The 63-year-old Mdm Ang also has health issues of her own, including a limp, which made it even more challenging to chase after her sister whenever she ran out of the house.

Thankfully, she was able to find help at O’Joy, short for Oceans of Joy. Her counsellor at the counselling centre focused on psychosocial health, attended to her emotional, financial and health needs. When Mdm Ang’s sister passed away, her counsellor Poh Yee also helped her to overcome her grief by matching her with a volunteer para-counsellor who regularly checked in to chat with her.

O’ Joy continues to keep an eye out for Mdm Ang under its Services for Older Persons programme, which provides counselling and clinical case management services to improve the mental well-being of seniors.

Such initiatives are becoming more crucial as nearly one in four people in Singapore will be aged 65 and above by 2030. As the population greys, more attention will have to be paid not just to physical health issues that seniors face in their twilight years, but also their mental and emotional challenges. As physical ailments begin to plague them, for instance, emotional distress is also likely to set in and this will greatly affect their mental state.

However, Singapore’s low birth rate means there is a shrinking pool of younger family members to care for seniors. Who, then, will care for people like Mdm Ang?

FILLING THE GAP

Ms Teo Puay Leng began asking herself this question in 2004. She was working as a counsellor and grew concerned that mental care services for Singapore’s rapidly ageing population were lacking.

“There was a service gap and we saw a need on the ground”, said Puay Leng.

To fill this need, she founded O’Joy in 2004 as a non-profit organisation that aims to promote healthy ageing. The organisation focuses both on the prevention and early intervention of mental health disorders among seniors.

Puay Leng was O’Joy’s sole staff member at first. “I did everything, from casework to accounts to looking for funds.” Today, O’Joy has a 15-strong team, including counsellors and social workers, and over 100 volunteers.

 

Making a change

O’ Joy’s core programmes include counselling and para-counselling. These programmes have helped lift many like Mdm Ang out of dark places. By explicitly addressing the mental health issues of seniors, O’Joy has helped their clients identify the root of their problems and find joy in their lives.

O’Joy also runs the Health-Oriented Ageing (HOA) programme. Started in 2013, the programme brings seniors together over fun activities such as exercise and the arts. These provide helpful avenues for retired or retiring individuals to build social networks while still able-bodied.

With a safe space in which to have fun and build relationships, they are able to enjoy a fulfilling retirement life.

“Every time I look at the elderly, they are so happy and engaged. That brings me a lot of joy,” said Puay Leng.

As with most charities, funding is one of O’Joy’s greatest challenges. This was especially so when the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting economic challenges made donors tighten the purse strings.

“The most frustrating thing is when those who initially funded us, tell us this (particular programme) is not what they want to fund,” said executive director Choo Jin Kiat, who manages O’Joy’s finances.

The Maybank Momentum Grant (MMG) has helped to ease this pain point.

“MMG has helped O’Joy greatly with our counselling services and HOA programme. All these incur operational and material costs, which the MMG has defrayed significantly,” said Jin Kiat.

With Maybank’s support, O’Joy is able to meet the needs of seniors in a cost-effective and sustainable manner.

“We thank MMG for this lifeline which assists us in providing quality programmes and services to our beneficiaries,” he added.