Plans to Encourage Seniors to Adopt an Active Ageing Lifestyle

NOTICE PAPER NO. 2012 
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR ORAL ANSWER
FOR THE SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON OR AFTER 4 JULY 2023

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Dr Wan Rizal
MP for Jalan Besar GRC

Question No. 4638

To ask the Minister for Health (a) what are the Ministry's plans to encourage seniors to adopt an active ageing lifestyle; and (b) whether such plans include (i) collaborating with the People's Association to convert Residents' Network to Active Ageing Centres in the day and (ii) setting up volunteering opportunities for seniors.

Answer

1         Over the past two months, the healthcare family has been discussing these key workstreams that the member has raised at our Workplan Seminar.  

2         As I have explained to the House before, we have three inter-related healthcare systems, and the aged care system is a key one we are prioritising for review.  Encouraging seniors to adopt active lifestyles and practise good health habits is the most sustainable and effective way to address the challenge of an ageing population, with rapidly rising number of people with chronic and other illnesses.  

3         To do so, we need to strengthen our ageing infrastructure in the community.  Many of our initiatives are laid out in the recent 2023 Action Plan for Successful Ageing.  Further, we are expanding the number of Active Ageing Centres (AACs) and transforming their operating model to support healthy ageing for seniors.  But AACs cannot work alone, and close collaboration with other agencies such as the Health Promotion Board (HPB) and the People’s Association (PA) will be critical, and we seek the support of all Advisers. 

4         For example, to outreach to seniors more effectively and extensively, we need to tap on all community volunteers, whether they are from the Agency for Integrated Care or PA. To enable seniors to lead an active lifestyle, HPB and PA need to organise suitable activities, and be as inclusive as possible.  

5         Promoting senior volunteerism will be an important thrust.  For example, the expansion of AACs will offer more volunteer roles such as buddying and befriending.  MOH and the Council for Third Age will also roll out the enhanced Silver Volunteer Fund in the second half of 2023 to support the growing network of volunteer host organisations offering meaningful senior volunteer opportunities.