{"id":35473,"date":"2026-01-07T11:55:44","date_gmt":"2026-01-07T03:55:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/?p=35473"},"modified":"2026-01-07T11:59:02","modified_gmt":"2026-01-07T03:59:02","slug":"ageing-in-networks-living-alone-but-connected","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/2026\/01\/07\/ageing-in-networks-living-alone-but-connected\/","title":{"rendered":"Ageing in Networks: Living Alone but Connected"},"content":{"rendered":"

What does it mean to age well in a city where living alone is increasingly common? In\u202f<\/span>\u2018<\/span>Ageing in Networks: Living Alone but Connected<\/span>\u2019<\/span>\u202f(<\/span><\/span>Ageing & Society<\/span><\/span><\/em>, 2025), <\/span>Associate Professor <\/span>Vincent Chua<\/span> (NUS Sociology and Anthropology<\/span> & NUS Centre for Family and Population Research<\/span>), <\/span>Associate Professor <\/span>Chen-Chieh Feng<\/span> (NUS Geography<\/span>), and <\/span>Professor <\/span>Elaine Lynn-Ee Ho\u202f<\/span>(NUS Geography<\/span><\/span> & NUS\u00a0Asia Research Institut<\/span>e<\/span>) <\/span>propose a new conceptual framework for understanding later life in urban Asia.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Instead of viewing ageing only through physical spaces\u2014such as staying in one\u2019s home (ageing in place<\/em>) or moving between locations (ageing and place<\/em>)\u2014the authors propose the idea of\u00a0\u201cageing in networks.\u201d\u00a0This approach highlights how older adults stay connected through relationships that span homes, neighbourhoods, and even digital spaces. The article, based on a large-scale study of\u00a01,199 Singapore residents aged 60 to 92\u00a0in Hougang and Taman Jurong, reports that many who live alone remain socially active and supported through diverse networks of care.<\/p>\n

Using surveys and digital mapping tools, the study traces how older adults\u2019 connections\u2014ranging from close family bonds to friendships with neighbours, former colleagues, and community members\u2014shape their everyday routines and wellbeing. While family often forms the heart of these networks, looser ties provide valuable companionship, information, and help in daily life. Together, these overlapping circles of connection create a social safety net that goes beyond the household.<\/p>\n

The authors assert that what truly matters for wellbeing is not where older adults live, but\u00a0who they stay in touch with. Close relationships help reduce feelings of depression, while wider networks open doors to activities, services, and opportunities. Many older adults travel across Singapore to meet friends at hawker centres, community clubs, or places of worship\u2014not just for errands, but to maintain meaningful connections. Even those living alone often keep in touch through phone calls, WhatsApp, or social media, showing that\u00a0social isolation, not physical distance, is the real challenge.<\/p>\n

By introducing the concept of\u00a0\u201cageing in networks,\u201d\u00a0the authors call for a shift in how we think about ageing policy\u2014from building only physical infrastructure to also nurturing\u00a0social infrastructure. Supporting friendships, neighbourhood networks, and digital inclusion can help older adults live independently while staying connected. Singapore, they argue, offers an important example of how strong relationships and not just well-designed spaces can help people age well in modern cities.<\/p>\n

Read the article here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Read the Straits Times<\/em> opinion piece on the study, ‘When seniors live alone, it doesn\u2019t mean they are lonely’, published on 7 January 2026, here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"
Photo: \u2018Care centre for the elderly at Braddell Heights Community Hub\u2019 by Kelman Chiang, from SRN\u2019s SG Photobank<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What does it mean to age well in a city where living alone is increasingly common? In\u202f\u2018Ageing in Networks: Living Alone but Connected\u2019\u202f(Ageing & Society, 2025), Associate Professor Vincent Chua (NUS Sociology and Anthropology & NUS Centre for Family and Population Research), Associate Professor Chen-Chieh Feng (NUS Geography), and Professor Elaine Lynn-Ee Ho\u202f(NUS Geography & […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":348,"featured_media":35474,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"site-sidebar-layout":"default","site-content-layout":"","ast-site-content-layout":"default","site-content-style":"default","site-sidebar-style":"default","ast-global-header-display":"","ast-banner-title-visibility":"","ast-main-header-display":"","ast-hfb-above-header-display":"","ast-hfb-below-header-display":"","ast-hfb-mobile-header-display":"","site-post-title":"","ast-breadcrumbs-content":"","ast-featured-img":"","footer-sml-layout":"","theme-transparent-header-meta":"default","adv-header-id-meta":"","stick-header-meta":"","header-above-stick-meta":"","header-main-stick-meta":"","header-below-stick-meta":"","astra-migrate-meta-layouts":"set","ast-page-background-enabled":"default","ast-page-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"ast-content-background-meta":{"desktop":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"tablet":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""},"mobile":{"background-color":"var(--ast-global-color-5)","background-image":"","background-repeat":"repeat","background-position":"center center","background-size":"auto","background-attachment":"scroll","background-type":"","background-media":"","overlay-type":"","overlay-color":"","overlay-opacity":"","overlay-gradient":""}},"footnotes":""},"categories":[4541,4606,4609,4545,4604],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-35473","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-geography","category-research","category-singapore-research-nexus","category-sociology","category-visible"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35473","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/348"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35473"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35473\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35675,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35473\/revisions\/35675"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35474"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35473"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35473"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/fass.nus.edu.sg\/srn\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35473"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}