Singapore, you did it your way
From battling basic diseases to quality ageing
My travels have brought me to a room with glass-paneled doors pushed open to reveal 10-15 seated senior citizens, facing a wall-mounted television, below a public housing block. Holding court, with a wireless microphone nestled in one hand, is 72-year-old Mr Song KM. Dressed in a bright yellow polo shirt and khaki-coloured shorts, one hand holds a mic as Mr Song’s voice hovers over a note, while his free hand does the same.
“It’s a good way to spend time, to socialise with people. And the services are free!” said the sprightly gentleman.
In addition to the monthly sing-along (I learnt that it’s called “karaoke”) session, Mr Song says he also participates in the centre’s monthly bingo game.
Mr Song’s Wellbeing Coordinator (WBC), Choel Poh from SCH, introduced him to this active ageing centre (AAC) near his home about a month after he was discharged from the hospital where he had heart surgery. Choel shared with me that she thought Mr Song would enjoy meeting others as he has more time on his hands now. The elderly gentleman had to resign from his labour-intensive job as a gardener at a local school. He is now looking for employment in a less labour-intensive role.
Mr Song is a beneficiary of SCH’s Social Prescribing programme, which connects elderly patients with nonmedical sources of support within their local community. SCH first piloted the programme in 2019, explained Joanne Lee, Executive, Office of Community Engagement and Education. Social Prescribing in SCH has now grown from strength to strength in the areas of implementation, research and education.
As part of co-creating social prescriptions with patients, WBCs like Choel would find out what matters to the patient through conversations, and then identify suitable community resources to help realise these personalised goals. WBCs would then use an asset map to identify a community resource and connect patients with them, so that patients can realise their social prescriptions at the identified community resource after a hospital stay.
“We want our patients to remain active and socially engaged even after discharge. Linking patients to AACs is one way for them to participate in social activities and reduce social isolation,” said Joanne. SingHealth was obviously clued in to the latest research, which found that social isolation and loneliness leads to higher mortality rates. WBCs often would do what they could to help seniors overcome their hesitancy about trying out a new activity or visiting a new place. For example, they would take the seniors to the new location after mapping out the best way from their home, ensuring the route was accessible to those who were not so mobile. They would also introduce the senior to the centre manager.
It is no surprise that the Singapore government has placed such emphasis on caring for the elderly, after seeing the AAC full of active seniors. According to the World Bank, life expectancy in 2020 rose to 83.4 years from 64.7 years in 1960. If only the fellow Singaporeans of my time could see Singapore now. From battling basic diseases in the 1920s, today’s Singapore has the capacity to focus on measures that increase quality of life for the ageing!