Speech by Minister for Health and Minister-in-charge of Ageing Issues Mr Gan Kim Yong at the Launch of the RSVP Senior Volunteer Week and Senior Volunteer Training Centre, Wednesday 5 September 2012, 10am, at Junction 8 Shopping Centre

1     A very good morning to all of you.

2     I am very happy to be here to launch RSVP’s Senior Volunteer Training Centre. Today also marks the start of the inaugural Senior Volunteer Week. I am delighted to see so many active and enthusiastic seniors here today. This is indeed a good occasion to celebrate seniors and your contribution to the community.

Active Ageing A Key Priority

3     Over the next one to two decades, our population will get older. What is more serious is that we will also be getting older at a faster rate. For MOH, we will be gearing up our healthcare and aged care infrastructure and services to support the anticipated increase in needs as our population ages. This means expanding home-based care services, and building more eldercare centres and nursing homes in the community to bring care to our seniors’ doorstep.

4     However, the good news is that the majority of our senior population today is still ambulant and functional. Our hope is that most, if not all, of our seniors can age gracefully and actively in the years to come. We hope that even as they get older, they can remain active and engaged members in all aspects of our society – in homes, in the community, and in workplaces. Promoting active ageing therefore remains a key priority for us as we should be adding life to years and not just years to life.

5     We can achieve this if our seniors are not worried about getting old, but instead, embrace ageing and continue to learn and engage in all kinds of activities and all aspects of society, if society at large values and respects our seniors as important members of our community. The two reinforce each other. Active seniors like you are role models for our society and shape our perceptions about ageing. An inclusive and caring community who values seniors will in turn provide a conducive environment for seniors to remain engaged. This is also what PM meant when he talked about the inclusive society we hope to nurture – a home with a heart, a society that cares, supports and respects our seniors.

Senior Volunteerism

6     There is a Chinese saying 家有一老, 如有一宝, which means that a senior is often considered a treasure to the family. Indeed, our senior population has been and will continue to be valuable assets, not just to each family but to society at large. As parents and grandparents, they play a vital role as caregivers and teachers to our young. With their experience, senior workers serve as mentors at the workplace and provide a wealth of knowledge and skills that companies can tap on.

7     Seniors can also play a positive role to contribute to our community. I am heartened that senior volunteerism has been on the rise over the past few years. This is a good sign. Many of our seniors even take on leadership positions in grassroots organisations, community-based voluntary welfare organisations and civic groups. Seniors, through their engagement in volunteerism and community work, directly contribute to community development in many areas. Through volunteerism, seniors can also meet new people, share experiences, forge new friendships and find new meaning in their lives.

8     In fact, seniors themselves can actively contribute to Singapore’s efforts to prepare for ageing. Seniors can help other seniors. Even as we gear up to meet the anticipated care needs that come with a rapidly ageing society, we find that seniors themselves are assuming roles as neighbor-helpers to other seniors, as caregivers to seniors in their households, and as care workers within the community.

RSVP Singapore – The Organisation of Senior Volunteers

9      RSVP Singapore is a prime example of senior volunteerism in action. Launched some 14 years ago, RSVP aims to make the lives of seniors meaningful and enjoyable through purpose-driven volunteerism, in multiple areas, including lifelong learning, mentoring at-risk school children and so on. In particular, under RSVP’s Cyberguide Programme, seniors can volunteer as IT trainers to teach other seniors on how to use the computer and the Internet. In RSVP’s Active Ageing Programme, seniors learn more about healthy lifestyle habits and they are encouraged to talk to other seniors to motivate them to lead a healthy lifestyle too.

10     And the work of individual RSVP volunteers speaks volumes of the impactful contributions that seniors can make via volunteerism. For instance, after her retirement, Ms Young Chu May, aged 71, has been visiting seniors living alone in one room rental flats in Marine Parade once a month to provide companionship to them. Another example is Ms Leong Sue Yin, aged 76, who is a caregiver to her elder sister. Despite her caregiving duties and responsibilities, she still volunteers regularly to provide administrative support to the RSVP.

11     With the set-up of RSVP’s Senior Volunteer Training Centre, seniors will be even better equipped with the relevant skills to volunteer effectively. The Training Centre will offer workshops led by trained senior facilitators, and the courses will be designed with the target audience of senior volunteers in mind. Through discussion and sharing, seniors will learn the concepts of volunteerism, the attributes of an effective volunteer, as well as skills in communication and time management. I understand that some 300 seniors comprising RSVP members and volunteers of partner organisations have already been trained ahead of the completion of the centre.

12     This inaugural Senior Volunteer Week is yet another initiative by RSVP to reach out to even more seniors and to encourage them to embark on the fulfilling journey of volunteering. RSVP works in partnership with other VWOs, private corporations, CDC and National Arts Council to offer a suite of volunteering opportunities for seniors. I understand up to 2,000 seniors will be involved in the inaugural Senior Volunteer Week

Conclusion

13     I would like to thank RSVP for its efforts at promoting senior volunteerism. I would also like to commend each and every senior who is stepping forward to contribute as a volunteer. You are truly an inspiration to us all. I wish all of you many more years of productive and enjoyable and above all, meaningful voluntary work.

14     Happy volunteering! Thank you.