We were shown around the premises by the kind staff and I got to know so much about how the NTUC Silvercircle Eldercare operates :)

"NTUC Eldercare Co-operative Limited was set up in 1997 to provide quality and affordable eldercare services for our seniors in the community. There are 8 Silver Circle centres located at various parts of Singapore.

 The daycare programme engages seniors in meaningful and interactive activities during the day while their children are at work."

The staff there are so friendly and everyone is like a big family in the centre!

Going into the centre, you can find a board which depicts the day and date for easy reference.

Im barely considered "old" but sometimes I do forget what date it is! LOL - so this is great even for me!

Dun be surprised to find colourful toys here! 

They are excellent for eye-hand coordination for senior citizens too :)

Im so impressed by the KTV room! 

Singing does wonders for the mind and soul, - regardless of age.

And how about a "Memories Lounge" area?

Its kinda like a mini museum : specially catered for the elderly here to reminiscence about the good ol' days of yesteryear. Can u guess what this is? 

Yes! Its a sewing machine! 

Some of you might even have seen your grandmothers using it!

Or how about this?

A charcoal cooker when there was no gas! 

And I love this retro basket!

It was so nostalgic looking at those items! 

"Silver Circle Day Care - A weekday programme consisting of regular exercises and group activities such as games, arts & crafts, music and dance, to actively engage the seniors while their family members are at work. The centres also provide basic nursing care and physiotheraphy at nominal cost. Seniors can choose full 5-day-a-week programme or a shorter programme."

With the inevitable aging population problem in Singapore, I am also constantly concerned about the number of long working hours that we as children put in and is hence unable to look after our elderly parents in the daytime. This Eldercare was set up to fill in the time inbetween - while organizing activities. exercise and games for the senior citizens here! They also aim to rehabilitate patients who have been through eg. stroke or have difficulty with their movements by providing physiotherapy in their centre.  

The "Active Rehabilitation" programme aims to help seniors to improve or maintain their functional abilities through a process of functional assessment, goals setting, physiotherapy sessions and evaluation of outcomes.

This programme is useful for seniors who are affected by conditions such as

• Stroke 

• Parkinson's disease

• Fractures

• Spinal cord injury 

• Musculoskeletal problems such as arthritic pain and muscle pain

• Post-operation such as total knee replacement

• Back pain 

• Poor balance

Some of the equipment for the elderly

We also manage to catch the group at their morning exercise!

We joined in too!

The NTUC Eldercare program does not only include physical exercise, they also have games to mentally stimulate the mind for example :

• Structured learning programmes 

• Recreational activities such as arts & crafts, karaoke, bingo, card games 

• Festive celebrations and social outings 

• Basic health checks 

• Talks and workshops 

• 3 meals per day (Lunch and 2 tea breaks)

It was definitely a great eye-opener and experience and I personally think its a great idea to have a centre with specialised care and programs for the elderly. We all have to grow old one day and we have to accept that it is a fact of life. I really dun understand how some of us can oppose so venomously against the building of old folks homes in the heartland (Read: Bishan) becoz in the long run, it will only benefit the aging population in the area. Dun u think that it is almost impossible and ridiculous to build old age homes in far away areas like Tuas or Jurong/ or even JB (as suggested) and do people really think that this is a case of "Out of sight, out of mind"? If we can accept childcare centres then why dun we give our senior citizens the same respect? 

Afterall as the Chinese saying "Old is Gold", I would hence like to ask a question ... "Where have our values gone?"

Have a great week ahead peeps :)

Back soon.

xoxoxo

Silvercircle NTUC Eldercare Fengshan:

Blk 91 Bedok North Street 4 

#01-1527 

Singapore 460091 

For more info : NTUC ElderCare Website