ACCESS Health Southeast Asia host inaugural Modern Aging Series Panel

On November 16, ACCESS Health Southeast Asia kicked off the inaugural Modern Aging Series Panel, which explored opportunities for innovation in aging in Singapore and APAC. In attendance were representatives from the industry, including pharma, design, finance, research, social, and the public sector.

The first session focused on opportunities in the longevity economy, with speakers highlighting cross-cutting areas for aging innovation, including translational medicine for aging, inclusive consumer products (e.g. travel industry), workplace longevity, and job redesign for older adults.

Some key takeaways from the session were:

– Prioritize health span over life span: Longevity medicine research and chronic disease management will maximizing the productive years of older adults
– Job redesign for older adults must be centered around their needs (e.g. flexible working hours)
– Reskilling initiatives should tailor to older adults’ learning pace and industry demands.
– Workplace and business innovation require cross-industry coalitions to increase workplace inclusivity for older workers.
– Every generation of older adults (Boomers, Gen X) has different consumer preferences and literacy that product innovation for aging must factor in.

Overall, the inaugural Modern Aging panel reflected a plurality of insights on the potential of longevity economy in local and regional industries, as well as the shared interest in aging innovation.