Wards without air-con too warm to rest well in

I thank The Straits Times' Senior Executive Content Producer Denise Chong for bringing attention to the issue of air-conditioning for subsidised wards (Air-con for subsidised wards: Debate gets another airing, Sept 29).

I went to the National University Hospital for an angioscopy, and had to stay there overnight. Fans were at full blast throughout the day at the B2 ward. It was so warm that it was not possible to sleep or rest well during the day, and there was some respite only after midnight.

It makes no sense for wards to not be air-conditioned. This policy was put in place a long time ago. Times have changed. Climate change has increased temperatures, with Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong acknowledging that "Singapore is already palpably warmer than what Singapore was 30 to 40 years ago" (Govt on the side of youth concerned about climate change, Sept 29). 온라인바카라

As Ms Chong points out, many places are now air-conditioned. Today, air-con is a necessity, not a luxury.

There is an old argument that the elderly don't like air-con or the cold, which may be true. But this is not a binary issue, temperatures can be calibrated and set at a cool but not cold temperature, perhaps around 25 deg C to 27 deg C.

It is high time this archaic policy was revamped.

Much more thought needs to go into how Singapore can support the elderly.

I took my elderly mother to a recent Health Promotion Board road show in Tampines.

There were priority queues for the Pioneer and Merdeka generation visitors. But the floorboards in the tented area were uneven.

And when we were done, barricades had been put up at the entrance, which was closest to the taxi stand. To get to the taxi stand, the crowd had to get to the exit at the far end, and then walk along the road to circle back to the entrance.

Two young women manning the exit helped to walk my mother to the exit. By then, she was exhausted.

To make matters worse, while waiting for a taxi which the women helped us book, at least seven personal mobility devices zoomed past.

It is such minuscule details that are often overlooked that make a big difference to seniors.

There needs to be greater understanding as to what ambulant seniors need and find useful - from accessibility ramps to hand-holds for steps, and regularly spaced seating areas along walkways to more accommodation and flexibility in terms of closing off exits.

While things have improved for wheelchair users, the people who can still move about independently but tire quickly have been neglected.

It is one thing to encourage seniors to be more active and track 10,000 steps daily. It is quite another to ensure that they can move about safely, without falling.