Speech by Mr Gan Kim Yong, Minister for Health, at Neighbours for Active Living – Volunteers' Appreciation Day 2019

Mr Goh Chok Tong, Emeritus Senior Minister

Dr Mohamad Maliki Osman, Mayor of South East District

Professor Fatimah Lateef, Adviser to Marine Parade GRC GROs

Healthcare and Community Partners

Ladies and Gentlemen

1.        It is my pleasure to join you this afternoon in showing our appreciation to the volunteers from the Neighbours for Active Living programme, or “Neighbours” in short.

Building Communities of Care

2.        Last month in Parliament, we debated two motions on the importance of providing seniors and their caregivers with support, opportunities and assurance that our seniors will be able to age with purpose and dignity. At the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) recent Committee of Supply debate, Senior Minister of State Dr Amy Khor also spoke about our efforts in the three “P”s – people, places and programmes – to empower our seniors to age well and stay connected in a caring community. Given our changing demographic, more seniors are likely to live alone. Creating inclusive and caring communities is even more crucial to enable our seniors to age-in-place.

3.        This is why in 2016, we launched the Community Networks for Seniors (CNS) initiative to bring together voluntary welfare organisations, grassroots, government agencies and community partners to promote active ageing, and offer befriending and care services to support our seniors. Since the beginning of 2018, our 3,000-strong Silver Generation Ambassadors have engaged around 280,000 seniors nationwide. Over 63,000 seniors participate in exercise regularly and about 45,000 seniors have attended functional screening under Project Silver Screen, a partnership between MOH, Temasek Foundation Cares and the business community.

Integrating Health and Social Care

4.        Our experience with CNS showed that building strong communities of care requires our community partners to work closely together to coordinate and integrate care for our seniors. The Neighbours programme, which started as a pilot collaboration between the South East Community Development Council and Changi General Hospital (CGH), is a good example of how health and social care services work together to support vulnerable seniors in the community. Under the Neighbours programme, seniors discharged from hospital are cared for by CGH’s Neighbours Community Care Teams and matched to Friend-A-Senior volunteer befrienders. The volunteers will watch over the seniors and assist to flag out any post-discharge care needs to the Community Care Teams for follow up. They are also supported by a 24-hour Care Line run by CGH. This ensures that seniors are being cared for seamlessly even as they transit from the hospital back home.

5.        The Neighbours programme, which is going into its sixth year, has been successful in meeting the needs of vulnerable seniors and has led to significant reduction in their re-admission. This is only possible with the commitment and dedication of the Community Care Teams and volunteers. Over the years, the Neighbours programme has steadily built up 800 trained volunteers to provide befriending support in the South East district. Many of them have served in the community for several years.

6.        Two such inspiring volunteers are Mdm Annie Yeo and Mdm Jennie Woon. Both of them are in their 70s and joined the Friend-A-Senior programme in 2015, where they were assigned to befriend an older senior, Mdm Fang, who is in her 90s. They live in the same neighbourhood in Changi Simei. When Mdm Fang fell ill and nearly slipped into depression in 2018, Annie and Jennie visited her frequently to provide care and emotional support. Mdm Fang has since grown very fond of them, and looks forward to their visits which bring her much happiness and joy. Annie and Jennie’s story shows that you are never too old to volunteer and make a difference in someone’s life.

Volunteering for Active Ageing

7.        I am heartened to learn that many of the Neighbours’ volunteers today are seniors themselves. Indeed, our seniors hold a wealth of experience, knowledge and wisdom, and are invaluable assets in the community that we should tap on. Seniors find it easier to befriend fellow seniors in need. Many of them volunteer their time in various roles and capacities in the community today. Some senior volunteers have shared with me that they like volunteering as it helps keep them mentally engaged and socially connected. Volunteerism also gives them a strong sense of purpose as they get to help the larger community and contribute back to society.

8.        Even as our population ages, there is an opportunity for us to foster a generation of modern ‘active agers’ of the likes of Annie and Jennie, who approach ageing with a positive mindset, keep themselves healthy and active, and support one another in the community. By doing so, we will be able to redefine ageing and add more life to our years, and make Singapore a Nation for All Ages.

Conclusion

9.        To all our Neighbours’ volunteers, healthcare and community partners and friends gathered here today, I thank you for your efforts in touching and brightening the lives of our seniors, and creating an enabling environment for them to keep active and connected to the community, and stay healthy for many more years to come.

10.       I wish all of you an enjoyable event. Thank you.