CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY College of Medicine Building 16 College Road, 169854 COMMUNITIES: www.moh.gov.sg Tips and Tools from the City For All Ages Project LET’S START

BUILDING A CITY FOR ALL AGES

CONTENTS LET’S START - Building a City For All Ages 1 - The Vision 2 - An Overview of 3 the CFAA Journey REACHING OUT - Townhall Forums 6 Image courtesy of North Constituency

UNDERSTANDING NEEDS “Singapore’s population is ageing but an older We hope this will encourage your community - Needs Surveys 12 population need not mean that our society has to also rally together to start a project to create - Town Audits 18 to be any less dynamic and vibrant. Singapore a more senior-friendly environment. Together, - Health Screenings 25 can still be our best home even when we get we can build a Nation for All Ages, one older. The Ministerial Committee on Ageing community at a time.” ADDRESSING NEEDS started the City for All Ages (CFAA) project - Safety and Security 33 in 2011 as a way of partnering the residents - Health and Wellness 34 in various communities in Singapore to create - Social Support 36 a caring, empowering and safe environment for all our seniors to age gracefully in place. This book is a compilation of our collective USEFUL RESOURCES 40 Dr Amy Khor experience and the interesting ideas that Senior Minister of State for Health GEARING UP! 42 different communities have come up with. CFAA Advisory Committee Chairman

CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES Tips and Tools From the City For All Ages Project 1 LET’S START LET’S START

THE VISION AN OVERVIEW OF THE CFAA JOURNEY

The Ministerial Committee on Ageing Through the project, we hope that our You can plan your CFAA journey in three stages: (MCA)’s City for All Ages (CFAA) seniors can project aims to build senior-friendly CFAA Vision: Building Senior-Friendly Communities • live safely and confidently communities. It involves communities • stay healthy and active working together to • be part of a warm and caring community • understand our seniors’ needs • care for our seniors

Today, some 16 communities around Singapore are already part of the CFAA project, offering both “hardware” and “software” improvements in their neighbourhoods to benefit seniors.

“Hardware” improvements include infrastructural improvements such as retrofitting homes with safety features, e.g. grab-bars and anti-slip 1. REACHING OUT 2. UNDERSTANDING NEEDS 3. ADDRESSING NEEDS flooring in toilets, and installing senior-friendly benches around neighbourhoods. “Software” initiatives include activities and programmes To share with residents what the To find out from residents how To work with public agencies and that are designed for seniors, e.g. providing health checks, social activities CFAA project is about, its benefits, the community can better support community partners to customise and support services for seniors. and how they can be involved their needs suitable solutions to meet This guidebook shares easy steps as well as best practices on how your identified needs community can join the CFAA movement and become a senior-friendly Possible Activities & Possible Activities & community. It also showcases interesting projects that have been rolled Programmes Programmes Possible Activities & Programmes out in other estates that you can consider for your own CFAA experience. Townhall Forum • Town Audit • Health Screening • Safety and Security We invite you to join our CFAA journey and contribute to making • Social Survey • Health and Wellness Singapore a Nation for All Ages and the best place for seniors to age • Social Support with grace and dignity.

CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES 2 Tips and Tools From the City For All Ages Project Tips and Tools From the City For All Ages Project 3 LET’S START STAGE 1 • REACHING OUT

STAGE 1

3) WHAT DO I WANT TO DO? Decide on your starting point. REACHING You need not start with a large- To start, it is important to consider the scale project. In fact, you can choose to reach out to the seniors following: progressively by zone or by profile, OUT e.g. those living alone in rental flats. 1) DO I HAVE A DEDICATED TEAM? Otherwise, if you already have an idea of where the pressing needs are, you may want to start from there. It is important to have a dedicated team to drive the CFAA project. Members of the team / committee 4) HOW MUCH RESOURCE DO I NEED? could include: Decide on the budget. Your budget will depend on • Grassroots Leaders the number of seniors you are reaching out to and • Volunteers the type of CFAA project you plan to implement. • Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) • Healthcare Providers You can start small, and then scale up. Your CFAA • Schools project could be part of an existing community • Other interested individuals / organisations programme / event or tap on existing funds, e.g. in your community Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP), Community Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC), etc. Some communities have also involved the Active Ageing Committee or Senior Citizens’ Executive 5) HOW DO I MEASURE MY PROJECT’S Committee. SUCCESS?

