SINGAPORE – In 2010, about one in 10 Singaporeans were aged 65 and above.
A decade later, in 2020, it rose to about one in six. By 2030, around one in four Singaporeans will be over 65.
Singapore’s population is rapidly ageing and it is important for seniors to be actively engaged, says Council for Third Age’s (C3A) chief executive Soh Swee Ping.
“In the past, many people were not prepared to transition to the senior phase of their lives. But with the introduction of opportunities from learning to volunteering, they are beginning to see that their silver years can be enriching and fulfilling,” says Ms Soh, who has been helming C3A since 2011.
The council was set up in 2007 to promote active ageing in Singapore through public education, outreach and partnerships. As an umbrella body in the active ageing scene, it focuses on lifelong learning, senior volunteerism and positive ageing.
To support learning, the National Silver Academy (NSA) was set up in 2016 to offer seniors a wide range of courses from post-secondary education institutions and community-based organisations.
The courses include health and wellness, information technology and science, humanities, ageing and life skills, as well as finance and business.
“These themes were identified as relevant for seniors to learn, to improve their day-to-day practical life skills and keep them socially engaged,” says Ms Soh.
The courses are subsidised for seniors aged 50 and above, and more than 90 per cent of them are eligible for SkillsFuture credits.
“Learning for seniors has become acceptable compared with the past, when they tended to think, ‘I’m old already, what’s there to learn?’
“I think that mindset has progressively changed for the better,” says Ms Soh.
Tapping seniors as volunteers is another area that C3A has been focusing on. In 2016, the Silver Volunteer Fund was formed to promote senior volunteerism and support community organisations in recruiting and developing senior volunteers.
In addition to funding volunteer programmes for seniors, funding also goes to the training, recognition and management of senior volunteers.
They can volunteer in areas such as health and wellness, arts and heritage, horticulture and the environment, as well as learning and community development.
For example, non-profit organisation RSVP Singapore runs the Enriching Lives of Seniors Programme, where seniors can learn to befriend and connect with other seniors to reduce social isolation and promote active ageing.
Seniors can also volunteer through En Community Services Society as a caregiver befriender to support caregivers in areas such as art and music therapy and self-care.
Volunteering, Ms Soh says, not only helps seniors to be more engaged, but also enables them to share their knowledge and expertise with society.
C3A also pairs students and youth with senior learners in a group environment to learn about various topics under its Intergenerational Learning Programme.
Through practical lessons such as learning to use social media applications and photography techniques, and play musical instruments, she says seniors can acquire new knowledge while young people share theirs, thus promoting interaction and bonding. It also improves the mutual perceptions of both age groups.
C3A is continually making learning exciting for seniors, she adds, and to do so, it has to look at ways to stay relevant.
“With each new cohort of seniors, their needs will change. More people will be better educated and better travelled, so how do we continue to offer opportunities that will interest them? We are constantly working on that,” she says.
To find out more about C3A, call its hotline on 6478-5029 (Mondays to Fridays, 9am to 5pm, excluding public holidays). You can also go to www.c3a.org.sg to find out about the courses and volunteering opportunities for seniors.
