On a quiet Tuesday (Dec 17) afternoon, excited chatter could be heard from the void deck of an unassuming HDB block along Tampines Street 43.
At 2pm sharp, dozens of seniors dressed in their best outfits started milling into the Lions Befrienders Active Ageing Centre for its annual Christmas celebration.
The centre was all decked out in colourful Christmas decorations. Staff, as well as volunteers, had set up tables with wooden nutcracker figures, brushes and watercolours for the first activity: nutcracker painting.
While some of the attendees concentrated on the activity, others chatted with one another as popular Christmas tunes filled the room.
Once everyone was done painting their nutcrackers, they showcased both their handiwork and outfits to one another in the catwalk segment amidst resounding cheers and applause.
The seniors then voted for those they believed had the best nutcrackers and outfits, with the top three contenders winning prizes.
Amongst these winners was 68-year-old Doris Tay, who has been visiting this centre for three years.
Speaking to AsiaOne, Doris shared that she had initially joined the exercise classes held at the centre to stay active after retiring from her retail associate job of 30 years.
Over time, she became more involved with the centre’s activities, spending up to five days a week chatting, playing games, and having meals with other seniors.
“I made a lot of friends here. Last time… I just went to work and came back home. At most, I knew my neighbours only,” Doris said.
“But now, I know so many people in the area. Even when I go to the market, I will see them and stop to say hi and catch up.”
Earlier this year, staff at the active ageing centre asked Doris if she would like to volunteer.
While she felt grateful for the opportunity, the retiree told AsiaOne she initially had reservations about it.
“I was worried I wouldn’t have time because I needed to take care of my home… especially my husband,” she said, explaining that he was somewhat of a homebody and did not interact with others much.
“I was scared he would get lonely or fall and get hurt when no one is at home.”
Eventually, Doris decided to volunteer with Lions Befrienders on an ad-hoc basis, which allows her to balance her responsibilities at home and at the centre.
Her duties include accompanying and assisting elderly members for outings planned by the centre and distributing goodies during events organised by Lions Befrienders and its community partner, the Christian Outreach for the Handicapped.
“Of course, my family comes first. But this (volunteering) is also important to me. I want to help others,” she said, adding that she ensures one of her children is at home with her husband before she leaves for the centre.
Doris shared that she feels a sense of purpose and satisfaction from volunteering, and receiving acknowledgement for her efforts is a bonus.
“Just them saying ‘Thank you’ means a lot, I don’t need anything else,” she said.
An opportunity to interact
The second part of the active ageing centre’s Christmas celebration was a Carnival Games segment.
Seniors were split into groups. The first person had to use chopsticks to stack two rows of plastic cups as quickly as possible.
The next person would then have to separate the cups before doing the same, and the process was repeated until everyone had taken their turn.
The first group to complete the task won the game.
It was a high-energy affair, with many getting competitive, and some cheering their teammates on as they went neck-to-neck with one another.
Among the players of this game were husband-and-wife duo Peggy Tan and Andrew Koh, both 78.
The elderly couple told AsiaOne they were thankful to be able to celebrate the festive season at the centre with their friends and community.
“It’s a very warm feeling. I see some of them on wheelchairs and with the tongkat (walking stick) still coming down to join in, it’s great,” Andrew said.
The couple had started attending sessions at the centre to keep themselves occupied after retirement, they said.
Andrew, previously a senior technician with the Singapore Air Force, first visited the centre five years ago. Around two years later, he encouraged Peggy to join him.
When asked how she feels about the active ageing centre, Peggy said: “I’m grateful… because we can enjoy a lot of things like going out for meals and making handicrafts.”
The former finance assistant added that she and her husband had made many new friends at the centre, some of whom they had seen around for years but never had the opportunity to interact with.
Community, culture and tradition
Moments like these are exactly why such events are so important.
Lions Befrienders executive director Karen Wee emphasised that festive celebrations bring a sense of community, culture, and tradition — especially to seniors.
“They can celebrate what they have now, and reminisce about the traditions and culture that they were brought up in,” she said, adding that these festivities also bring hope to the seniors.
Karen also stated that the centre hosts celebrations for various other festivals such as Deepavali, Chinese New Year and Hari Raya Puasa.
“It’s a time of social bonding, for all of them (seniors) to come together across race, religion and social class,” she said.
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bhavya.rawat@asiaone.com
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