Singapore, Sep 3 (PTI) Singapore faces issues of ageing across its 3.9 million people, some nine per cent of whom are of Indian origin, the head of a prominent charity organisation has said, asserting that community service is required more than ever to help the country’s senior citizens.
S Devendran, the Chief Executive Officer of the Sree Narayana Mission (Singapore-SNM), a 74-year-old charity organisation, said the SNM wants to look at issues impacting the lives of senior citizens in Singapore.
“In 2023, we will celebrate SNM’s 75th anniversary of its services in multiracial Singapore, providing social services equally to all, be they be Chinese, Indians and of other races and religions,” said 60-year-old Devendran.
“We were guided throughout these decades by the values of the Guru from that humble beginning. We are trying to make a difference in the lives of the less privileged,” he said.
SNM was registered in June 1948 as one of the 109 community organisations. It operates a 224-bed nursing home, 200-bed psychiatric centre, two senior day care centres and a care centre, providing a slew of community programmes.
Singapore faces issues of ageing across the 3.9 million population, some nine per cent of whom are of Indian origin, Devendran said.
He proposed that other Indian organisations should look at ways to pool resources and help seniors in daycare centres and help people with dementia and rehabilitate them for integration into the main society.
“We need to do dive deeper on how our Indian community can help manage ageing and help the government bridge the last mile to the trenches,” he said.
“As it is with anywhere in the world, managing social services is a challenge, and we, at SNM (Singapore), believe we can do more and better to be of service to the nation and the people, as preached by Sree Narayana Guru,” he said.
Though main cities including Singapore have world-class health facilities, it is community service that is required more than ever to help these seniors, Devendran said. PTI GS MRJ MRJ
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