Health-seeking behaviour of the elderly living alone in an urbanised low-income community in Singapore

The approval of the SingHealth Centralised Institutional Review Board was obtained before the study was conducted.The investigators were all practising family physicians caring for the elderly in hospital and home care settings.Participants were recruited from the elderly population living in the Chin Swee INTRODUCTIONElderly persons who live alone are more likely to be socially isolated and at increased risk of adverse health outcomes, unnecessary hospital re-admissions and premature mortality.We aimed to understand the health-seeking behaviour of elderly persons living alone in public rental housing in Singapore. METHODSIn-depth interviews were conducted using a semi-structured question guide.Participants were selected using a purposive sampling approach.Interviews were conducted until theme saturation was reached.Qualitative data collected was analysed using manual thematic coding methods. RESULTSData analysis revealed five major themes: accessibility of healthcare services and financial assistance schemes; perceived high cost of care; self-management; self-reliance; and mismatch between perceived needs and services. CONCLUSIONElderly persons living in one-room rental flats are a resilient and resourceful group that values self-reliance and independence.Most of the elderly who live alone develop self-coping mechanisms to meet their healthcare needs rather than seek formal medical consultation.The insightful findings from this study should be taken into consideration when models of healthcare delivery are being reviewed and designed so as to support the disadvantaged elderly living alone.