Some 150 individual and corporate volunteers helping NTUC Health run senior activity centres and provide case management support for vulnerable seniors were recognised at a Volunteer Appreciation Lunch on 26 March 2016.
Awards were also presented to the volunteers, many of whom are over the age of 60 and face personal challenges themselves. They help run regular activities such as exercises, singing classes, outings, and provide neighbourly care by ensuring medication gets taken and lending a helping hand or listening ear whenever they check in on the seniors’ well-being.
In fact, said NTUC Health CEO Chua Song Khim, seven out of every 10 volunteers are above 60-years-old. The oldest is 90-years-old.
From just seven volunteers when the first SilverACE Senior Activity Centre opened in 2012, there are about almost 50 individual and more than 50 corporate volunteers, serving at the seven SilverACE Senior Activity Centres across Singapore,” he said.
He also shared that the case management teams partner some 80 volunteers called CAN Carers, and the pilot Community Befriending Programme will be extended from two constituencies to five others.
Outstanding Individual Volunteer Award recipient Mr William Lim, 80, who volunteers at SilverACE (Henderson), said: “I have been doing this for about 15 years and divide my time for the many under my care. I enjoy it as it makes me happy to see their happy faces.”
A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between NTUC Health and Singapore Polytechnic which will see students volunteering their services.
“This is a very good example of mutual care within the community. In fact, this is the very thing that Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat is promoting through this year’s Budget under the community networks for seniors, as well as the different incentives that he is putting out to encourage corporate involvement on a sustained basis. It is a whole of society type of effort that is being encouraged. What NTUC Health has been doing is a very good initiative that falls right into alignment with this thrust."
-Heng Chee How, NTUC Deputy Secretary-General