2) DO I KNOW WHO I AM HELPING? Set targets to ensure that the team is on the right track to success! It will be good to get a sense of the number and profile of the seniors in your neighbourhood to Once you are clear on the above, you are ready know who you will be helping. to start!

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As the CFAA project involves everyone in the community, reaching out to people in the community allows you to share the CFAA vision with them. This also encourages the SUGGESTED TIMELINE FOR residents to think and contribute their ideas and resources towards building a senior-friendly community for the neighbourhood. TOWNHALL FORUM

The project could be shared at existing community events. One of the commonly used ways Pre-Event of reaching out is a Townhall Forum.

WHAT IS A TOWNHALL FORUM? Distribute and put up Send out personal Door-to-door visits by publicity materials, invitation letters to grassroots leaders / A Townhall Forum is a gathering organised for e.g. banners and seniors about event volunteers to encourage residents in your community to introduce the project posters about event residents to attend and to share its benefits. It is a very useful way for *A sample invitation letter the event is available in the CD you to encourage residents to be part of the project enclosed at the back of this right from the start by letting them know they are guidebook important to its success. You may also wish It usually has three parts: to personally hand • A presentation on the CFAA project, its benefits deliver the invite and activities letters to residents • A dialogue with seniors to find out the concerns during home visits living in the neighbourhood and the types of improvements they want to see • A line-up of booths by agencies in the community offering health and social programmes for seniors. Seniors can then sign up for programmes that interest them on the spot.

A Townhall Forum in Whampoa constituency in 2013

A month 10 days 5 days before event before event before event

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SUGGESTED TIMELINE FOR TOWNHALL EVENT Day of Event Post-Event

Share the CFAA project Dialogue with seniors and Gather feedback on seniors’ Collate findings from Useful to set up a small database Encourage the seniors to join and encourage residents residents to understand their interest in health programmes feedback forms of seniors (with addresses in the existing programmes or to participate in upcoming needs and what improvements and other active ageing activities and contact details from the design new programmes based programmes they hope to see feedback form) on their interest from feedback form

*A sample feedback form is available in the CD enclosed at the back of this guidebook.

7 to 14 days after event

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TOWNHALL FORUMS: STAGE 2 Best Practices and Tips!

• Location is key. Hold your Townhall Forum / • Engage and thank the participants. Involve event at familiar and convenient locations. volunteers to engage the seniors at the event. Offer healthier snack options as refreshments, give UNDERSTANDING • Crowd management. Useful to organise events out door gifts, and if possible, hold a lucky draw to by zone so that you can hold the event at smaller thank the seniors for attending the event. but convenient locations such as the community pavilion or void deck. • Continue the engagement. Organise regular NEEDS Townhall Forums / events to update all on the • Publicity materials for all. Have different CFAA project. Small tokens could also be given to types of publicity materials, e.g. posters, banners “CFAA Champions” to recognise those who as well as personal invitation letters to their homes. have contributed and supported the CFAA The preferred languages are English and the three project actively. local languages.

• For good attendance. Do house visits a day or two before the Townhall Forum / event to personally encourage more residents to attend the event.

