SINGAPORE: More Singaporeans Struck by Disabilities

SINGAPORE (The Straits Times), August 24, 2006: More elderly Singaporeans suffer from disabilities than 20 years ago in a marked contrast to other developed countries, a survey said on Thursday. Fourteen per cent of those 75 and over needed help in 1986 carrying out everyday tasks such as getting around, bathing or eating. Now, 25 per cent need assistance to perform these activities. The study carried out by the National University of Singapore's Department of Psychological Medicine found such "functional disability" also on the rise among those above 65, although the slide in this group is slower. The trend in the city-state poses an growing burden on health care and social support services, lead researcher Ng Tze Pin was quoted as saying. Nearly 25 per cent of those in the study suffered from arthritis or failure to understand simple tasks. Diabetes and stroke were other causes of impairment. Researchers queried 1,100 senior citizens on their ability to independently carry out 10 tasks. These included eating, bathing, bladder control, going to the toilet, walking around at home and climbing stairs. Singapore can learn from the US, where disability rates among those above 65 have been falling, Ng said.