The phrase ‘productive aging’ has been used with increased frequency in the context of Singapore’s increasing elderly population. Productive aging comprises paid work, caregiving, volunteering, and other useful activities performed by the elderly to benefit both themselves and society. This approach differs from the traditional and egocentric concepts of healthy, active, and successful aging that were conventionally used in aging research.

In ‘Lifelong Education for Aging Productively (LEAP) in Singapore’, Associate Professor Feng Qiushi (NUS Sociology) and his research team expand on earlier findings which developed an ecological and life-course framework to study productive aging to examine its practice amongst older Singaporean adults. They aim to identify the reasons and interventions that enable these older Singaporeans to continue being productive members of their family, community, and society. A greater focus will be placed on studying older adults who were compelled to continue working due to insufficient financial capital.