Sounds very well intentioned, but has anyone tried to use it?
What's the PRE-REQUISIT? What qualifies a elderly person access to
the 'help' from these bountiful spread of Help Centers? Is it
really all that 'easy'??
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SO MANY HELP CENTRES FOR ELDERLY: IT'S
LIKE A BIG BUFFET SPREAD
But will elderly get confused?
By Leong Ching
March 26, 2007
WHEN he stepped down as secretary-general of the NTUC earlier this
year, MrLim Boon Heng took on the job of driving policies for the
elderly.
He chairs the Ministerial Committee on Ageing.
But over the past few weeks, more high-profile figures have stepped
up to lead committees tackling the senior challenge.
There's Mr Philip Yeo, the man behind the Life Sciences drive;
There's veteran social worker Gerard Ee; And there's Mr Tan Kin
Lian, outgoing NTUC Income chief.
Whether it's getting a job, retraining, or just having fun, there
are programmes - and money - available.
But are there just too many committees and too many names? Do those
who need help - in this case the elderly - know where and how to
get it?
The top man, Mr Lim, thinks not.
He told The New Paper on Sunday a story about how services for the
elderly grew in his first ward in Kebun Baru in Ang Mo Kio.
'In my early days as an MP, there was only one senior citizens'
club in a constituency, a sub-group of the Community Centre
(CC).
'When a Residents Committee wanted to set up a senior citizens'
club, I agreed. Lo and behold, the senior citizens' club at the CC
was unhappy - they asked me why there is another group to confuse
the people!'
A CC is a stand-alone centre, usually one per ward, while RCs are
often just rooms at a void deck. There is one every few blocks of
Housing Board flats.
Mr Lim explained that people will join in the activities of a club
where they feel comfortable.
'If they do not know people in the CC, they will not join. In any
case, the senior citizens' club in the CC can organise (only) a
limited number of activities,' he said.
Today, almost every RC has a senior citizens' club.
So never mind the committees now in existence: Mr Lim hints that
there may be more to come.
He points out how the current committees complement each
other.
The Council for the Third Age, supported by the Centre for the 3rd
Age (C3A), is a co-ordinating body.
Chaired by Mr Ee, it will not itself organise activities.
On the other hand, Centre for Seniors, chaired by Mr Tan, will run
specific programmes such as counselling older people on health and
alsoemployment.
Mr Tan himself said: 'There are many elderly in Singapore. This
group is growing rapidly. To cater for their diverse needs, we need
to have many organisations, providing different types of services
and attracting different groups of the elderly, according to their
area of interest.'
PICK AND CHOOSE
In other words, we provide the buffet, you pick and choose.
His centre will be, in a way, writing the menu - setting up a
contact centre and building a database of the various groups and
their services.
'The seniors can call our contact centre and be introduced to a
group or activity that meets their interest and needs,' he
said.
The elderly of the future are likely to be well-off and active,
said Mr Ee.
The executive director of Beyond Social Services said: 'Thus far,
we have been introducing and doing more for seniors who need help
due to infirmities or who have fallen on hard times.
'There is a dearth of attention given to seniors who are healthy,
physically and financially independent.'
After retirement, people are likely to live 25 to 30 years more. He
wants to help them live 'life with a purpose'.
'Opportunities will be created for seniors to develop their latent
passion, be it in arts, science, sports, or people,' he said.
The intended result?
More healthy and independent people, and less demand for
traditional services for the sick elderly.
Mr Ee added that it is not the number of committees which counted
but what they did.
'The important thing is to produce outcomes and set things in
motion. Over time, we will have a thriving civil society.
'The needs of society is ever-changing. We should not wait or try
to have a comprehensive scheme but get going with the essentials,'
he said.