Supporting Ageless Living
Age is just a number – seniors can lead exciting and purposeful lives, and continue to contribute meaningfully to the lives of others even in their golden years.
At our Active Ageing Hubs, members don’t pay a membership fee. However, they contribute by volunteering their time and skills to the community, such as by tending to the community garden, cooking and baking for members, as well as teaching fellow members how to play the Glockenspiel and sing Cantonese Opera.
In fact, most of the activities at our Hubs are planned and ran by senior members themselves. More than half of our members also volunteer by spending time at our Day Centre for Seniors, bringing the seniors down for exercises, or guiding them through craft work and bringing much joy and laughter to them.
Together with 3 other volunteers, 71-year-old Mdm Hen teaches Cantonese Opera to 20 other members ranging from their 60s to 80s. Cantonese Opera has always been Mdm Hen’s passion and she feels great satisfaction from being able to “share this passion for singing with others”. She also proudly shared that her students sang for seniors at our Day Centre for Seniors (Marsiling) and our newly opened Active Ageing Hub in Bukit Batok West (featured below).
Today, our Active Ageing Hubs boast a vibrant community of more than 500 seniors who are purposefully engaged in their golden years. Discover the benefits of active ageing yourselves! If you are keen to join us as a member, please contact the respective centres:
NTUC Health Active Ageing Hub (Bukit Batok West): 6970 5829
NTUC Health Active Ageing Hub (Jurong Central Plaza): 6256 3671
NTUC Health Active Ageing Hub (Kampung Admiralty): 6870 8500
Pursuing the Passion for Singing
Bound by their love for singing and performing, 12 of our nursing home residents came together to form the Tian Mi Mi singing group, meeting regularly to rehearse. The group, some of whom are living with dementia, has since performed at our centres and for the public.
The group decides the songs that they wish to sing and the outfit they wish to wear for their performances. While some are not able to hold a microphone steadily or may sometimes forget the lyrics, their performances never fail to stir joy among the audience with their heartwarming tunes and enthusiasm.
53-year-old Mr Soh Siong Tee (pictured top right), who is the lead singer of the group, shared that he has always loved singing and one of his favourite songs is “Ai Pia Zia Eh Ya” (Hokkien), which means “Success comes with your hard work”.
“I loved to sing when I was young. I bought 2 radio players and a lot of CDs, and sang along to them. I am the happiest when I sing because it helps me to forget all my troubles and worries”, he said with a smile.
Hear about Mr Soh’s experiences in Tian Mi Mi and catch a snippet of their performance below:
Taking bold steps out of their comfort zones
In line with our goal to empower ‘ageless seniors’, we are always heartened whenever we see our seniors stepping out of their comfort zones to try new things.
One of these instances was when our seniors tried their hand at playing new musical instruments and performed, some for the first time in their lives, for a public audience. The event, which featured the use of drums and percussion instruments, was part of an extensive programme organised by the National Museum of Singapore in celebration of Grandparents’ Day. The seniors at our Day Centre for Seniors (Geylang East) took on the challenge and plunged into 10 weeks of rehearsals before taking to the stage at the National Museum to perform together with pre-schoolers from My First Skool for the public. It was full house at the museum, with families and friends joining in to show their support for their loved ones, and a wonderful time of celebration.
Mdm Wong Yi Oi (pictured above) shared that the preschoolers involved in the performance brought back fond memories of her own childhood and was happy to be given the opportunity to be like a grandmother to them. Even though Mdm Wong is visually impaired, this has not stopped her from living life to the fullest.
Mr Goh (pictured top left) is the oldest member of the group and lives with dementia. In the weeks leading up to the performance, he successfully led the group in the practice sessions, using one of the biggest drums without any fear.
Take the quiz to get new inspiration for activities you can try in the comfort of your own home!
Check out our seniors’ performance below!
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