The Labour Movement is doing more to support working families as the population ages. This morning, NTUC Eldercare officially opened its Senior Activity Centre (SAC) – Silver ACE in Taman Jurong – its first in the western part of Singapore, to encourage the elderly particularly from lower-income families in the neighbourhood to socialise with their peers.
Apart from the new centre, NTUC Eldercare is also working with NTUC Unity, the retail pharmacy arm of NTUC Unity Healthcare through the “Sweet Spot” Programme, to help diabetic elderly better manage their condition through medication and lifestyle counselling; and regular monitoring of blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood glucose.
To further reach out to the lower income elderly in the community, the Labour Movement’s U Care Fund made a $1 million donation to NTUC Eldercare Trust at the opening event. The donation will go towards subsidising the fees of needy elderly for programmes at NTUC Eldercare centres and enabling more day care and home care services.
The event was graced by Guest-of-Honour, Mr Tharman Shanmugaratnam, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, and other community partners.
Silver ACE (Taman Jurong) to Bring Wellness to Elderly in the West
The new SAC, will cater to elderly staying in Taman Jurong, and primarily more than 300 needy elderly living in designated clusters of HDB rental blocks 116, 117 and 118 along Corporation Drive. The new centre, which spans 260 square metres, is a stand-alone building designed to look like a “clubhouse”. The glass structure carries a modern twist and offers an excellent view of the outside surroundings.
Apart from activities, outings and shows for the members, the Silver ACE in Taman Jurong seeks to also bring Wellness to the elderly residents in the Taman Jurong area. To encourage inter-generational bonding, NTUC Eldercare will, for the first time, be working closely with schools in the area such as Jurong Junior College, Hua Yi Secondary School, Jurong Secondary School and Hong Kah Secondary School to brighten its elderly members’ days with regular performances, social activities and programmes. The Centre will also promote health awareness by organising health talks and health screenings.
Mr Woo Chin Yui, 66, who resides at Blk 117 said, “We have been waiting a long time for a place like this to be established here. It is a very welcoming change for us. This is a place where the elderly can congregate, have fun, and play games. There is also a dedicated team who runs this centre and take good care of us. I have told all my friends about what they are doing here, and encourage them to join too.”
To cater to a rapidly aging population, NTUC Eldercare is expanding its SAC services. Since November last year, it has added four new SACs (including Silver Ace at Taman Jurong) from the existing two. It will further be opening a seventh outlet in Bukit Merah shortly. Together, the SACs will reach out to more than 2,500 seniors around the island by end 2013. As at November 2012, NTUC Eldercare has established SAC operations at its Henderson Senior Citizens' Home, Redhill, Lengkok Bahru, Taman Jurong, Telok Blangah and Whampoa.
Joint Effort between NTUC Eldercare and NTUC Unity through “Sweet Spot” Programme
NTUC Unity’s “Sweet Spot” programme was started in November 2011 to help diabetic patients better manage their condition. Participants registered under the 12-month “Sweet Spot” programme will receive counseling on the importance of medications and lifestyle changes by NTUC Unity’s pharmacists. The pharmacists will also help to monitor the participants’ blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood glucose closely; helping the participants set and reach achievable goals such as keeping their blood glucose level close to normal so that symptoms and complications of the disease can be prevented.
The partnership between NTUC Eldercare and NTUC Unity aims to reach out to low-income elderly who are diabetic, starting with NTUC Eldercare’s SAC outlets at Taman Jurong and Lengkok Bahru.
“The joint effort between NTUC Unity and NTUC Eldercare in the 'Sweet Spot’ programme is one of the initiatives arising from our commitment to support seniors to lead active, healthy and meaningful lives. We will work towards doing more especially as the population ages,” said Mr Chua Song Khim, Group CEO of NTUC Unity Healthcare and Executive Director of NTUC Eldercare.
U Care Fund Donates $1 Million to NTUC Eldercare Trust
The donation of $1 million to NTUC Eldercare Trust from the U Care Fund, will allow NTUC Eldercare to subsidise the fees of more low-income members. This makes it more affordable for families to enroll their elderly loved ones in the programmes. The money will also enable more day care and home care services to be made available.
The key donors who made this meaningful donation possible are the Singapore Labour Foundation, NTUC FairPrice Foundation, ComfortDelGro Corporation and NTUC Choice Homes.
NTUC Care and Share Director, Mr Zainal Sapari, said, “One of the focus areas of the NTUC-U Care Fund is to provide assistance to the elderly in a meaningful way. Through the U Care Fund’s donation to NTUC Eldercare Trust, we hope to reach out to even more elderly so that they could benefit from the community-based facilities and services offered.”
The Labour Movement’s U Care Fund had raised a total of $10.5 million this year through collective efforts of the NTUC-affiliated unions, association, NTUC Social Enterprises and other corporate donors. Other than the donation made to the NTUC Eldercare Trust, the money raised also goes to helping low-income workers and families through key assistance programmes like U Stretch vouchers, Back to School vouchers and funding support for bursaries and scholarships
Labour Movement Family “Do More Good” by “Doing Together”
Today’s event demonstrated how the Labour Movement family works together to provide assistance to working families with elderly dependents. By “Doing Together”, with the NTUC Social Enterprises and the various arms under NTUC such as the U Care Fund, the Labour Movement family is able to “Do More Good” and deliver greater social impact. The common goal remains to work together to bring about needed and timely assistance to more people.
About Seniors Activity Centres
The SACs serve as an information and referral counter which can provide needed and timely advice or help to primarily the seniors (60 years old and above) who live in the identified clusters. They will also organise activities and programmes to engage the seniors socially.
Programme Objectives:
Programme Description:
The primary target clientele of the SACs are seniors (60 years old and above) who live in the identified service cluster of the SAC. The SAC manages the Alert Alarm System (AAS), provides information and referral services, organises socio-recreational and keep-fit activities for the seniors. The centre staff also conducts regular visits to the frail, homebound and lonely senior residents.
Sweet Spot Programme
According to a National Healthcare Survey in 2010, 11% of the Singapore population suffered from diabetes. Close to 50% of these diabetes sufferers are not managing their condition well and their glucose levels are not at the target level. This is an alarming figure. NTUC Unity’s Sweet Spot programme was started in November 2011 with the purpose of reaching out to this group of people to help them take control of their health and sees improvement in their condition so that they can continue to lead a fulfilling life.
Participants registered under the 12 months Sweet Spot programme will receive counseling on the importance of medications and lifestyle changes by our pharmacists. They will also monitor the participants’ blood pressure, blood cholesterol and blood glucose closely; helping the participants set achievable goals and reach them.
For the more tech savvy participants, they can also join the exclusive support group online where they can share their experiences and lend their supports to other diabetes sufferers. All Sweet Spot participants can also register for the free talks and events specially planned for them. Participation is voluntary and participants can choose to withdraw from the programme at any time.
To date, 50 patients have been recruited through the various channels. NTUC Unity aims to recruit another 50 patients into this programme by February 2013.