• Clear communication is critical. Have a good emcee who can speak English, Mandarin and perhaps some dialects, Malay or Tamil language to engage the seniors. Presentations should also be senior-friendly, i.e. short and concise, in the “A Townhall Forum is useful because it is a three local languages, with more pictures, less text good chance for the seniors to gather at one and bigger font size! place, for them to voice their views and give suggestions on matters that are important to them.” Zubaidah Lah (second from left in the front row), Constituency Manager (Community Arts & Culture), Constituency Office

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CFAA sites aim to understand the needs of seniors so that the most suitable programmes can be offered to them. Seniors’ needs can be gathered through existing interactions or activities, SUGGESTED TIMELINE FOR e.g. house-to-house visits or seniors-related programmes. NEEDS SURVEY Pre-Survey The following are some recommended ways to (C) Health Screenings and Functional gather more details: Screenings. The chronic disease health and functional screenings are basic check-ups to help (A) Needs Surveys. These surveys, which are identify the health needs of seniors. The screenings Appoint survey Finalise survey form Conduct briefing for Inform residents of conducted door-to-door, typically have questions would be followed by programmes such as health company or and questions survey company or the upcoming Needs on seniors’ healthcare, social and financial needs. management talks and medical referrals to help complete volunteers Survey through a letter seniors manage their health conditions. recruitment of *Please refer to the or through door-to- (B) Town Audits. Town Audits are walkabouts in volunteers to CD in this toolkit for a Survey company or door visits sample survey form. You the commonly used areas of the neighbourhood *For more info on who you can contact to kick-start administer the can customise it for your volunteers must be briefed to ensure that they are safe for the seniors. these programmes, please refer to the Useful Resources survey own use on the purpose of the *Please refer to the CD in Town Audits should involve seniors as they would chapter at the end of this toolkit. survey and be familiar with this toolkit for a sample letter which could be sent to know where the areas of improvement are and the questions residents to alert them about give feedback. the Survey. You can customise (A) NEEDS SURVEYS Survey company or it for your own use volunteers must also These are short surveys that are useful to: be briefed on basic communication techniques i. Understand the health, social and financial to smoothen their needs of seniors in the neighbourhood interactions with residents

ii. Build a local database of seniors with their contact, personal information and needs/ interests so that appropriate programmes can be designed

2 months before 3 weeks before 2 weeks before 5 to 10 days before start of survey start of survey start of survey start of survey

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SUGGESTED TIMELINE FOR NEEDS SURVEY Survey Period Post-Survey

Depending on the number of Conducting the survey on Keep in close touch with Collate findings from Map any existing Start planning and Draw up a timeline residents you are surveying, weeknights and weekends your survey company or the survey programmes already developing programmes for the follow-up this could take between one will give you a higher volunteers to check if they available in the to better meet newly programmes to be to three months response rate since residents are facing any problems community to seniors’ identified needs rolled out will more likely be home conducting the survey needs and contact the seniors who have yet to benefit from current initiatives

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ORGANISING NEEDS SURVEYS: Best Practices and Tips!

• Do a trial run. You may want to test your survey “We (Hong Kah North) did the Needs Survey • Respect residents’ rights. Remember questions among a few residents first to see if using our own volunteers and we found to seek residents’ consent to share their they understand the questions or if they find them that going door-to-door helped us greatly in information with the relevant authorities / too long. You may also wish to have the survey reaching out to the residents in a very fast agencies that will be involved in the CFAA translated into the main local languages to make and effective way.” project. This will make it easier and faster for it easier for your survey company or volunteers. Chin Yaw Vine, Constituency Director, Hong Kah North the right help to be given to them. Constituency Office • To save resources, engage volunteers. • Saying thanks. Preferable to provide seniors You can engage community volunteers to conduct with a token of appreciation after they participate the survey to keep costs down. Volunteers should • Keep surveys short. They in the survey. speak English and another local language/dialect, should not contain more than and need to be briefed on the survey questions 20 questions and should take beforehand. Getting volunteers to do the survey no more than 10 minutes to will also give them an opportunity to know their complete. neighbours better. It also cultivates a greater sense of ownership for the CFAA project. • Proposed sample size. Some communities have engaged survey • Door-to-door is best. It is best to conduct companies to reach out to 60% to 70% of their the surveys door-to-door instead of mailing them senior population. This is a useful target to provide to seniors. This is because residents are more sufficient information to design programmes for comfortable responding verbally than by filling in the seniors. If you are tapping on community a form. Having the Advisor send residents a letter volunteers, you should aim to reach at least 20% informing them of the exercise will also be helpful. of the senior population in the community. These letters should be in English and the three main local languages. To enhance the experience, • Be responsive. Brief the survey company or involving the grassroots has proven to increase the volunteers that they have to alert you immediately participation rate. if there are seniors with urgent needs, e.g. pressing health conditions for which they are not seeking treatment. This will enable you to put Dr Amy Khor, Adviser to Hong Kah North Grassroots Organisation them in touch with the relevant agencies as soon participating in one of the Needs Surveys as possible.

