Speech | Welcome Address by REDAS President at REDAS-Ageing Asia Dialogue | 20 Nov 2025
INAUGURAL REDAS-AGEING ASIA DIALOGUE 2025
20 NOVEMBER 2025, THURSDAY, 2PM
ORCHARD HOTEL
WELCOME ADDRESS BY
MR TAN SWEE YIOW, PRESIDENT OF REDAS
Good afternoon fellow members, distinguished guests, ladies and gentlemen.
It’s my pleasure to welcome everyone to the inaugural REDAS – Ageing Asia Dialogue.
This meaningful partnership brings together leaders and practitioners from the real estate, healthcare and public sectors to discuss one of the most important topics of our time.
How can we enable Singaporeans to age well, live well and care well?
A Market Taking Shape
As Singapore’s ageing population continues to grow, the conversation around assisted living developments has become more relevant than ever.
Yet, we must also ask ourselves honestly.
Is there truly a market here today?
What do our seniors want? Are they ready to embrace these new lifestyles?
Are we ready to make this viable?
Like many parts of the world, Singapore faces the twin challenges of rising life expectancy and declining birth rates.
By 2030, more than 900,000 Singaporeans will be aged 65 and above
That is about one in four of us.
This demographic shift requires us to rethink how we design our homes, communities and services.
And this speaks directly to the mission of our association.
That is to build inclusive spaces for the community that are resilient and ready for the future.
The Challenges Ahead
To make this work, there are many issues we have to tackle.
From urban planning, design and development, to manpower, culture and business models, these are all pieces of a puzzle we need to fit together.
Because this is not just about constructing buildings.
It is about building connections between generations, between public and private sectors, between care and community.
A Call to Collaborate
Today’s dialogue is the beginning of a longer conversation that we, as a nation, must take together.
We need to explore questions like,
Should we consider a separate zoning category for senior living, to facilitate development?
Or would integration within mixed-use projects encourage intergenerational interaction and connection?
How can design, technology and programming support the physical, social and emotional well-being of our seniors?
Each choice carries implications for urban planning, financing and policy coordination.
At REDAS, we believe collaboration is key.
We will continue to work closely with government agencies, operators, and our members, to create spaces for people to age with dignity, care and a sense of belonging.
By all means, feel free to share them with us.
I have asked many questions today but I do not have all the answers.
I will now leave these to be answered by our speakers and panellists.
Closing
Before I do that, I would like to thank Ageing Asia and all our distinguished speakers and participants for joining us today.
My appreciation also goes to the organising committee, led by Chairperson Isaac, for their hard work in putting this event together.
This dialogue is the start of a shared journey towards understanding the market, confronting the challenges and co-creating solutions that can turn care into action, and vision into reality.
Thank you and I wish you a fruitful dialogue.
