SINGAPORE — A new pilot programme aimed at spurring local communities to pool their resources with help from different government agencies to take better care of elderly residents will be rolled out in three to five precincts in the next few months, said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat on Wednesday (March 30).

Announced during the Budget last week, the Community Networks for Seniors programme is targeted at shifting the centre of care from a hospital setting to the neighbourhood, the minister elaborated on the sidelines of his visit to Thong Kheng Senior Activity Centre (TKSAC) in Bukit Merah.

The networks will each have a small team of full-time officers to study the health and social needs of seniors and draw together local stakeholders to provide coordinated and tailored support to seniors. These stakeholders include voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), schools and businesses.

“By integrating resources better ... we can do a better job,” said Mr Heng on Wednesday, without naming the precincts that will be starting the pilot.

Minister of State for Health Amy Khor, who joined in the visit, said stronger partnerships and coordination would deliver services more effectively to seniors. Also present during the visit to TKSAC was Tanjong Pagar Member of Parliament Joan Pereira.

She said there is already a network of this ilk called Silver Outreach Action for the Residents (Project SOAR) in her Henderson-Dawson ward, coordinated by the Citizens’ Consultative Committee (CCC).

The project, which was started last month, aims to help senior citizens who are living alone, facing mobility challenges, or suffering from mental illnesses to break away from social isolation.

The CCC works with schools and grassroots leaders to befriend these seniors. Shopkeepers and hawkers provide rations and financial assistance, while VWOs provide rehabilitation and counselling, she added.

“Having a coordinating agency is something that we are excitedly looking forward to if they come over to our constituency, because it really can build on what we already currently have ... And we can reach out to more people in a more systematic approach,” said Ms Pereira.

For instance, she noted that many VWOs cater to rental blocks, which means seniors living in three-, four- or five-room flats may fall through the cracks.

“These people do not come out and if they don’t come out, you will just miss them ... that’s the reason why having a multi-agency approach is the right way to go,” said Ms Pereira.