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(B) TOWN AUDITS

Town Audits are useful for identifying physical defects and hazards in the neighbourhood that might be unsafe for seniors. By walking along routes commonly taken by residents, the volunteers take note of the areas that could be improved to make the environment safer and easier for the seniors’ day-to-day activities.

As a result of Town Audits in other CFAA “We at Marine Parade Town Council did a projects, different agencies have worked Town Audit and made a total of 238 town together to introduce more senior-friendly Slip-resistant drain covers features within their neighbourhoods. These improvements in partnership with many improvements include: agencies over a period of three years. We find Town Audits a really useful means to find out Bus service posters the needs and gaps in the neighbourhood!” • providing more benches around the estate; with larger font • installing additional countdown timers for Xerus Koh, Property Manager, Marine Parade Town Council traffic lights; • increasing the “green man” time at traffic crossings; • producing bus service information posters in larger fonts; Additional • levelling uneven ground surfaces; and countdown timers at traffic lights • coating drain covers with slip-resistant material. Additional benches around the estate

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SUGGESTED TIMELINE FOR TOWN AUDITS Pre-Event

Look out for popular spots Recruit seniors and The suggested number of The Town Audit team should Conduct training for volunteers around the neighbourhood that volunteers for Town Audit volunteers for each route have at least five individuals are often visited by seniors, e.g. is three: 1 writer to jot for each route – 2 seniors Brief volunteers on the purpose the market, supermarket, bus Involve as many volunteers down feedback from the and 3 volunteers. You are of the audit and on possible stops, etc, and trace out the as possible for a one-time ambulant senior, 1 writer welcome to involve more and common physical hazards route that they take on a map training session to jot down feedback from seniors/volunteers for each to look out for the wheelchair-bound senior route if you like Try to plan different routes It is ideal to have 1 ambulant and 1 photographer to take All volunteers should walk that do not overlap with one (able to walk on his own) pictures of the findings through their assigned routes another to cover as much area senior and 1 wheelchair- during the training to get used as possible during the audit bound senior for each route to the route as their needs are different

3 to 4 weeks 2 to 3 weeks 2 to 3 weeks 1 week before before town audit before town audit before town audit town audit day

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SUGGESTED TIMELINE FOR TOWN AUDITS Day of Town Audit

Start early at around 8 am Collate the observations Check if the improvements Connect with agencies and end at around 10.30 am into a report and classify can be done as part of your such as the Town Council, to avoid the heat them into broad categories community’s Neighbourhood LTA and HDB to assess the for easier tracking Renewal Programme, suggestions and explore Prepare some refreshments or be submitted to the other available funding for seniors and volunteers at Community Improvement the end of the audit Projects Committee for consideration

Anytime after town audit day Anytime after town audit day to 4 weeks after town audit day to 4 weeks after town audit day

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ORGANISING TOWN AUDITS: Best Practices and Tips! (C) HEALTH SCREENINGS

