We Singaporeans are becoming a long-lived lot, so much so that we will soon be a “super-aged” society where more than one in every five people is aged 65 or older.
Second Minister for Health Masagos Zulkifli is one of the PAP leaders who knows that this means a rising demand for healthcare nationwide. So, when he opened the Sree Narayana Mission’s third Senior Care Centre during Deepavali season last week (Nov 10), he laid out three long-term plans the Government has for keeping Singapore senior-friendly.
After all, our Party takes the responsibility of care to Singaporeans seriously — especially during one’s silver years.
Aged care facilities
Places for seniors to drop in, spend time with friends old and new, enjoy cooking and exercising and even having help for care service referrals. These are what the more than 150 Active Ageing Centres (AACs) and Senior Care Centres (SCCs) in Singapore provide today.
More AACs are coming, which will also support caregivers to the elderly.
“The people who take care of seniors must also be helped. In addition, seniors must not be lonely; they must see people and friends. At home, they might have no one to talk to, but in the SCC, they will have friends to do things together with them,” said Minister Masagos.
And at AACs too. Take how MP Poh Li San (Sembawang GRC) spent time at the Sunlove AAC this September. There, seniors danced and played percussion to celebrate the launch of the local Caregivers Support Group — that day was like most other days of exercise and socialising in the Centre, but turned up a vibrant notch.
Preventive care
That bowl of noodles and that lashing of dressing on your salad are simply not good for your daily sodium intake. Nor those cups of bubble tea for your blood sugar — Healthier SG, with its preventive health focus and education are here to keep hospital visits at bay.
“We must take care of ourselves and make the hospital the last place we want to go. Many in Singapore have three problems: diabetes, hypertension, or high blood cholesterol. We must eat in moderation and exercise too,” said Minister Masagos.
MP Eric Chua’s (Tanjong Pagar GRC) reflections after an impromptu chat with a squad of Warrant Officers and Specialists earlier this year spring to mind here.
“My personal motivation for working out and staying healthy is to be sure I can be there when my family needs me. And hopefully, there’d be little for kiddo to worry about in terms of my health, when I enter my senior years. And that prep starts now. Eating (sinful food) in moderation. Regularly exercising. Maintaining a good state of mind,” he posted (Apr 5).
We at Petir.sg are with MP Chua on this early prep work. Like he added, “不难不做 (if it’s not tough, it’s not worth the while).”
Partnering all sides
Infrastructure and health networks aside, there is one more factor our Government needs to keep Singaporeans healthy — your buy-in.
Plus, buy-in from the community at large. After all, Singaporeans do have a long track record of benefitting when working together with our Government.
“The government cannot do it alone; we work with organisations such as SNM [the Sree Narayana Mission], grassroots, and you and your family. Everyone must work together,” stated Minister Masagos plainly.
So this means that MPs like Seah Kian Peng (Marine Parade GRC) are at Healthier SG Roadshows asking people to “Eat Well, Live Well” (Nov 5), and Mariam Jaafar (Sembawang GRC) are out there knocking on doors to get uncles and aunties to sign up for Healthier SG.
“It’s a massive effort but we are determined to knock on the doors of all 8000+ seniors,” posted (Sept 17) MP Mariam after covering 1587 doors in her ward alongside her team.
Between this infrastructure construction, preventive care initiative and public partner-ups, our Party balances the needs of the present against those of the future. We help our current seniors live a better life while preparing a Singapore where the seniors of tomorrow can settle back well — we are making these senior years into a time to thrive.
