Help for needy elderly with S$1m boost from labour movement

SINGAPORE: Lower—income elderly residents will get more help as the Labour Movement’s U Care Fund has made a S$1 million donation to NTUC Eldercare Trust.

This will help subsidise fees of the needy elderly when it comes to programmes at NTUC Eldercare centres.

The donation will also go towards enabling more day care and home care services.

NTUC Eldercare has also officially opened a senior activity centre in Taman Jurong — the co—operative’s first in the western part of Singapore.

The facility will cater to the elderly staying in Taman Jurong and primarily more than 300 needy elderly at Corporation Drive.

The new centre, measuring 260 square metres, is a stand—alone building designed to look like a "clubhouse".

The facility at Taman Jurong is also a cluster support centre. It has additional manpower to assist other eldercare amenities in the vicinity.

A team of four to five full—time social workers and 10 to 20 part—time and volunteer home visit assistants will give targeted help to elderly residents.

"Many of these seniors may not know where to go and what to look for," said Lim Sia Hoe, the general manager of NTUC Eldercare.

"We are going in to look at their needs and their cases — very much the social and health needs. Many a time, the elderly may not even (be) aware of their real health conditions, so this is a very good way of going in to do assessments, then plan out a care plan that meets their needs."

A network of 16 cluster support centres will be set up across Singapore to give senior citizens more help.

More than 100 eldercare facilities including nursing homes, senior care centres and senior activity centres will be introduced in neighbourhoods over the next three years.

"There’s a very close connection (between health and social needs) for the elderly," commented deputy prime minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam.

"So this is really the roll—out of a decentralised model of providing social support and health support for the elderly in Singapore, and especially, the low—income and vulnerable elderly."

— CNA/ck/xq