By Salma Khalik, HEALTH CORRESPONDENT

SINGAPORE'S elderly will be spoilt for choice in how they spend their time and money - with hundreds of students thinking there is a rosy future in serving them.

This 'overwhelming' response to the first gerontology course, which will arm graduates with the knowledge and skills to target a greying population, caught Temasek Polytechnic by surprise.

Course manager Chan Lai Pheng said the 40 places were more than 20 times oversubscribed. The three-year diploma course, which starts today, has had its intake increased to 48.

Ms Chan said the school did not want to take in too many students. This was to ensure its first batch would have little difficulty finding jobs. Numbers are set to increase over the years.

The course aims to teach students to cater specifically to the 'active agers' of today, who are far more demanding than the seniors of previous generations.

'These baby boomers don't plan to go quietly into their sunset years. Even though their bodies might not be so flexible, they demand meaningful lifestyles,' she said.

They will need travel tours that are not so rushed and not as physically demanding. Many older travellers prefer trips that give them a flavour of a country's heritage, said Ms Chan.

Students will learn the psychological outlook of seniors, their social interactions and nutritional needs. The course also comes coupled with very strong business management fundamentals that should make them highly employable.

Temasek estimates the silver market in Singapore will be worth at least $16 billion a year by 2015 - a segment that will continue to grow as the population ages.

'Sunset years are a sunrise industry,' said Ms Chan.

The course will focus on four areas:

• Financial products and services that will help seniors manage their savings;
• Assistive technology that will bring or use relevant equipment to help them stay independent;
• Health care and wellness to keep them active for longer;
• Leisure and travel so they can continue to enjoy their preferred lifestyles.

An added attraction are the 15 scholarships, worth $9,000 each, that will be offered for the first three intakes. The no-strings-attached incentives are from the Tsao Foundation, a non-profit organisation that tries to enhance life for the elderly.

Mr Phua Kok Tee, 71, who heads the Singapore Action Group of Elders (Sage), lauded the move.

'There is definitely a need for such a course. Western societies have aged earlier and already acquired such expertise,' said Mr Phua.

He sees three areas where there is a definite need for services to cater to the elderly. One is travel, which older people enjoy, but 'they get tired more easily and may need more toilet breaks. They also see no need to rush through places.'

Seniors also need to remain employed for as long as possible for self-respect and financial independence. But they prefer flexibility, so they may work fewer hours or days and earn less. Human resource managers who can arrange this would be doing a great service.

Third, Mr Phua said, there should be continuous lifelong learning for them - and at a pace they can accept. Last year, Sage taught more than 800 seniors how to use the computer, he said. So there are business opportunities for those willing to take them on.

The fortunate students who beat 20-to-one odds to get a place in the inaugural course are eagerly awaiting their first class.

Ms Cassandra Seto, 16, opted for the gerontology course because it is hands-on. She said: 'We will learn how to deal with various real-life situations, like working in a human resource department and managing senior workers. The hands-on learning in this course will prepare us for the world of work.'

This article was first published in The Straits Times.