Speech by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health, at C3A's positive ageing conference - the better me, 22 March 2018

Mdm Chua Foo Yong, Chairman, Council for Third Age

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

1.     A very good afternoon to everyone. I am very happy to join you here today at the Positive Ageing Conference.  This is the third edition of the Conference since its inaugural run in 2015, and today’s theme, “The Better Me”, reminds us how ageing can be a meaningful journey of discovery, growth and fulfilment for all of us.

2.     Today, Singapore has around 500,000 seniors aged 65 and above. By 2030, we expect this number to almost double to around 900,000, or one in four Singaporeans^[1].  Our Health-Adjusted Life Expectancy (HALE), which estimates the average number of years a person is expected to live in good health, is also increasing faster than life expectancy^[2], due in part to good public health. If we stay healthy for longer, we can have an ageing population that enjoys productive longevity. In fact, our future cohorts of seniors are becoming more educated and skilled, so there is no better time to take advantage of our longer life years than now.

Graceful and Confident Ageing

3.     Our vision is for Singapore to be a Nation for All Ages.  In support of this, the Ministerial Committee on Ageing launched a $3 billion Action Plan for Successful Ageing in 2015, covering more than 70 initiatives across 12 areas. This serves as our blueprint for a nation-wide effort to help Singaporeans age gracefully and confidently.

4.     The Action Plan has three key thrusts.  First, we want to create opportunities for individuals to continue to develop and grow regardless of age.  Seniors may find purpose in their silver years not by working but by developing their interests or pursuing their own passion or causes through learning and volunteering.  Second, we want to create a Kampong for All Ages, with communities of care to support seniors in ageing in place.  We are rolling out active ageing programmes, and joining up care and support across health and social domains, for seniors.   Third, at the national level, we are transforming our housing estates, transport networks and parks into a City for All Ages, so that seniors remain active and independent.

5.     Taken together, the initiatives in the Action Plan seek to reframe individual and societal notions of ageing, and deepen our efforts at positive ageing.  Today let me share more on our progress on two fronts – lifelong learning, and senior volunteerism.

Learning is Ageless   

6.     In 2015, we partnered MOE to launch the National Silver Academy (NSA) as one of the initiatives under the Action Plan, to provide lifelong learning opportunities for seniors.  NSA is a network of institutions comprising our Post-Secondary Education Institutions (PSEIs) and community based organisations that provide learning places for Singaporeans 50 years old and above at subsidised rates.  Seniors can also make use of their SkillsFuture Credit to sign up for most of the courses.

7.     Senior learning has tremendous benefits.  Our research shows that participating in NSA courses has a positive impact on seniors - learning increases self-esteem and confidence, helps one to cope better with stress and empowers one to make a contribution to the community.  I am happy to know that to date, NSA has benefitted nearly 15,000 participants.  We hope to reach out to many more.     

Diverse learning opportunities

8.     Today, NSA supports a diverse offering of courses, spanning the areas of Health and Wellness, IT & Science, Ageing & Life Skills, Humanities, Finance & Business, and Media, Arts & Design. Around 900 courses are offered by 29 NSA partners.  These range from art therapy courses at NAFA and Lasalle, to essential skills for living, such as Personal Financial Planning for seniors, offered by ITE.

9.     One of the unique features of NSA is that seniors can attend courses at the PSEIs such as polytechnics and universities, in classes taught by professional lecturers. Learning is modular, plus there is no exam stress.  For some seniors, I hear that returning to their alma mater brings back memories of their good old school days.  For others, it also unlocks opportunities to acquire new knowledge, and they get to interact with younger classmates as learning peers.

10.     Ms Tracy Ho is one example of a baby boomer who draws energy from learning new things.  At 60, Tracy runs a successful business in industrial equipment.  She has always been interested in the Arts but never had a chance to pursue her interest. Through NSA, she signed up for an art appreciation course last year, and found herself making like-minded friends outside her work life.  She went on to enrol in more courses and completed a drawing course at NAFA last month. Her quest for learning continues as she will be embarking on a module on Principles of Economics at NTU. Now that’s what I call a serial learner!

