Ongoing Efforts on Engaging Elderly and Youths to Mitigate Stress and Loneliness from COVID-19 Safety Measures

Dr Wan Rizal asked the Minister for Culture, Community and Youth what are the current and future efforts to mitigate stress and loneliness levels amongst our elderly and youths due to existing COVID-19 safety measures which reduce meaningful physical social engagements.

The Government recognises the stress brought about by COVID-19 and is committed to supporting the mental well-being of Singaporeans.

Our youths are digital natives, and we are reaching them online and offline. MCCY and NYC have partnered youth sector organisations such as Campus Psy and the Happiness Initiative to curate resources and programmes where youths can learn tips on self-coping and resilience. These resources can be found on Youthopia, NYC’s first-stop portal providing resources and content for youths.

MCCY and NYC are partnering with organisations such as The Smart Local to raise awareness on mental well-being and support avenues that youths can turn to. We have also partnered with Calm Collective Asia on dialogues to provide youths with the opportunities to speak openly about mental health, and to share self-care tips such as stress management strategies. In addition, our partners such as Friendzone run online community events where youths can meet up with their neighbours to talk about issues that concern them, thus allowing them to maintain social interactions.

Youths can also take part in meaningful volunteering activities organised by Youth Corps Singapore and the People’s Association (PA) Youth Networks. Youths can meet fellow peers and contribute to their communities together. In doing so, they are expanding networks that are vital for social resilience. Youth Corps Singapore has also launched a Community Peer Supporter Programme in collaboration with HPB, which provides youths with the platform to seek support from trained peer supporters.

MOE’s approach is to keep schools safe so that they can remain open as far as possible. MOE recognises that Co-Curricular Activities (CCAs) and other interpersonal activities are important for student development and overall well-being and has adopted a calibrated approach to resume student activities, taking reference from the national posture. MOE hopes to resume these activities when it is safe for the students to do so, in order to mitigate the impact of COVID-19 safety measures. Meanwhile, MOE continues to strengthen students’ mental well-being and resilience through Mental Health Education lessons in the revised Character and Citizenship Education curriculum, and early detection and intervention efforts for students in need. This is complemented by additional support measures such as teachers conducting check-ins to monitor students’ well-being and using classroom time to teach students how to cope with the pandemic.

To keep our seniors meaningfully engaged and connected from home during the period of tightened measures, our partners, such as the Council for Third Age (C3A), Health Promotion Board, Sport Singapore and PA have also pivoted their activities and talks onto various social media platforms. The Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) has been working with community partners to provide persons at risk of mental health conditions or dementia, with related information and link them to community resources. Befriending providers and volunteers make regular home visits and check-in calls to seniors needing support, while the Silver Generation Office actively reach out to vulnerable seniors at risk of social isolation, such as those with inadequate family or social support.

In addition, the SG Cares Volunteer Centres have been working closely with the partners in the SG Cares Community Networks to channel support towards community mental wellness initiatives in respective towns. For example, SG Cares Volunteer Centres @ Toa Payoh and Woodlands have been running Neighbour Cares, a community befriending programme aimed at reducing the risk of social isolation amongst seniors living in those towns. In partnership with AIC, SG Cares Volunteer Centres have also channelled volunteers to call seniors to check on their well-being. As part of the Alliance for Action (AfA) for Emerging Needs and Volunteerism, the SG Cares Volunteer Centre @ Jurong East leads efforts to equip volunteers with skills and knowledge on mental wellness to reach out to residents in the Yuhua community who require support. The SG Cares Volunteer Centres have also partnered with Youth Corps Singapore where youth volunteers reached out to low-income families and isolated seniors in the community.

To support seniors in staying fit, active and socially engaged, PA will pilot the resumption of selected activities in 20 Divisions from 1 November 2021 for fully vaccinated seniors aged 60 and above. The activities will be organised in a safe environment for these seniors, as well as those seniors who have fully recovered from COVID-19. The activities will include a range of recreational classes from sports and fitness, health and wellness to lifestyle and leisure.

For those who need help, including youths and elderly, they can do so through a range of channels in the wider community, such as 24-hour hotlines run by the Samaritans of Singapore and the Institute of Mental Health, as well as counselling services and social-emotional support provided by community mental health teams and Family Service Centres. Some of these services have pivoted online during COVID-19.

The Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-being co-led by MOH and MSF and chaired by Dr Janil Puthucheary, Senior Minister of State for Health, is bringing together the capabilities and capacities of different agencies to develop an overarching national strategy and action plan on mental health and well-being beyond COVID-19. This will include measures to strengthen support for youths as well as elderly.

We need a whole-of-society effort to tackle the issue of mental well-being. Beyond the Government’s efforts, as citizens, we should encourage one another to be open about our challenges and extend kindness and support for those who need help. We encourage those who are interested to help to approach any SG Cares Volunteer Centre or download the SG Cares App to choose from an array of opportunities.