Disability rates highest among
elderly women

WOMEN may live longer but they are in a worse physical condition than men as disability tends to increase with age.

The 2004 AWARE-TSAO Foundation report on Women and Income Security in an ageing Singapore population shows that the number of women among the semi-ambulant and non-ambulant elderly aged 65 and above is double that of men in 2000.

Older people are considered ‘semi-ambulant’ if they need some assistance such as walking aids to help them move about. Those who are ‘non-ambulant’ are the least physically mobile, and are mostly bed bound or wheelchair-dependent. In absolute numbers, there were a total of 17,270 older women in both categories compared to only 8,580 men in 2000.

Physical frailty comes with older ages, and the report shows that women outnumber men significantly. Among the oldest old (aged 80 or over), older women outnumbered men by more than 1.7 times.

More older women with disabilities lived alone

Another disturbing fact that has also emerged from the report is that among the aged semi-ambulant and non-ambulant who lived either alone or with another elderly person, majority of them were older women.

Statistically, a significant 73% of these elderly who were not living with their spouses and children were women, and they number about 2,300. Compared with older women, there were only 808 older men aged 65+ who were living alone or with another elderly person.

Eldercare policies

The AWARE-TSAO Foundation report shows that older women continue to outnumber older men; not only among the oldest old, but also among the semi-ambulatory or non-ambulatory. who live alone and have no family support.

Policies addressing the needs of older people should consider the gender dimension in ageing, and pay special attention to the income security needs of this particular group of 2,000+ older women who have to cope with living alone and with disabilities.

Unfortunately, their numbers are set to rise with rapid feminization of ageing. Without the eldercare provided by family members, they will most certainly spend their later years in chronic poverty and abject living conditions unless external help is extended to them.

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Widow Madam Aw Choy Kum, 76, is semi-ambulant and lives alone. She was depressed and suicidal when she became homebound after suffering from a stroke. Help from Hua Mei Mobile Clinic gave her a new lease of life. Read more