RETIREMENT UTOPIA - IF YOU CAN AFFORD IT

Here's one more item to add to my wish list - a week's stay at The Villages, Florida. To own a home there would be beyond my wildest dream.

The name is a misnomer, for The Villages boasts a population of more than 110,000 residents, with an average age of 65.5. Situated about 100km northwest of Orlando, The Villages is reputed to be the world's largest retirement community, and is growing rapidly.

The Villages offer a multitude of facilities to keep active retirees busy and entertained all-day and all-year long. From shopping and dining to sports and entertainment, The Villages has it all. It also has a lifelong learning center where residents could sign up for classes on a wide range of hobbies and skills.

Images from The Villages website

Or they could choose to do nothing at all except play golf for free at any of the 42 golf courses. Not surprising the main mode of transport here is by electric-powered golf cart, each one customized to the fancies of the owner.

Images from The Villages website

Prices of a new home start from USD 150,000, depending on whether it a designer home, villa or cottage. A fully-furnished 3-room home rents from USD3800 a month. Crime is almost non-existent, and there is no traffic jam or pollution. Also no children. They can visit but not reside.

Rules are set by the The Holding Company owned by the Morse family who began developing The Villages back in 1980s. They own everything here including the local newspaper, a radio station and a TV channel.

Singapore's first retirement village to be ready end of 2017 - The Hillford

Resort living does not come cheap, but there is a growing demand for such a retirement village for the more affluent retirees in Singapore and Malaysia. The wait may soon be over for Singapore retirees as the first retirement village, The Hillford, is due for completion end of 2017.

Malaysia's first retirement village, Green Acres, is expected to be completed in early 2016

As for Malaysia, the first retirement village already had its soft launch recently, and is due for completion in the first quarter of 2016. This is the much-heralded Green Acres in Ipoh, comprising 110 units priced from RM300,000. Another is Eden-on-the-Park in Kuching, Sarawak. It is marketed as the 'first Integrated Senior Lifestyle and Care Residence Resort facility in Malaysia'.

An artist's impression of Eden-on-the-Park, consisting of luxury apartments, villas and aged-care facilities.

As the population of Singapore and Malaysia ages, it can only be good news for companies that operate retirement homes. Purpose-built housing for retirees is indeed a sunrise industry for the sunset community.

For a virtual tour of the facilities in The Villages, watch the video below. Will the first retirement villages in Singapore and Malaysia offer resort living similar to that at The Villages? We'll have to wait and see.

SELAMAT HARI RAYA

AN ONLINE PORTAL TO ENGAGE SENIORS

Council for Third Age (C3A), Singapore launched its Chinese portal yesterday at the National Library. SeniorsAloud was invited to attend the ceremony.

In his speech at the ceremony, MP Mr Heng Chee How said, "Society's perception of seniors can only change with our seniors' perception of themselves. I am happy to note that many of our seniors are embarking on their active ageing journey, leading active and healthy lifestyles.

There is also a growing number of seniors participating in the myriad of programmes available for them to pick up new skills, discover new interests and hobbies, and stay engaged in lifelong learning in their silver years....One area where seniors are interested in is that of technology. Seniors today have access to technology and many are using it to stay in touch with their friends and relatives through various platforms, including social media.

Not many countries have a minister in charge of Active
Ageing and Employability. The government takes the
challenges of an ageing population seriously.

Thus it is most timely that Council for Third Age is launching a Chinese portal, after having achieved success with their current English portal which has reached out to more than 200,000 visitors since its inception in 2012."

Well said, Minister! Exactly why SeniorsAloud places priority in encouraging seniors to pick up some pc skills to enable them to go online to learn, discover and connect. Oh, and to enjoy too. The benefits are endless.

Seniors present at the launch were shown a step by step guide on how to navigate the portal so that they could easily explore all the features on their own at home. These include upcoming activities, recipes, videos, discounts, and much more.

You can access the C3A portal at www.c3a.org.sg/. Lots of goodies for seniors, especially if you live in Singapore.

The launch also saw participants of the Kopi and Toast buddy programme receiving their Certificates of Completion from the Minister. This is a 6-month mentor-mentee programme where an active senior is paired with a less active senior to build a meaningful friendship of mutual support through activities and learning. The mentors are given free training by C3A prior to matching them with a buddy each. Thumbs up for this initiative, C3A!

Some of the mentors (kopi) after receiving their certificates from Mr Heng Chee How

The mentees (toast) posing with Mdm Chua Foo Yong, Chairman of C3A and Mr Heng Chee How.

Mentee Mdm Sunita Khemlani was happy to have participated in the programme and made new friends.

For a guide to what's available on the C3A portal, please watch the video below. Do share the link with Chinese-speaking seniors. Just click on the language icon on the top right corner of the C3A home page to switch from one language to the other.

