The COVID-19 pandemic brought about safe distancing measures that are unprecedented. This article details the impact of the pandemic across research studies involving older persons in Singapore, and assesses the different strategies used to adapt to their needs in the context of evolving public health measures. The pandemic exposed diverse experiences of vulnerability among older persons, pushing for critical reflections on ethics of participation and social inclusion as the new research normal. We emphasize the importance of practicing flexibility: consideration for differentiated approaches to recruitment and data collection that should be proactively embedded in research designs for older persons during the pandemic and beyond.

Centenarians have often been regarded as living paradigms of exceptional longevity yet little is known from their perspective about the purpose, meaning and quality of living longer lives. In Singapore, the number of centenarians has multiplied 30-fold from 50 in 1990 to about 1500 in 2020. Although centenarians are respected as ‘national treasures’ – having witnessed Singapore’s transformation from British colony to global city state, their needs remain invisible in both the healthcare and social sectors. The tendency to romanticize exceptional longevity neglects a deeper understanding of (i) its consequence on the oldest old (85+ years) who may be impacted by severe functional and sensory deficits and (ii) their experience of social isolation in the family and communities. This paper discusses findings based on interviews with 15 Singapore centenarians (100 to 111 years old) and their family carers. Diverse experiences of longevity are shaped by these factors: health status; personal disposition; strength of family and social networks; exposure to adversity and coping resources; spiritual beliefs; role loss; and changes in the lived environment. Appropriate health and psychosocial interventions could have been delivered earlier in the life trajectory to enable better quality of life and continued social engagement. Learning from the challenges (eg. social withdrawal; extensive functional and sensory losses) of existing centenarians contributes to a more precise understanding of how best to harness the productive capacities of our oldest old.