Intergenerational and Online Learning 

11.     As we expand choices for seniors, we are also looking to introduce different ways of learning. An example is the Intergenerational Learning Programme (ILP) where seniors are paired with students to work on projects, which also has the benefit of promoting inter-generational understanding and bonding. One participant is Ms Mary Loh Foong Mui, who had taken the ILP to learn more about using social media, in particular Facebook and learning how to blog. She was paired up with a student-teacher, and took delight in learning from her young mentor.  She is already looking forward to another ILP session!  

12.     In a digital age, online learning also allows us to learn on the go.  Today, a curation of online courses and videos is available on the NSA website for seniors to learn at their own pace and time.  These include online media and courses on topics such as health & wellness, Traditional Chinese Medicine, positive ageing and financial planning.  C3A is growing this list, so that our course offerings stay relevant for the times.

13.     For seniors with us today, I would encourage you to take a minute or two to browse the NSA website or mobile application, and you might discover new interests or courses.

Volunteering Adds Meaning to Your Silver Years

14.     The new knowledge from learning can empower seniors to contribute in meaningful ways and help others. There are more than 7,000 volunteering opportunities made available under the Silver Volunteer Fund, which support programmes that offer volunteer opportunities for seniors. One of the volunteering programmes is the Community Befriending Programme, where senior volunteers provide companionship and support to other seniors by offering their listening ears and helping to look out for them through home visits and phone calls.

15.     The Community Befriending Programme is currently available through 16 community organisations across Singapore. This programme benefits not only the befriendees, but also the senior volunteers themselves. Take for example, Mr Tan Eng Cheow, a senior volunteer. Mr Tan suffered a stroke some years ago, and had to give up his fruit stall business to recuperate. As his condition improved, he started volunteering and now visits his four befriendees twice a month. One of them is Mr Beh, who is wheel-chair bound and initially found it hard to socialise with others. Since Mr Tan’s first visit to Mr Beh, they have grown to be friends. And in the process of helping others, Mr Tan feels he has enabled himself and others to become better versions of themselves.

16.     This is but one of the many positive contributions that senior volunteers can make in the community. We have also drawn inspiration from the Japanese concept of “Ibasho”, where local residents come together to create shared community spaces so that they can contribute and participate actively in their own communities.  Learning from the Japanese, last year, I launched a community café in Hong Kah North, which is run by senior volunteers from the REACH Community Services. The café provides a social platform for seniors and youth alike to drop in and bond through social activities such as cooking, health workshops and exercises.  More recently, we also started health screening at the café where about 40 senior residents and volunteers were screened for vision, hearing and oral health.  By bringing seniors together for meaningful activities, regardless of whether they are a volunteer or resident, we hope to create a place where they can encourage each other to keep healthy, remain self-reliant and active in the community.

17.     We want to encourage more seniors to keep active, and stay connected with their communities so that they can age in place.   In order to reach out to future generations of seniors, the Pioneer Generation Office (PGO), which will be renamed Silver Generation Office (SGO) from next month, will therefore be growing its pool of volunteer ambassadors to conduct outreach to seniors who reach the age of 65. There are currently 3,000 trained ambassadors and SGO aims to increase the number by 10% this year.

18.     Currently, 4 in 10 of our active Silver Generation (SG) Ambassadors are aged 60 and above. And they are encouraging fellow seniors to come forward in various ways. This year for example, as part of the Community Networks for Seniors (CNS) outreach, SG Ambassadors will be inviting seniors to volunteer, not just with the Silver Generation Office, but also with organisations such as National Library Board (NLB), RSVP Singapore and Team Nila, so that more seniors can contribute and gain new meaning in their silver years. 

Conclusion

19.     Today, I am glad to see so many seniors at the Positive Ageing Conference who embody the spirit of active ageing.  How we choose to age determines the fulfilment we draw from it.   We can live life with a positive outlook, celebrate the bonus years we have, and seize opportunities to make good of the extension in life. 

20.      Together, we can redefine the notion of ageing, broaden our horizons through lifelong learning, and make Singapore a Nation for All Ages.  On this closing note, I would like to thank the Council for Third Age for putting this conference together. I wish all of you a fruitful event.  Thank you.

^[1] DOS. Number of citizens aged 65 and above will increase from 496,000 in 2017 to around 900,000 in 2030 (i.e. 81% increase). 

^[2] DOS; Epidemiology and Disease Control Division, Ministry of Health. Between 2004 and 2010, while the average life expectancy increased by 2.1 years, the HALE increased by 3.4 years in the same time period.