Peer-matching social efforts for seniors paying off

SINGAPORE — Recognising that elderly residents who need help may be reluctant to ask for it, Member of Parliament (Tanjong Pagar) Joan Pereira decided that it was best to rope in their peers to reach out to them.

The result: About 60 volunteers, mostly aged 50 and above, have been matched with residents whom they have been visiting regularly for a year now. Quarterly excursions to attractions such as the zoo and Singapore Flyer have also been organised.

“Active agers have more time and don’t have a language barrier. The younger ones have love, passion and all that, but sometimes, it’s a little bit hard to communicate. Being an active ager, you’re able to understand the elderly more,” said Ms Pereira.

She was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of a Chinese New Year lunch yesterday for 50 of her Henderson-Dawson residents who are part of the Silver Outreach Action for the Residents (Soar) she started last year.

The aim is to bring companionship to socially isolated residents with mobility or mental challenges. Many of them are in wheelchairs, and their family members would prefer them to stay at home so they would not fall or get lost, said Ms Pereira.

But that lack of exposure to the outside world also means that mental wellness issues, which are already challenging to identify, end up undiagnosed.

“These are the ones who don’t come out. They might not even open their doors. We ask their neighbours to help bring them out,” she said.

Nearly a quarter of the volunteers are residents in the same ward. Mdm Tan Tze Ming, for instance, lives in Block 60, Strathmore Avenue. The 69-year-old learnt about Project Soar through her grassroots work and brought a neighbour, Mdm Chang Lang Kiew, 90, to join in its activities.

Mdm Chang, who lost her husband last year, has been in a wheelchair for about a year and rarely goes out, as her daughter fears that nobody would take care of her if she were to fall.

“I enjoy the activities (organised by Project Soar) and am happy to have company for these activities,” she said.