Related Experiment Videos
Living alone: elderly Chinese Singaporeans
Yang-Sheng Wong1, Lois M Verbrugge
1University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA. wongys@umich.edu
Abstract:
Asian societies maintain the norm that older people should live with their children. Yet some older people live alone. This is the first study to explore social isolation, strategies of coping, and preferences about living arrangements among Chinese Singaporeans aged 65+ who live alone. Data from 19 semi-structured interviews were analyzed. The elderly people who live alone either have no other alternative, or they choose it despite opportunities to live with others. Regardless of the initial reason, solo-dwellers in Singapore succeed at living alone by developing behavioral and psychological strategies that help overcome social isolation. Their main link to the "outside" world is access to medical and social services. Despite some hardships, many prefer living alone because it has become familiar and personally comfortable.
Related Concept Videos
Continuing Care
Aging
Cellular Clock Theory
The cellular clock theory posits that the human lifespan is closely tied to the finite capacity of cells to divide, a phenomenon governed by telomeres, which are protective caps at the ends of...
Erikson's Theory on Socioemotional Development during Adulthood
Intimacy Versus Isolation in Early Adulthood
Individuals in early adulthood, from the 20s...
Development of Human Microbiota
Drug Dosing: Geriatric Patients
Cognitive Development During Adulthood