Speech by Mr Edwin Tong, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of Health, at RSVP Singapore International Day of Older Persons 2018 Celebration, 29 September 2018

Mr Koh Juay Meng, Chairman, RSVP Singapore 

Ladies and Gentleman

        A very good morning to all. I am happy to join you today in celebrating the International Day of Older Persons. This is the fifth year we are celebrating this special day, a timely occasion for us to recognise and show care and affection for our seniors.

2          Our seniors are key pillars in our families and in our community. They have not only raised us, but also passed on values and traditions that are important to us as a society. Many of our seniors are also leaders in the workforce and community, contributing their wisdom to our nation’s development. Our country would not be where we are today, without the contributions and efforts of our seniors. Many of you are active volunteers. For example, more than 1 in 3 of our Silver Generation Ambassadors and around half of Health Promotion Board’s Health Ambassadors are over 60 years old. With longer and healthier life expectancies, we can redefine the ageing experience, and maximise the opportunities that come from longevity.   
 
Building Communities of Care

3          In 2015, the Government invested $3 billion to launch the action plan for successful ageing across 70 initiatives in 12 areas to promote healthy and active ageing, and to empower Singaporeans with more opportunities to age gracefully and in place. Every senior should have opportunities to stay active and pursue their aspirations and to take pride in what they do. 

4          To build communities of care in every neighbourhood, we launched the Community Networks for Seniors (CNS) initiative in 2016. Through CNS, we bring together Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs), grassroots organisations, government agencies and community partners with a common goal to promote active ageing, offer befriending and care and support services to our seniors. Our Silver Generation Ambassadors have engaged over 180,000 seniors nationwide, with thousands of them participating in regular exercises across 400 precincts, and over 23,000 seniors have attended functional screening under Project Silver Screen, a partnership between the Ministry of Health, Temasek Foundation Cares and the business community.      

Promoting Senior Volunteerism and Lifelong Learning

5          Beyond keeping our seniors well and active, we strive to promote senior volunteerism where active agers can help keep an eye out for lonely seniors. The Silver Volunteer Fund (SVF) under the Action Plan for Successful Ageing was launched to promote senior volunteerism.  Since the Fund’s inception in 2015, we have created about 7,000 volunteer opportunities for seniors. One of the key programmes funded by SVF is the Community Befriending Programme. To date, this programme has about 1,200 senior volunteers who befriend more than 3,200 seniors across various constituencies. Through this befriending programme, we hope to build a more caring community with stronger networks, especially for seniors living alone. Those who live alone may find it difficult to reconnect to society and the community. Apart from physical and mental well-being, we must also look after our seniors' social well-being as well. 
 
6          To promote lifelong learning, the National Silver Academy has a diverse range of 900 courses providing over 19,000 learning places for seniors to participate in.  These courses range from IT courses to art, wellness and life skills related courses. The feedback from participants has been encouraging. Many shared that they benefitted from these learning opportunities. We hope to reach out to more people and offer more programmes that people are interested in. 
 
Empower Seniors through RSVP’s Initiatives

7          Though its initiatives and community service programmes, RSVP Singapore has empowered seniors to volunteer and reach out to more than 200,000 beneficiaries each year, including the mentally disadvantaged, at-risk children from low income families, and socially isolated seniors.

8          One example of an active volunteer is 67-year-old Mr Simon Tung, who used to work in the marine engineering industry. Simon first heard about RSVP during the National Senior Volunteer Month in 2015, and signed up as a volunteer. He’s currently a team leader in the Enriching Lives of Seniors Programme, where he engages and befriends seniors at the Redhill Senior Activity Centre. Simon also actively volunteers with the soup kitchen at Willing Hearts, and keeps up a healthy lifelong learning habit by attending various talks at the National Library Board and activities by Council of Third Age and Fei Yue Family Service Centre. I hear he is an avid learner, and is currently learning how to sing and play the ukulele. He is indeed an inspiration to many of us.   

Conclusion

9          To conclude, preparing for ageing is a whole of society effort. The Government will continue to support this by planning ahead, improving our infrastructure and expanding capacity for aged care services.   But the “software” comes from our people – strong families and communities who care for seniors in our midst.  As a society, we must build a strong culture of care - in our homes, workplaces and the community. On this note, I would like to thank RSVP Singapore for organising this event in appreciation of the seniors, caregivers, volunteers and service providers in our midst, and sending out a strong message that this is a society that cares for one another. I hope that the efforts continue and you will grow your volunteer network to look after Singapore and Singaporeans. 

10         Thank you and I wish all of you a pleasant day.