fewer babies to replace themselves. The fertility rate is 1.4, well below the 2.1 required just to replace the population. Martha, for example, has five siblings to share the burden, or joy, of caring for her mother: 6:1. But Kor and his wife will have only their two children to care for them, or 1:1.

The squeeze on the next Sandwich Generation will be even tighter. By the year 2050, a whopping 3.08 million Singaporeans or 47 per cent of Singapore's total population is projected to be at least 65 years old.

This would place a huge pressure on the working population to care for the elderly, said Yorelle Kalika, founder and CEO of Active Global Specialised Caregivers, a senior-care firm with branches in Hong Kong and Singapore.

Paired with the fact that 26.6 per cent of the elderly are expected to be afflicted with chronic diseases by the year 2035, she believes Singapore will embrace professional care.

An elderly woman and her carer sit in a park in Singapore. Singaporeans are living longer, placing a huge pressure on the working population to care for the elderly. Photo: AFP

"I think we will shift the responsibility of care giving from informal care to more formalised and professional care because there will be no choice. Just because of the large numbers involved," she said.

Growing old in Singapore is also getting more expensive. This year, a report by the Lee Kuan Yew School of Public Policy found that a Singaporean senior citizen aged 65 and above and living alone requires about S$1,379 a month to meet basic standards of living. For those between 55 and 64, the figure was S$1,721.

On top of having to support themselves, elderly caregivers face an uphill task trying to ensure adequate savings to cover their parents in their twilight years.

But there is some good news, according to ageing expert Helen Ko from the Singapore University of Social Sciences.

The Singapore government was actively preparing to deal with an ageing-carer demographic, she said.

For instance, by raising the retirement and re-employment ages to 65 and 70 respectively, it will allow carers to work longer and have more resources to take care of ageing parents.

A S$200 monthly grant introduced in October now helps carers offset their expenditure.

Still, Ko believes younger Singaporeans must be prepared for tougher times, compared to their parents. "The implications for the future of elderly carers in Singapore are immense," she said. "They need to be prepared to shoulder such caregiving responsibilities and ensure that they stay healthy well into their twilight years."

Improving the lives of the elderly has also become a top priority for the Singapore government, which understands that employment alone will not be enough to sustain Singaporeans in their twilight years.

In 2015, the Singapore government introduced The Pioneer Generation Package to help citizens born before the year 1950 cope with health-care and living expenses.

This year, the Merdeka Generation Package was launched to help baby boomers born during the 1950s.

Marimuthu Govindasamy, 61, (far left), at a family gathering with her mother Kamalam Gurusamy, 84, (seated) alongside her husband and her daughter's family. Photo: Marimuthu Govindasamy

But an ageing society has its upsides, too. For Marimuthu Govindasamy, 61, being able to enjoy a cup of coffee or share a conversation with her mother, 84, is something she never imagined possible as a teenager.

"When I was younger, turning 60 meant becoming frail and old. But now that I've reached this milestone, I feel healthier and happier than ever before," said the grandmother of five. "The relationship with my mother has grown because we are more like friends now. We share things that we didn't usually talk about before."

Similarly, Kor Ter Ming is seizing all possible opportunities to catch up with his father. But he knows the window is fast closing.

This article originally appeared on the South China Morning Post (SCMP).

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