Paper short abstract:

The paper examines social well-being among Singaporean seniors living in public studio housing . With the norm for seniors to live with their families, understanding the experiences of the residents will shed light on the meanings of this new form of 'senior housing' on their sense of well-being.

Paper long abstract:

While living with the family remains a widely accepted norm among the seniors in Singapore; in reality, we are witnessing a shift in living arrangements of the seniors, where more are living only with spouse-only or alone. One indication of the shift is reflected in the launch of the Public housing - HDB (Housing and Development Board) studio apartments in end 1990s catering to residents age 55 and above. Referred to as an exception in the family-nucleus focused public housing policy, the HDB studio apartments not only opens up an alternative to senior housing, but also a viable option to financing well-being with one's downsizing of housing types. What characterizes the studio apartments for seniors? How have living in a studio apartment impact on the well-being of its residents? Through an exploration of the daily experiences of the residents, their concerns, practices and strategies, the paper attempts to shed light on the meanings they envisage of the studio apartment concept they live in as a new form of "senior housing" affecting one' well-being in old age. In the discussion, the differences in experiences between the older male and female residents will be highlighted in arguing for a need of a gender-sensitive approach in understanding later life well-being.