Elder loneliness became a serious issue in Singapore during the pandemic, as many elderly people reported feeling stuck and alone at home. This raised many concerns about the physical and mental wellbeing of our seniors. Therefore, there has been an increased need for volunteers to keep these seniors engaged to help them continue feeling connected to society.
October 2021 marked the first time the Red Cross Youth @ NTU Chapter (RCY) collaborated with Active Aging Hub @ Toa Payoh, an organisation that provides integrated care for elderly individuals, to bring some joy to seniors. The volunteers hoped to bring some warmth and comfort to the seniors amidst the pandemic, and participants were given the option to participate from home through Zoom, or at the Centre itself.
During the visit, the volunteers organised a variety of activities to engage with the seniors. The day started off with some light exercise, where team played the song “Dynamite” by BTS, and the seniors moved to the rhythm of the music – this helped to get the seniors excited for the rest of the day.
After the light exercise, RCY’s Club Advisor, Asst Prof Michael Stanley-Baker, conducted a sharing on Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), giving the seniors some useful health and welfare tips in Mandarin – some seniors had feedback that they were impressed with his fluent Mandarin.
To end off the day, the team played a memory game called ‘Match It!’ with the seniors to engage their analytic abilities. For seniors joining in the activity virtually, they were split into different breakout rooms and each room had a different theme such as Singapore and Halloween.
Through this event, the volunteers were able to learn important event planning skills and gain a deeper appreciation for interacting with seniors. They were also gratified to see the seniors participating actively and having fun.
Through this befriending session, I have learned to be more confident in interacting and communicating with the seniors at Care Corner. Though it was a short session, the experience of bringing smiles and joy to the seniors was truly unforgettable. In addition, this session taught me valuable event planning and management skills which I hope, can be put into good use and improve future befriending sessions with the elderly. Li Yang, RCY NTU Community Engagement Sub-Committee Member
About Red Cross Youth NTU Chapter
The NTU Chapter of the Singapore Red Cross Society attached to the Voluntary Aid Detachments Division was set up in July 1994.
The objectives of the Chapter are: To encourage and promote the participation of students and staff of NTU in the work of Red Cross; to furnish voluntary aid to the sick and suffering, and all those who require health education, first aid, nursing and welfare services in the University, and to provide voluntary support in such areas in University activities; to organize training and classes on subjects like first aid, CPR and others that fall within the objectives of the Society; to provide voluntary support to the Society in its various activities.