• Find the right senior volunteers. Involve • Great opportunity for bonding. Town Health screenings are useful to better understand seniors who are more outgoing and outspoken Audits are great intergenerational bonding the health status of seniors, so that programmes in the audit. They are likely to provide more activities. Seniors can be asked to point out areas can be designed to help them manage their constructive feedback. that require improvements while youth volunteers health better or take steps to continue adopting a take photographs and record comments. healthier lifestyle. • Manage expectations. Manage the Minister Heng Swee Keat at a community health screening in expectations of the seniors and volunteers at the • Saying thanks. Prepare small tokens for Central constituency start of the audit. Seek their understanding that volunteers. not all of their suggestions can be implemented SCREENING TYPES PURPOSE immediately. • Wish list. Look through the “wish list” and do away with ideas that may not be feasible. Rank Chronic Disease Screening Readings for Body Mass Index, Blood • Try doing an audit at night. You may wish the rest of the ideas accordingly and do up a Pressure, Blood Cholesterol and Blood to conduct a session of the audit at night for a follow-up plan. There are three types Glucose to check for risks of Heart different perspective. of health screening Disease, Stroke and Diabetes packages that may be Functional Screening Assessments for continence, mood, • Involve different types of seniors. Involve offered to seniors under the CFAA project: physical functional, oral health, hearing seniors with different levels of mobility in the audit. and vision Cancer Screening Tests for Cervical, Breast and Colorectal Cancers

WHAT TO DO IF A SENIOR IS FOUND TO HAVE A MEDICAL CONDITION?

• Arrange for grassroots volunteers and outreach • Invite seniors to participate in health talks, teams from Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) workshops and other activities. within the community to remind seniors with health risks to see their doctors and take their medicines regularly. For seniors living alone or with urgent medical conditions, the volunteers could also play a part to help them seek medical attention.

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SUGGESTED TIMELINE FOR HEALTH SCREENINGS Pre-Event

Engage health screening Finalise health screening Inform seniors of health Plan logistics with service Remind seniors about their service provider items and funding model screening provider on health screening timings and that they should fast - Tables and chairs Finalise amount seniors will We usually publicise the before coming (if required) requirement have to pay for screening health screening dates to seniors during the Townhall - Equipment provision Forum and/or Needs Survey - Arrangement and order and encourage them to of screening booths buy tickets on the spot

You can also put up posters and banners of the health screenings around the neighbourhood or engage volunteers to go door-to- door to sell tickets

PARK CONNECTOR

PARK CONNECTOR

4 to 8 weeks before 3 weeks before 2 to 3 weeks before 2 weeks before 3 to 5 days before health screening day health screening day health screening day health screening day health screening day

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SUGGESTED TIMELINE FOR HEALTH SCREENINGS On Health Screening Day Post-Event

Ensure that the service Have volunteers on Provide a light Remind seniors Organise a session for Engage volunteers to visit provider arrives early site to help with breakfast for seniors about the results seniors to collect their health residents who are unable to to set up crowd control who have completed collection date screening results collect their results personally and ushering their screening at their homes

PARK CONNECTOR PARK CONNECTOR

3 to 5 weeks after health screening day

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ORGANISING HEALTH STAGE 3 SCREENINGS: Best Practices and Tips!

• Gather information. More information can be • Communicate and explain. Engage obtained from the People’s Association Wellness staff healthcare professionals and trained volunteers in your community for community health screening. to explain the health screening results to the ADDRESSING Work with Wellness staff to involve our public health seniors in simple terms on the day and in a familiar institutions and Regional Health Systems so that they language when they collect their results. can also manage the follow-ups. • Sign them up on the spot. Conduct on- NEEDS • Do your outreach early. Conducting door-to- the-spot sign-ups for follow-up programmes for door outreach to sell health screening tickets is a seniors in need. good way to encourage attendance. The tickets should remind seniors that they have to fast before the health screening.

