MOBILISATION OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR FRAIL ELDERLY

MOBILISATION OF COMMUNITY RESOURCES FOR FRAIL ELDERLY:

(Enlistment of relatives and neighbours): 4.

Mr Laurence Wee Yoke Thong asked the Prime Minister whether the Govern

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ment will consider enlisting relatives and neighbours in the mobilisation of community resources to care for the frail elderly.

The Minister, Prime Minister's Office (Mr Lim Boon Heng) (for the Prime Minister): The family must be the first line of care and support for the elderly. Besides the immediate family, the extended family should lend its support. I fully agree with Mr Laurence Wee that the community, and especially, neighbours can also play an important role. To augment the efforts by community agencies and VWOs, we are indeed trying to encourage and mobilise informal networks to support our seniors to age-in-place. As a Chinese saying goes, "in times of need, a relative who lives far away would not be as helpful as a neighbour". At the minimum, neighbours can help to keep a lookout for our seniors, particularly those who may be frail, home-bound or socially isolated. They can help the seniors with some simple tasks such as running simple errands or accompanying them for medical appointments.

For instance, a 73-year-old senior from Queenstown comes together with three neighbours to help 10 other seniors who are either wheelchair-bound or staying alone. They help to purchase their neighbours' groceries, chit chat with them and bring them out to participate in community programmes together. In preparation for the recent Lunar New Year, these four kind-hearted neighbours also helped to spring-clean their neighbours' homes. In time, more of our seniors would be frail, single or without children. Hence, I cannot emphasise enough the importance of neighbourliness and community support.

How are we trying to foster this? One avenue is through programmes such as the Wellness Programme. This encourages

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people to join or even form their own social interest groups. Through regular social interaction, we hope that some will become close friends and they can lend support to one another in times of need. Another avenue is through grassroots outreach and activities. For example, floor parties would be useful to encourage greater interaction among neighbours. We hope to rekindle the kampong spirit which many older Singaporeans reminisce about in our vertical kampongs today. MCYS is also harnessing the strengths of voluntary welfare organisations and their volunteers to support the vulnerable and needy. This include the seniors' activity centres and the befriending programme. However, we cannot rely entirely on volunteers or the staff to support seniors. As much as possible, VWO staff can also tap in the good will of neighbours or work with other local community partners, such as the schools, to optimise our limited resources. If we can mobilise community resources more effectively through complement family support, we are one step closer to our vision of ageing-in-place.

Mr Speaker: Do you have a supplementary question?

Mr Laurence Wee Yoke Thong: Thank you, Minister, for the comprehensive and heartening response to the ageing scene, where we supplement family support as a first line with community support. Sir, the supplementary question is, will the Government consider, at the opportune time, to give this group of community caregivers some kind of an allowance as incentive and recognition for their efforts?

Mr Lim Boon Heng: Sir, I agree that we should recognise these community support groups. In fact, we do, but not in the monetary sense. There is a Good Neighbours' Award scheme which is jointly offered by People's Association and HDB. Most are aware that in different

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constituencies, the grassroots organisations also give their own Good Neighbour Awards

and these are usually presented at the National Day dinners. So I think we should do more of this.