T.H.E. Seniors
Introduction
T.H.E. (Touch the Hearts of the Elderly) Seniors is a volunteering programme that provides opportunities for volunteers to work regularly with the elderly who live alone in one-room flats in Geylang Bahru. It is a joint project between NUS CSC and TOUCH Community Services (TCS).
Group Photo
What we do
We visit the homes of the elderly to chat with them and help them with simple household chores. Apart from regular visits, we also have celebrations lined up for special occasions such as the Mid-Autumn Festival and Chinese New Year where we spend time making lanterns together with the elderly to decorate their homes. That’s not all! We even have outings to concerts and places such as the Southern Ridges!
A treat from one of our elderly
Chinese New Year Celebration
Come Join Us!
We welcome anyone interested in volunteering with the elderly! Join us in bringing joy to the lives of our elderly today :)
“What I felt especially meaningful was doing those simple chores of sweeping and cleaning for them. What, to us, may be tasks easily accomplished, are beyond the elders because of their ailing bodies.”
– See Kiat, Volunteer with T.H.E. Seniors
“I could have spent these few hours mugging, shopping, eating, playing, sleeping and doing things that probably made me happy, but at least for these few hours at Geylang Bahru, I felt like I had made someone else happy too.”
– Priscilla Lim, Volunteer with T.H.E. Seniors
Where:
TOUCH Seniors Activity Centre (TSAC), Block 61 Geylang Bahru
(Nearest MRT station is Kallang MRT Station)
When:
Alternate Saturdays from 10.30am to 1.30pm
Contact:
Volunteer’s thoughts:
- Chng Yi An
- Joanne Ngo
- East Coast Park Outing 2011
- Chinese New Year Celebration 2011
- Southern Ridges Outing 2010
- Mid Autumn Festival 2009
- Christmas Celebration 2009
- Chng Yi An - Chairperson
- Wynne Ng - Vice Chairperson
- Tan Sheng Xian - Treasurer
- Tay Yinmin - Secretary
- Tan Pheng Heong - Welfare
- Chin Yixiu - Programmer
- Tan Zhi Wei Shawn - Programmer
- Tan Eng Soon - Publicity
It was a whole new experience for me to be joining CSC T.H.E Seniors because unlike my previous voluntary experience which interact with children, I now have to interact more with the elderly, which is something that I’m unfamiliar with. At the start, I was unsure of what to expect, especially during my first visit, I basically stayed quiet throughout as I do not know what to say to them and also, I couldn’t understand dialect. But after several visits, I found myself more at ease when speaking to them as I realized I don’t actually need to think hard for a common topic rather talk to them about anything and they would be happy to reply. All these small things that we do, like sweeping, mopping and chit chatting might seem easy to us and each house visit only takes up an hour. But to them, this one hour actually means a lot and it’s really heartwarming to know that our small efforts can actually make a big difference in their lives. And the most valuable thing I’ve learnt so far is to be appreciative towards the things that we have and the people around us. It’s always a pleasure to see the elderly every fortnightly as they are very welcoming and friendly towards us. I’m really glad to have joined CSC T.H.E Seniors as it has been an enriching and fulfilling experience for me.
I joined T.H.E. Seniors because I feel that I am able to give more to the society. T.H.E. Seniors has given me a chance to do my part in helping elderly living in one room apartments whom require assistance in doing basic household chores such as cleaning windows and mopping floor which they may not be able to accomplish anymore due to their situation. More often than not, they are a group which are easily neglected as they were once ambitious adults carving their career paths but have already lost the ability to do so and inevitably feel lonely at times due to the lack of partners.
More than that, I get to have lots of opportunities in interacting with the elderly and understanding them better. Once you get to know them better, the elderly are a bunch of people who loves conversations and sharing their life experiences. Joining T.H.E. Seniors taught me many values and skills which are impossible to learn in school. What really touches my heart is seeing how much the elderly actually appreciates our help and company.