SINGAPORE – Hanging off an artificial rock wall two storeys off the ground, Ms Kim Ong, 63, was overcome with an unfamiliar fear – she could not let go despite a harness holding her securely.
“My body was just hanging on, and I dared not come down despite the instructor calling to me to do so,” she said.
“It aroused a feeling of being afraid to let go, like (in) many things in life… and is akin to the fear of dying, not letting go of living,” she said.
During a nine-week rock-climbing course, Ms Ong was able to overcome her fear as she grew in confidence and tackled the routes on the walls with ease.
She was one of 10 participants aged 63 to 76 on a course that specially catered to seniors, organised by philanthropic organisation Lien Foundation in partnership with The Rock School, a climbing gym in Tampines.
The course, which ended in May, included a Singapore National Climbing Standards Level 1 assessment. All the participants passed.
Ms Ong, who runs a social enterprise, said she was grateful that the course allowed her to try something new.
“I didn’t know that I could be capable of it or that I could do it at all,” she said.
She hopes that having more seniors try out activities that are commonly perceived to be more suitable for young people will help to combat ageism.
Ms Ong recalled how, earlier in 2023, she and a friend had been at a crowded club where a young man told her several times: “Auntie, go home.”
She said: “To me, one day you guys are also going to be like me, and ageing. Does that mean you have to stop dancing? Should seniors be restricted only to Zumba for dancing?
“We should welcome people at whatever age to just hang loose and enjoy.”
The rock-climbing course for seniors is part of a series of programmes organised by Lien Foundation under its new initiative Seniors Go, which started in end-2022. The foundation covers the cost of running the activities, which are offered at goodwill rates by the training partners.
Lien Foundation executive producer Michelle Chua said the initiative is meant to create fun and safe learning spaces for seniors to take up new challenges out of their comfort zone.
“At the same time, they need to provide a certain level of challenge and exertion at times, and we are mindful that we should not oversimplify these (challenges),” she said.
“We hope to demonstrate what is possible and to fight ageism by showing younger, able-bodied persons how an older person can also still learn and do well or even better in the same activity – with proper training and with some extra provisions for their needs.”
Under the initiative, 14 seniors aged 59 to 89 went through a 20-week workshop series to learn how to play musical instruments, culminating in a live concert in January 2023.
And nine seniors aged 62 to 73 took part in a 12-week workshop to learn how to do magic tricks, and performed in a show in January as well.
Another group of eight seniors will be going through a 12-week e-sport training programme from June to August.
Following the success of the first run of the climbing programme, Ms Chua said The Rock School is discussing plans for more courses tailored to seniors, and some senior-care facilities are discussing potential collaborations with the climbing gym.
Another participant who enjoyed the experience was Mr Lee Hing Yen, 67.
“The more I climb, the more I find that there are technical aspects that I need to study and introduce to my body,” he said.
This activity can be introduced to more seniors, said Mr Lee, who runs wellness courses for seniors twice a week.
Many seniors have very “standard” movements and rarely lift their hands above their heads, he said. “Climbing is so good – you have to stretch, move your body out of your usual range of motion to do better the next round.”
He plans to take his six-year-old grandson climbing with him, and maybe some of his own old schoolmates too.
“The whole idea here is there is unlimited range for seniors,” said Mr Lee.
“Don’t just stop at walking or even strolling, but go to the next level.”