• Be ready and early. Most residents will come down for screenings early because they are required to fast the night before. Queues often build up right at the start so do have additional registration booths

• Location is key. Choose a convenient location to conduct the screening, and for residents to collect their screening results. From our experience, conducting screenings at void decks minimises the distance that seniors have to walk – rain or shine! Arranging the collection of results with a community event, e.g. Healthy Day, also helps with good attendance. Community health screening conducted at Bedok constituency

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The findings from your Town Audits, health screenings and social survey will help you design and introduce suitable programmes and activities for your residents in the three (A) SAFETY AND SECURITY following areas: PROGRAMMES

(a) (b) (c) EASE Programme -Cairnhill / Bedside Switch Safety and Health and Social HDB’s Enhancement for Active SEniors (EASE) programme started Programme Security Wellness Support out as a pilot programme at Marine Parade where seniors’ The Bedside Switch programme is a homes were retrofitted with elder- programme where a two-way light friendly features. These included switch is installed by the seniors’ grab bars, slip-resistant treatment beds so that they can move around to toilet floor tiles, and ramps. more easily and safely at night. Today, the EASE programme is available in all HDB estates.

Queenstown / Polyclinic Shuttle Bus Service

Queenstown operates a shuttle bus service that picks seniors up at selected points around the neighbourhood and sends them to the polyclinic. Return trips are also available from the polyclinic at selected times. To give you an idea of some of the programmes and improvements that could be done for your own community, here are some successful examples for reference. The programmes and improvements need not be on a large scale. In fact, even small improvements can make a big difference in the lives of the seniors. We hope that these will inspire you as you begin your CFAA journey! Images courtesy of the Housing & Development Board

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(B) HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMMES

Bedok / Monthly Bedok Sunflower / Health-Promoting Chua Chu Kang / Chua Chu Kang has taken a Healthier food options are also health-centric focus in their CFAA available at the neighbourhood Exercise Residents’ Committee (RC) Centre Healthy CFAA initiatives with the Healthy CFAA@ coffee shops and food courts Programme Chua Chu Kang programme. in the malls. Visual cues within Every third Sunday of the month The health-promoting RC centre at Bedok Sunflower is adorned with visual There are four key focuses in their the community are also added before embarking on their brisk cues and health messages. Senior-friendly exercise equipment and weekly programme: (a) Regular health to encourage residents to adopt walk, the senior residents in Body Mass Index (BMI) and blood pressure measurements are also made screening (b) Eating wisely (c) healthier behaviour such as taking Bedok gather to do warm-up available at the RC centre to serve the community. Hong Kah North / Exercise regularly and (d) Creating the stairs instead of the lifts. exercises such as laughing yoga. Senior Fitness Corner a healthier environment. A Healthy After the brisk walk, participants Living Committee formed by will be given healthy products, the grassroots leaders helped such as milk, and health talks A new Senior Fitness Corner has been introduced at Hong Kah encourage their residents to are also scheduled as part of adopt healthy lifestyles. Regular the programme. In addition, the North with senior-friendly exercise equipment. It was set up through health screenings, visits and health grassroots leaders also look up education by community nurses seniors with health conditions to a close partnership between the constituency office, community also complement their efforts. encourage them to join relevant Fresh fruits substitute the usual Whampoa / Heart 2 health talks. The health talks are leaders and the Health Promotion Board (HPB) to ensure that safety snacks at all community events Heart Talk conducted monthly and cover to encourage healthy eating. various topics from managing standards at the fitness corner chronic diseases, preventing are met. One of the grassroots leaders falls, eye, knee, joint and vision at Whampoa, who is a heart care, and managing medicines to / Traditional specialist, conducts “Heart 2 healthy cooking. Chinese and Heart” talks for residents. During the talk, residents can pick up tips Indian Medicine on chronic disease management Consultation and are encouraged to take charge of their health by learning how Siglap has started to provide to take their own blood pressure. Traditional Chinese and Indian Group sizes are usually small so Medicine consultation to seniors at that residents can receive personal low cost on a monthly basis. advice and attention.