SPARE A THOUGHT FOR MAS AND THE CABIN STAFF

Much has been written about the downing of Malaysia Airlines MH17 on 17 July and the disappearance of MH370 on 8 March. The two incidents occurred barely four months apart and both involved our national airline. A total of 537 innocent lives were lost. The nation is still reeling from shock and disbelief. For the grieving families, no words can fully describe the pain and anguish they must feel to lose their loved ones so suddenly, so tragically. Our deepest condolences go out to them.

I could sense an air of heaviness at KLIA. The departure lounge was quieter than usual. Some MAS flights were cancelled probably due to low passenger load. 

Last Saturday 19 July, as I sat in the departure lounge at KLIA waiting to board my flight to Singapore, my thoughts were on the airline staff. Their morale must surely be at an all-time low after losing 12 of their colleagues when MH370 went missing, and another 15 so soon after when MH17 was shot down in East Ukraine.

As I watched some cabin staff walking past to report for work, I couldn't help wondering what was on the minds of these pilots and the stewardesses. It couldn't have been easy for them to focus on their job knowing that they had lost so many of their dear friends.

As well-trained professionals, the cabin crew has to welcome everyone on board with a warm smile, and see to the comfort and safety of every passenger. Now with the twin disasters of MH17 and MH370 still so fresh in their memory, what lies behind the welcome smiles? Fear? Grief? Numbness?

The grieving families need our support, so do the pilots and cabin staff. So does Malaysia Airlines, our national carrier. It has suffered blow after blow in the past years. Will the recent MH17 disaster be the last nail in the coffin for the ailing airline?

Would Malaysians want to see the demise of our beloved national carrier? Or are we prepared to give our full support to rescue plans to save it?

IN REMEMBRANCE OF MH17

THE RIGHT TO DIE WITH DIGNITY

At our age, many of us would probably have seen death up close in people we know and love. We have seen the acute pain and intense discomfort they have to endure, hour after endless hour, week after torturous week.

The doctors tell us to pray and hope for the best, but prepare for the worse. They assure us they will do everything they can for our loved one. 

But is this what our loved one really wants?  The person we once spent happy times with is now a shadow of himself, emaciated and barely able to recognize us through the haze of pain. There are tubes and drips hanging above his bed. He is hooked to machines that monitor his vital signs. He knows his death is a matter of time - a few months if he is lucky, or a few years if he is not. For him, the end-of-life is slow and agonizing.

Most Canadian doctors oppose physician-assisted
suicide. (Click here for more.)

There is no quality of life for him. He wants the doctors to pull the plug on all the machines that are keeping him in this vegetative state. He doesn't want the doctors to prolong his suffering. He wants to exercise his right to die with dignity. It is his life after all.

But he can't do it himself. He needs the help of his doctors. Will they do it?

More views and videos at www.realdignitytas.com 

Doctors working in hospitals see hundreds of terminally ill patients. They know in their hearts when a patient has little chance of making it through. They know the terrible side effects some of the drugs have on the patients, especially the elderly. They know despite everything they do, it will all likely be in vain.

They have taken the Hippocrates oath to save lives, so their hands are legally and morally tied. They have to continue administering pain-killers and hope their patients respond positively to the new drugs or treatment.

Click here to read more.

For elderly patients with a terminal illness, it is like being sentenced to a living hell. They don't have the strength to fight the illness, nor the will to live anymore. They just want to be left in peace to die. 

But for the family, they want to hold on to their loved one, even when he begs to be released from this endless suffering. To stand by and watch someone dying without doing everything possible to save him is against all that they have been taught - that life is to be valued and preserved whatever the cost, especially the life of a dearly loved parent or child.

The family also knows that prolonging treatment may drain every cent from their life savings, and leave them in dire financial straits. There are families who have taken huge loans or sold their only home to pay for medical and hospitalization fees that could easily run into hundreds of thousands of dollars. And all for what? 

Euthanasia or doctor-assisted suicide is illegal in most countries. Holland is one of a few countries that support euthanasia. No doctor would want to risk losing his license if found guilty of such 'mercy-killing'.

But this may soon change in the UK, if the Assisted Dying Bill is passed by Parliament. The Bill will be debated this week. Will other countries follow suit, and allow for debate on this controversial issue?

Desmond Tutu pleas for 'assisted dying' before historic Lords debate. Click here to read more.

Religious groups view life as sacrosanct. Only God has the power to take away life. However, retired Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa supports a person's right to die with dignity. He views Nelson Mandala's prolonged final days as 'an affront to dignity'. Read his article in The Guardian "Desmond Tutu: a dignified death is our right – I am in favour of assisted dying".

For one doctor's personal views about death and dying, do read his article "Our unrealistic views of death, through a doctor’s eyes" published in the Washington Post. Highly recommended reading.

And finally, for both sides of the controversial issue, do read "Right-to-die: For and against assisted suicide" in the BBC News.

Related article:

Would you pull the plug when the time comes?