Bye, Tanglin Halt: How Will The Elderly Cope With Relocation Life, Uprooted (2/2)

In a few months' time, one of Singapore's oldest estates, Tanglin Halt, will be an empty shell with the last of some 3,480 households finally moving out. It's all part of the Selective En-Bloc Redevelopment Scheme (SERS) to rejuvenate older housing estates, and affected residents have been progressively relocated to new flats at five nearby sites, at Dawson estate. But while this means modern new amenities for residents, the big move is disrupting social support networks for the elderly. The Tanglin Halt “kampung“ had been all about neighbours, hawkers and shopkeepers looking out for the vulnerable - including one activity centre that was “like family“ to the elderly. Who will fill that gap when this community is broken up? CNA Insider tracked some of the elderly residents over two years - including in the wake of the COVID-19 ‘circuit breaker’ which threw into painful relief the effects of social isolation on the elderly. WATCH Part 1 of Life uprooted: Dakota to Cassia For m