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(C) SOCIAL SUPPORT PROGRAMMES

Marine Parade / Whampoa / ComSA Programme Angel Ambassadors Tsao Foundation has partnered Whampoa to introduce a care management pilot project for seniors under the broader Programme CFAA initiative. Known as the Community for Successful Ageing or ComSA@Whampoa project, this partnership introduces a case management system and a primary care mobile clinic in Whampoa to serve the seniors. Seniors will In Marine Parade, a group of be surveyed and followed up according to their health and social needs. Depending on the level of care needed, seniors volunteers, known as Angel would be cared for by either Tsao Foundation’s professional care managers, community service providers, e.g. NTUC Ambassadors, regularly befriend and Eldercare Seniors Activity Centres, or volunteers in Whampoa. visit seniors that are living alone. These Angel Ambassadors, ranging from 50 years old to 80 years old, “ComSA is about bringing are trained in basic befriending skills, the ‘community’ to our depression and dementia knowledge seniors in Whampoa, so as well as screening skills. The training is provided by professionals they can age in a familiar from GoodLife!, the Seniors Activity environment. We make Centre (SAC) in the neighbourhood. primary health and social care available, supported by residents, businesses and “I am happy that they (the “They do not only come “I find it hard to go out on service providers within the Angel Ambassadors) come, and talk to me, they also my own, so I am happy that community. We are glad to be so I don’t feel so lonely.” bring me for my hospital they have been coming to part of this collaboration with appointments.” visit me.” Whampoa, and we believe that with the good ground support, many seniors will benefit from ComSA.” Quotes from beneficiaries of Angel Ambassadors programme Ms Peh Kim Choo, Director, Hua Mei Centre of Successful Ageing, Tsao Foundation

CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES 36 Tips and Tools From the City For All Ages Project Tips and Tools From the City For All Ages Project 37 STAGE 3 • ADDRESSING NEEDS USEFUL RESOURCES

Tanglin- Hong Kah Other Cairnhill / North / Senior / Classes for CFAA Sites / USEFUL Cooking For A Citizens’ Club Seniors Community Cause Directory At Hong Kah North, a At Bukit Panjang, new new Senior Citizens’ literacy and computer RESOURCES Tanglin-Cairnhill has Some CFAA sites have started “Cooking for A Club has been formed classes for seniors have done up and distributed Cause”, where healthy to enable seniors to been introduced. Some a community directory meals are prepared interact during health- of the senior learners to help seniors living and delivered to needy promoting and other have also volunteered alone. The directory seniors by volunteers. social activities. to mentor other seniors includes the names of in class. residents/volunteers who can provide home maintenance and transport services for the seniors. Seniors only need to contact their RC to make use of such services.

“The community directory creates an opportunity for the residents to know the needs in the community. More than the number of contacts in the directory, what matters most is that we get to understand and reach out to meet the needs in the community. Knowing that help is just a phone call away also helps build better relationships and trust between us (the Residents’ Committee) and the residents.” Wong Phui Chen Jennifer, PBM Siglap Constituency grassroots organisation, IXORA Residents’ Committee Chairlady

CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES 38 Tips and Tools From the City For All Ages Project Tips and Tools From the City For All Ages Project 39 USEFUL RESOURCES USEFUL RESOURCES

Finally, here is a list of key agencies with the resources and expertise to help you with your HEALTH AND WELLNESS PROGRAMMES SOCIAL SUPPORT PROGRAMMES CFAA project. It includes agencies who have been involved in a CFAA project. This list is meant as a starting point for you and it is important for you to establish your own network Subsidies for medical and dental care Befriending Programmes of CFAA partners as no single community is the same. You know your community best and The Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) Lions Befrienders Service Association (LBSA)‘s island- therefore would know who amongst you can support your CFAA project well. enables Singapore Citizens from lower- and wide befriending programme reaches out to seniors middle-income households to receive subsidies for at risk of social isolation, and who have limited medical and dental care at participating General or no family support, through trained befrienders Practitioners (GPs) and dental clinics near their (volunteers), who visit these seniors at their homes homes. Visit the CHAS website for more details to provide social and psycho-emotional support. Visit http://www.chas.sg/. the Lions Befrienders website for more details http://www.lionsbefrienders.org.sg. Subsidised purchases of mobility devices The Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF) scheme is administered by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) and enables qualifying seniors to purchase assistive devices at subsidised rates. Visit the Singapore Silver Pages for more details http://www.silverpages.sg/smf.

