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WHEN visiting his residents in Marsiling ward, Member of Parliament Hawazi Daipi would be filled with a sense of foreboding whenever he saw elderly people living alone.
What if they fell sick or, worse, were attacked by robbers?
Their vulnerability led Mr Hawazi, Senior Parliamentary Secretary (Health and Manpower), to launch a programme to ensure they receive visitors regularly.
As a result, the elderly in Marsiling living alone in rental flats receive visits at least once in three months from students of two nearby educational institutions: Republic Polytechnic and Woodlands Secondary School.
Mr Hawazi highlighted this initiative yesterday, ahead of a community visit to Marsiling by Acting Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts Lui Tuck Yew on Sept 26.
Marsiling is part of the six-MP Sembawang GRC. And about a fifth, or around 170, of the elderly folk living in rental flats are on their own, he said.
Since January, his Elderly In Your Estate programme has teamed each of them with groups of at least three students. On their visits, the young people bring food and help with chores, such as changing light bulbs or cleaning the flat.
Republic Polytechnic student Muhd Faiz Abdul Karim, 20, who has made nearly 30 such visits in the past eight months, has found the experience illuminating.
“I remember visiting a 65-year-old woman living alone and her door had a single lock and the metal grille gate had no padlock.
“We explained the importance of securing her home better... To me, raising awareness about safety issues makes a real impact in the lives of the elderly,” said the second-year supply chain management student.
Mr Hawazi said the programme was part of a larger initiative to encourage the elderly to interact more with their neighbours and others, and to take part in grassroots activities.
Marsiling, a mature estate, has around 71,400 residents, of whom about 10 per cent, or 7,140, are aged
60 or over.
The ward also has a higher-than-average proportion of Malays, who form about a quarter of its residents.
To encourage them to lead a healthy lifestyle, Mr Hawazi introduced a pilot programme last year in which “health champions” would each guide 10 residents on ways to live healthily.
The residents are taught, among other things, to understand their cholesterol levels and the symptoms of diabetes.
This Health Champion Group, trained by the Health Promotion Board, will be expanded to all races beyond Marsiling when launched by Rear-Admiral (NS) Lui during his community visit.
There will be 80 “health champions” initially, covering Sembawang GRC as well as Nee Soon Central
and Nee Soon East single-member wards.
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