New resource centre for caregivers to open in Nee Soon South in February 2023
From February 2023, caregivers living in Nee Soon South will be able to tap a new centre that helps them connect with resources and programmes.
Located in Block 839 Yishun Street 81, the resource centre was revealed during a ministerial community visit by Deputy Prime Minister Heng Swee Keat to the Nee Soon South constituency. He was hosted by Ms Carrie Tan, Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC.
DPM Heng spoke to a group of seven caregivers – including young people with ageing parents, as well as those looking after family members with dementia or depression, or who had a stroke – who were taking part in a focus group discussion on how they can be better supported.
Dr Genedine Lim, 63, a volunteer with Nee Soon South who was facilitating the discussions, said caregivers had mentioned difficulties finding information about subsidy and support schemes.
The resource centre is the result of focus group sessions for caregivers, which have been running since September 2021, she added.
The centre will be run with the help of social enterprise SG Assist. Its co-founder Adrian Tan, 36, said other than supporting caregivers to navigate their journey, the centre also hopes to host workshops.
“We want to bring in experts from institutes of higher learning who study gerontechnology or caregiving-related matters to do sharing sessions. We also want to bring in free resources like writing a lasting power of attorney or wills,” he added. Gerontechnology refers to technology that caters to the needs of the elderly.
Ms Tan said there are many sandwiched and multi-generation families living in Nee Soon, including younger couples juggling work, childcare and eldercare who need a lot of support.
“So we try to create programmes within the community and build up the ecosystem so that we can have stronger capacity to tap one another, to ease the stresses and anxieties of the sandwiched generation,” she added.
DPM Heng also greeted residents having breakfast at a coffee shop in Block 848 Yishun Street 81 and toured exhibitions showcasing sustainability initiatives in the ward.
Ministerial community visits resumed in October after being put on hold for two years due to Covid-19, and the first one saw Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence Wong touring the Yio Chu Kang ward.
Visits have been lined up until September 2023, with a break in December 2022, and will take place in about 20 constituencies.
In a Facebook post about his visit, DPM Heng commended Ms Tan’s efforts on the ground as a first-time MP, and said her conviction towards serving and helping the underprivileged endears her to her residents.
“I’m also happy that many residents, volunteers and community partners were contributing back to society in different ways – from providing support to caregivers to encouraging residents to go green,” he added.
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