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<!-- headline one : start --><TR>'Active ageing' project wants people in 50s
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Wellness Programme for seniors extending reach to pre-retirees </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Melissa Sim
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Madam Chew Kwi Yang (left) and Madam Tan Geok Hoon at the herb and vegetable garden maintained by seniors at the Wellness Centre at Bukit Merah Community Club. -- ST PHOTOS: LIM SIN THAI
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->LAST year, office worker Chew Kwi Yang, 58, said she would sit at home in her free time and 'worry about money or health'.
But life is now quite different. The Radin Mas resident has begun daily exercise, cooks up feasts with friends and even plays her part doing volunteer work.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>Centres with upcoming health screenings
Paya Lebar Wellness Centre
Address: Block 112, Hougang Avenue 1, #01-1092, Singapore 530112
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The switch started when she went for a health screening organised by the Wellness Programme - a two-year pilot project launched by the People's Association (PA).
The initiative, launched at the end of 2007, promotes healthy ageing and encourages seniors to remain physically, mentally and socially active.
About 6,000 older Singaporeans from 12 constituencies including Jurong, Bukit Merah and Punggol have become active players in the programme. Each constituency is supposed to attract about 1,000 people aged 50 and above, over the two years - so that the programme is on track to meet the figure of at least 12,000 participants.
But in its second year, organisers of the programme are now realising they still have not tapped one target group, those in their 50s or pre-retirement.
PA's chief executive director, Mr Tan Boon Huat, said the Wellness Programme is changing its approach.
'We want to extend our reach. There are many pre-retirees, whose children have grown up, who can be targeted for the programme.
So to attract more people to join, the PA is inviting those 50 and above to attend free health screenings, which are held either at the Wellness centres, or at the community clubs.
These residents are then called and visited by the committee members and informed about upcoming programmes. For example, at Radin Mas Senior-Connect Plus Centre, there are Nintendo Wii sports sessions where seniors learn to play games on the video console, singing activities and exercise sessions.
'Residents have realised that we want to help and we're not calling them to intrude on their privacy,' said Ms Joan Pereira, director of family life and active ageing at the PA.
The proliferation and continued success of interest groups has shown that the seniors are taking charge of their lives, she said. 'For example, a group just told us they wanted to start a gardening club, and did everything on their own. We just provided the infrastructure.'
She added that the programme has also given young people and seniors the chance to interact. At Whampoa and Jurong, students are engaged to follow up with the seniors after their health screening, and at Radin Mas, they teach them simple computer games.
'We want people to make friends throughout their lives so that they have people to turn to in times of need,' said Mr Tan.
'You ought to be active as early as you can, and do this constantly. This gives a better chance of having a high quality of life for as long as possible.'
Madam Chew agrees that friends have enriched her life.
'For 30 years, I lived opposite the residents' committee but I didn't join any activities,' she said in Mandarin.
'Now I come here all the time and don't feel like going home, because all my friends are here.'
[email protected]
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<!-- headline one : start --><TR>'Active ageing' project wants people in 50s
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><TR>Wellness Programme for seniors extending reach to pre-retirees </TR><!-- Author --><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Melissa Sim
</TD></TR><!-- show image if available --><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>
</TD><TD width=10>
Madam Chew Kwi Yang (left) and Madam Tan Geok Hoon at the herb and vegetable garden maintained by seniors at the Wellness Centre at Bukit Merah Community Club. -- ST PHOTOS: LIM SIN THAI
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<TABLE><TBODY><TR><TD>
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->LAST year, office worker Chew Kwi Yang, 58, said she would sit at home in her free time and 'worry about money or health'.
But life is now quite different. The Radin Mas resident has begun daily exercise, cooks up feasts with friends and even plays her part doing volunteer work.
<TABLE width=200 align=left valign="top"><TBODY><TR><TD class=padr8><!-- Vodcast --><!-- Background Story --><STYLE type=text/css> #related .quote {background-color:#E7F7FF; padding:8px;margin:0px 0px 5px 0px;} #related .quote .headline {font-family: Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size:10px;font-weight:bold; border-bottom:3px double #007BFF; color:#036; text-transform:uppercase; padding-bottom:5px;} #related .quote .text {font-size:11px;color:#036;padding:5px 0px;} </STYLE>Centres with upcoming health screenings
Paya Lebar Wellness Centre
Address: Block 112, Hougang Avenue 1, #01-1092, Singapore 530112
</TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE>The switch started when she went for a health screening organised by the Wellness Programme - a two-year pilot project launched by the People's Association (PA).
The initiative, launched at the end of 2007, promotes healthy ageing and encourages seniors to remain physically, mentally and socially active.
About 6,000 older Singaporeans from 12 constituencies including Jurong, Bukit Merah and Punggol have become active players in the programme. Each constituency is supposed to attract about 1,000 people aged 50 and above, over the two years - so that the programme is on track to meet the figure of at least 12,000 participants.
But in its second year, organisers of the programme are now realising they still have not tapped one target group, those in their 50s or pre-retirement.
PA's chief executive director, Mr Tan Boon Huat, said the Wellness Programme is changing its approach.
'We want to extend our reach. There are many pre-retirees, whose children have grown up, who can be targeted for the programme.
So to attract more people to join, the PA is inviting those 50 and above to attend free health screenings, which are held either at the Wellness centres, or at the community clubs.
These residents are then called and visited by the committee members and informed about upcoming programmes. For example, at Radin Mas Senior-Connect Plus Centre, there are Nintendo Wii sports sessions where seniors learn to play games on the video console, singing activities and exercise sessions.
'Residents have realised that we want to help and we're not calling them to intrude on their privacy,' said Ms Joan Pereira, director of family life and active ageing at the PA.
The proliferation and continued success of interest groups has shown that the seniors are taking charge of their lives, she said. 'For example, a group just told us they wanted to start a gardening club, and did everything on their own. We just provided the infrastructure.'
She added that the programme has also given young people and seniors the chance to interact. At Whampoa and Jurong, students are engaged to follow up with the seniors after their health screening, and at Radin Mas, they teach them simple computer games.
'We want people to make friends throughout their lives so that they have people to turn to in times of need,' said Mr Tan.
'You ought to be active as early as you can, and do this constantly. This gives a better chance of having a high quality of life for as long as possible.'
Madam Chew agrees that friends have enriched her life.
'For 30 years, I lived opposite the residents' committee but I didn't join any activities,' she said in Mandarin.
'Now I come here all the time and don't feel like going home, because all my friends are here.'
[email protected]
<IMG style="WIDTH: 600px; HEIGHT: 450px" id=fullSizedImage class=media alt='beggar3.jpg Growing old without any dignity in Singapore.
An old lady begging for a living
\"There are no beggars in Singapore.\" -- MM Lee Kuan Yew picture by vnc2005' src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/vnc2005/Beggars_and_Peddlers/beggar3.jpg" GALLERYIMG="no">
<!-- end of for each --><!-- Current Ratings : start --><SCRIPT language=javascript> addRatingPortion() </SCRIPT>An old lady begging for a living
\"There are no beggars in Singapore.\" -- MM Lee Kuan Yew picture by vnc2005' src="http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y29/vnc2005/Beggars_and_Peddlers/beggar3.jpg" GALLERYIMG="no">
