What’s Up 2024

Back to School

Reminisce Connect took a recess from February to April as Arthur and Pat headed back to school at the SUSS Venture Builders Programme to hone new skills in startups so that we can better serve the Singapore silver community and yet be sustainable in supporting this work of bridging and deepening relationships with our Seniors.

Talks and Workshops

NNI 7th Singapore International Neuro-cognitive Symposium

Arthur was privileged to be part of the NNI 7th Singapore International Neuro-Cognitive Symposium as a special guest and as a participant of the symposium in Feb 2024.

Arthur presenting a token of appreciation on behalf of NNI to Singhealth Chairman,
Mr. Cheng Wai Keung, 2 Feb 2024 @ Academia, SGH Campus
Arthur with his Neurologist Dr Adeline Ng (fourth from left) at the Symposium

NLB [WEALTH] Wellness Talk Series- 20 June 2024, 4.30pm, Oldham Theatre, National Archives of Singapore

Reminiscence and Spirituality (REST) Workshops @ St Luke’s ElderCare (SLEC) & Methodist Welfare Services (MWS) – June and July

RC conducted two separate workshops for staff, chaplains and volunteers on the use of reminiscence arts in promoting the psycho-socio and spiritual well-being of Seniors, including those living with dementia. These two and three full-day highly experiential workshop aimed to equip participants with knowledge and reminiscence arts facilitation skills, combining both a God-centric and people-focus approach in reaching out to the Seniors.

Reminiscence and Spirituality (REST) Reminiscence Facilitation Training Workshop, June 2024 –
A re-enactment of a wedding celebration

Reminiscence Facilitation Workshop and Practicum@ SUSS Unilearn – April to August

Patricia, together with Professor Carol Ma and team, conducted a two-day workshop, followed by supervising a six-week reminiscence practicum of about 40 students from various nursing homes, senior activity centres and active aging hubs.

12-week Reminiscence and Spirituality (REST) Sessions at St Luke’s ElderCare Ayer Rajah and Yong-En Active Aging Hub (YEAH) – ongoing

Both Arthur and Patricia, together with staff and volunteers from the above two centres, run REST concurrently, once a week, over two hours. We work with two distinct and separate groups: Seniors with and without dementia

Re-enactment of going to the Cinema (each participant armed with paper-rolled kacang-puteh and watching Sound of Music at “Cathay Cinema”.

Take off Your CAP! @ Dementia Singapore, Family of Wisdom (FOW), Bendemeer (July-August 2024)

Returning to FOW Bendemeer is almost a yearly ritual as this was the place where RC conducted its first reminiscence sessions in 2017. Since then, we have developed close relationships with the staff, Seniors and their caregivers. This reinforces RC’s believe that the work of reminiscence is anchored beyond a programme to include deepening of relationships with the Seniors and with those who care for and care about them.

“To Market, to Market..” – Re-enactment of buying and selling at a wet market.

September to December

Patricia and Eunice Tan, Centre Manager @ Dementia Singapore FOW (Bendemeer) during this fire-chat as they reminisced about their experiences engaging Eunice’s clients through the use of the National Archives materials (NLB Reminiscence Library) and validate how these reminiscence sessions can bring out the best in each of these persons with dementia and their caregivers.

International Allied Health Conference (IAHC) 2024

Patricia with SUSS AP Carol Ma at the coming IAHC Conference as they will be sharing on : Finding Meaning and Purpose in Ageing, Saturday, 2nd Nov from 11-12.30pm.

Complementary or Competition in the healthcare and social services sector?

I would like to submit to all that we are one body comprising different parts with sometimes similar and at times different functions. But they all complement each other for the common good of the community. In this instance, our elders.

Today A/P Carol Ma and I (Value of Reminiscence in Successful Ageing) shared the platform with Adya Sadan & Amanda Swee (The Happy Urn); Prof Andy Ho (Family Dignity Intervention); Anna Milani (Brain-Body Fitness) at the International Allied Health Conference (IAHC) 2024, Singapore Expo. This segment, “Dignity and Preservation for Ageing and End of Life” was chaired by Dr Su-Yin Yang, Woodlands Health.

I am thankful that through our sharing, each of us is working towards promoting the physical, pyscho-socio and spiritual well-being of our Seniors. May we continue to find synergy, collective wisdom and resources as we move towards working as one body to complement each other in preserving the dignity of our Seniors!

Intergenerational Reminiscence – November and December

Singapore Chinese Girls’ School (SGCS) Goes to the Community! – An Intergenerational Reminiscence Project at DSG IDeaL@115! A group of student leaders, together with Reminisce Connect Facilitators, will meet up with a group of Seniors, mainly those with dementia, by engaging in fun and meaningful reminiscence activities during their year-end school vacation. The students will produce a set of memory photocards of each of the Seniors based on their life stories told and collected.