Seniors take active role in planning and leading activities here

Pilot project at new centre in Queenstown helps seniors to lead healthier, more productive lives

- Thian Wen Li

As a young girl, Madam Wendy Lim enjoyed crafting and sewing.

The hobby took a back seat as she grew older, but she rekindled her passion for craft a few years ago after her in-laws, whom she was caring for, died.

The 76-year-old former public relations officer now hopes to conduct craft workshops at a new active ageing centre in Margaret Drive  that opened on March 30.

At the FaithActs x Ibasho Margaret Drive Centre - a tie-up between social service agency FaithActs and non-profit organisation Ibasho seniors will take an active role in planning and leading activities, rather than just being participants.

Ibasho means "a place where you can feel at home, being oneself" in Japanese. The organisation aims to create places where seniors can lead or find opportunities to contribute to their community.

Ibasho's first project began in 2012 in Japan, after the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011.

This is the first Ibasho project in Singapore. Supported by the Health District @ Queenstown, the pilot programme supports residents to lead healthier and more productive lives.

Queenstown is one of Singapore's oldest towns, and more than 20 per cent of residents there are aged 65 and above.

The concept of Ibasho was introduced to Queenstown through a four-part workshop conducted between May and November in 2022.

Ibasho founder Emi Kiyota said Ibasho is about having a mindset shift about older people as individuals who can contribute to and lead activities for community building.