Supporting Seniors through their Golden Years

Aging gracefully isn’t about looking younger than your actual age, nor the continuous chase for youthful skin and black hair. It is however, about living your best life healthily well into our golden years. By working towards keeping ourselves physically, mentally, and emotionally fit, we can all work towards successful aging. As youth, this may not be immediately relevant to us now. However, as human beings, we all go through this process of aging as well.

Physical health:

Health Promotion Board’s National Physical Activity Guidelines recommend that adults and seniors should clock in 150 minutes of moderate exercise, or 75 minutes of intense exercise per week (Healthhub ). By encouraging seniors to keep fit, they will be better empowered to lead an independent life, and to improve their quality of life. In a Health Ministry survey of old folks in Marine Parade, 52% of elderly (Healthxchange ) do not exercise at all. Conversely, a similar trend can be seen amongst Singapore’s youth as well, with more than half of our kids and adolescents not meeting physical activity targets (Straits Times ). Whether young or old, let’s take this opportunity to encourage each other to get up and get moving!

As we age, another aspect about physical health that we should take seriously is the matter of timely medical checkups. Many of us take our health for granted, and thus regular check-ups tend to be overlooked. However, the difference between detecting an illness in its early stages and its later stages can make a large impact on treatment and quality of life from there on.?

Mental health:

As youth, we often fall victim to the stressors of everyday life - school commitments, work submissions, friends and familial conflict, and many more. Although there is a growing commitment to raise awareness of mental health in youth, there is not enough advocacy for mental health in the seniors. Over 20% of adults aged 60 and over suffer from a mental or neurological disorder (World Health Organisation ), which is no small sum. We should advocate for healthy mental health for seniors too.?

It’s not a new discovery that keeping our minds active can help to keep mental decline at bay. According to the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, study participants who engaged in leisure activities had a 17% lower risk of developing dementia than those who did not engage in leisure activities (News Medical ). By encouraging the seniors to engage in hobbies and activities that they enjoy, we can enable them to keep mentally fit while making time for the activities that make them happy.

Emotional health:

Another integral part of holistic wellbeing is emotional health. As human beings, we thrive on social connections, even if we may be shy or introverted by nature. Living in social isolation can lead to more serious physical and mental health issues, such as high blood pressure, heart disease, depression, and dementia, amongst others (National Institute on Aging ). Unfortunately, in 2019, there was a recorded number of 67,600 of adults aged 65 and above living alone, representing 11.6% of the demographic (Ministry of Health ). This documents a worrying but rising trend.

With the many technological advances today, it may be easy for us to connect to a network of friends and family through social media at the touch of a button. However, many seniors grew up without technology, and thus might not have had the chance to learn how to use them. By integrating technology into their lives, we can empower them to connect with friends and family with ease.

Be it young or old, we all strive to lead full and meaningful lives. Maintaining good physical, mental, and emotional health is crucial at all stages of life. Check out our Yolden and Eldercare cluster to see what we've been doing for our seniors! If you resonate with our cause, head to youthcorps.gov.sg to find out how you can be a part of us and make a difference in the lives of our seniors!