SINGAPORE - More elderly Eunos residents will be able to benefit from services such as befriending and health consultations with the opening of Tembusu Active Ageing Centre.
The centre in Eunos Crescent - which is operated by social service agency Sathya Sai Social Service - officially opened its doors on Saturday.
It will serve more than 2,500 senior citizens across housing types and income levels in the area.
This is up from about 530 elderly residents in rental flats it served when it was a senior activity centre, said Ms Felicia To, the manager of the centre.
Active ageing centres offer an enhanced suite of services compared to senior activity centres.
In 2021, the Ministry of Health (MOH) announced that it would dedicate about $180 million to enhance senior activity centres here, introducing some 200 active ageing centres and active ageing care hubs by 2024.
Ms To said Tembusu Active Ageing Centre will work with other organisations to provide personal home care, home cleaning for hoarding cases, as well as mental health assessments for elderly residents.
One of the organisations is Changi General Hospital (CGH). The centre hosts a CGH community nurse post at its premises.
Ms To said it saves elderly residents the hassle of having to travel all the way to the hospital for health consultation and chronic disease management services.
Since 2018, the post has conducted health screenings for more than 130 people, and identified more than 50 seniors for community surveillance and care coordination.
Some seniors are then enrolled in active ageing programmes at the centre, while others receive befriending and case management support, Sathya Sai Social Service said in a media release.
South East District Mayor Fahmi Aliman, who attended the launch of Tembusu Active Ageing Centre on Saturday, said that during his home visits, he encountered elderly residents who lived alone who rarely received visits from family or friends.
Activities held by the centre could help to address social isolation among the elderly and meet their needs, said Mr Fahmi, who is also the MP for the Geylang Serai ward of Marine Parade GRC.
"That's key for me because my estate is ageing and we have many of such cases," he said.