FOR ADVICE ON KICK-STARTING YOUR SAFETY AND SECURITY PROGRAMMES Falls Prevention CFAA PROJECT The Health Promotion Board (HPB)’s Strength Town Improvements Training Exercise Programme (STEP) is a group The CFAA team at the Ageing Planning Office of Approach your Town Council to explore if you can exercise programme that helps improve the muscle the Ministry of Health is happy to provide general tap on Repair & Redecoration (R&R), Community strength and balance of older adults with low advice on your initial CFAA plans, e.g. Needs Surveys, Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC), or physical function, thus reducing their risk of falls. Town Audits, Health & Functional Screenings. We Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) funds HPB also provides complimentary Falls Prevention can also help link you up with potential partners to support adding senior-friendly features in talks. Visit the HPB website under “Programmes” for your project. This team has worked closely with your neighbourhood. for more details http://www.hpb.gov.sg/ the current CFAA sites and will be able to share our experiences with you. You can reach us at email Home Retrofits [email protected]. The Housing & Development Board (HDB)’s Enhancement for Active SEniors (EASE) programme offers subsidies to seniors wishing to retrofit their homes. Visit the HDB website for more details www.hdb.gov.sg/EASE.

CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES 40 Tips and Tools From the City For All Ages Project Tips and Tools From the City For All Ages Project 41 GEARING UP! GEARING UP!

GEARING UP!

Everyone in the community has a part to play in active ageing and making Singapore a City for All Ages. The City for All Ages initiative is a platform for people and organisations to come together to listen to the needs of our seniors and improve their lives and well-being. It also provides the opportunity for us to build a community that we ourselves would like to ultimately grow old in. We are heartened to see the programmes and improvements that have been introduced in some communities and we SAFETY & SECURITY HEALTH & WELLNESS SOCIAL-EMOTIONAL look forward to having you on board this meaningful journey to improve the lives of our seniors! SUPPORT Sometimes, little things Walking out of darkness. make a big difference. Mr Lim, who was homebound Go the extra mile. An Angel Mdm Chew, who uses as a result of his illness, Ambassador (a group of a wheelchair, used to felt “useless” and gave up volunteers from GoodLife! feel discouraged when following up at the hospital. SAC in Marine Parade) she travelled to the With care management and befriended Mdm K, who lives swimming complex in the primary care clinic intervention alone, and visits her regularly neighbourhood. The steps from the ComSA@Whampoa at home. When Mdm K was have since been replaced team as well as referral to in the hospital, her Angel with a smooth ramp that is rehabilitation services, he Ambassador went the extra wheelchair-friendly after she is now able to walk with a mile and continued to visit participated in a town audit walking frame and goes for Mdm K at the hospital to and gave feedback to the regular follow-ups at the encourage her. CFAA@Bedok team. primary care mobile clinic. In Mdm K Mdm Chew addition to having access to Marine Parade resident Bedok resident affordable healthcare, Mr Lim is touched by the care and concern shown to him. Mr Lim Whampoa resident

Stories of seniors whose lives have been touched by CFAA work in their community

CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES 42 Tips and Tools From the City For All Ages Project Tips and Tools From the City For All Ages Project 43 NOTES CREATING SENIOR-FRIENDLY College of Medicine Building 16 College Road, Singapore 169854 COMMUNITIES: www.moh.gov.sg Tips and Tools from the City For All Ages Project