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Hipster Holland echoes jazzy music from snazzy bars but it is not known to many
the presence of Blk 1 - a rental flat housing many elderly, who live alone.
By Jane Seow
Fall or Fly,
in the Final Years of Life?
[We are] waiting to eat, waiting to sleep and waiting to die.”
Aunty Cheng (not her real name) said that she woke up feeling itchy from bites on her arms. She looked up, and there it was — a bed bug. She desperately tried to kill it using her walking stick but figured that it was too dangerous to even try.
Thankfully, she stopped.
Aunty Cheng is a beneficiary of Fei Yue Senior Activity Centre at Block 1 Holland Close.
She shared that recently, her neighbour was in the bathroom when he fell down. He was alone at home and was found unconscious three days later when neighbours smelt something foul. The uncle had passed away.
“Many of these elderly live alone,” said Aunty Cheng, and hence it is not surprising to hear of such incidents. The Department of Statistics reported that elderly aged 65 and above, make up more than 30 per cent of the entire one-person household population in Singapore.
In their loneliness, some of them had started to show depressive features. One in five elderly aged 75 and above exhibit symptoms of Depression, according to The Straits Times.
Hoe Ngok Eng, a volunteer of Fei Yue who does house visitations every alternate week of the month, said that an elderly once told her in Mandarin, “[We are] waiting to eat, waiting to sleep and waiting to die.”
This is exactly where Fei Yue Community Services step in.
This non-profit voluntary welfare organisation has 13 Senior Activity Centres. One of them is located at Block 1 Holland Close, the one and only rental flat in the Holland neighbourhood. Elderly aged 60 and above who are living in Block 1, drop by the centre on weekdays to engage in activities offered here.
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For the elderly who are working or homebound, house visitations will take place each week. “Many elderly have become happier and more emotionally stable after our following up with them during house visitations,” said Au Kwai Wah in Mandarin, who volunteers with Fei Yue Senior Activity Centre for almost three years.
In the quiet corners of Block 1 Holland Close, do not be surprised if belted vocals are heard reverberating throughout the void deck. Singing their hearts out during ‘Karaoke Time’ is a daily fix of recreation for the elderly over here.
Facilitators like Ms Teresa (the lady in front with a pink shirt), conduct exercise sessions and are gifted in communicating with the elderly. Photo Credits: Jane Seow
“Going to Fei Yue is better, staring at the ceiling and TV all the time isn’t good too..."
“Going to Fei Yue is better, staring at the ceiling and TV all the time isn’t good too,” said an Indian woman who comes by before she goes to work.
Fei Yue partners organisations and schools like Health Promotion Board and Singapore Polytechnic to plan initiatives which add colour to the lives of the elderly.
Zumba classes with K-Pop music, Low-Impact Aerobics & ‘BINGO’ are just some of the many activities the elderly here engage in. Photo Credits: Jane Seow
Time to time, the elderly are brought out for a treat! “We brought them to Sentosa, SEA Aquarium and even to other places like museums,” said Joash Quek, Senior Programmes Officer of this branch.
Moreover, with the support of youths from interest groups like Rotaract Club, elderly like Aunty Cheng would be able to find a solution to problems such as bed bug infestation. The bed bugs which troubled Aunty Cheng of her deep sleep? They were ultimately gotten rid of.
How so? Bed bug spray and a group of compassionate individuals did the job.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JANE SEOW
She's an Aunty soul trapped in a young girl's body. She loves jamming with some classic oldies' music in her bedroom and she prefers her traditional Kopi over atas coffee.