FINALLY A TV SERIES ABOUT SENIORS

Get ready for this:

Mediacorp (Singapore) will be screening its first ever TV series with the focus on the 50+. Comprising 13 episodes, "Silver Lining" will premiere this August 10 at 8.30pm. A dramedy, the series give viewers a peek at life in the golden years as experienced by two grandfathers and their neighbours. Click here to read more.

Another piece of good news to share. The Infocomm Development Authority of Singapore (IDA) has announced two new schemes to increase IT training and spur PC ownership among the older segment of the population.

ST file photo

The first, called Silver Gen PC Specials, will offer desktops, notebooks and netbooks to senior citizens at discounted prices. However, purchases must be from IDA-appointed PC vendors.

The second, the Silver PC Incentive Programme, will give a further $100 off to the first 8,000 eligible citizens who complete 30 hours of IT training.

With these incentives kicking off today, senior citizens in Singapore have little excuse not to pick up some pc skills. They can start a home-based online business, embark on lifelong learning, or extend their network of friends online.

With their own pc, a whole new world is theirs to discover and explore.

BREAKING NEWS: LAUNCH OF FOUNDATION FOR SUSTAINABLE RETIREMENT

Some really exciting news to report. The over-50s in Malaysia will now have an organization to look into their interests and needs. It's been a long wait but better late than never.

The Foundation for Sustainable Retirement (FSR) was launched at the conclusion of the Retirement Transformation Conference held yesterday at the Sime Darby Convention Centre. A non-profit organization, it aims to "promote a sustainable retirement system and to grow an age-neutral society that dignifies the status of the retiree".

There have been NGOs proclaiming to be the voice of senior citizens, but many have either faded into oblivion from inactivity or are existing as old tigers - toothless and without bite. FSR does seem to have some clout judging from the who's who on the Board of Trustees and Advisory Panel.

The pro-tem chairman is Datuk Dr Zainal Aznam Yusuf, a man who wears many important hats. As a fellow senior citizen, he is someone who can leverage on his wealth of experience to speak on our behalf to policy-makers in the government. The advisory panel includes retirement experts from Japan, Australia and Singapore. The full list of initial members can be viewed in the FSR booklet that you can download here.

Content page of the FSR booklet.

 Key objectives of the FSR:

• maximize employment potential for retirees
• improve health and wellness outcomes
• promote personal responsibility and well-being
• complement efforts to improve financial well-being
  

FSR initiatives for the next six months:

• job matching for employers and the over-55s
• online magazine for stakeholders to communicate on retirement issues
• online survey on public perception of retirement homes
• introduction of a wellness program

Finally there is some glimmer of hope that the over-50s will not remain marginalized, abandoned and forgotten as the rest of the country moves forward. Lest the government forgets, the country cannot enjoy sustainable economic growth without putting in place sustainable retirement policies and practices. By 2020, that's just a mere ten years away, Malaysia will have reached ageing nation status. 10% of its population will be 60 and above.

With FSR mapping out the road ahead, there is hope the golden years will retain their lustre for retirees.

GOOD FRIENDS HELP BOOST LIFE SPAN

 

Friends on an outing at Lake Gardens, KL

What better way to celebrate Friendship Day today than with a toast to good friends everywhere! Did you know that having good friends adds years to our lives? "50% boost in survival chances," claims the Brigham Young University team in a BBC report dated 28 July 2010. The team had based their findings on 150 studies carried out on over 300,000 people from four continents over a period of seven years. It's hard to dismiss such impressive numbers.

Says Michelle Mitchell of Age UK, "It's well known that social relationships are extremely important to older people's well-being, yet sadly one-in-10 over-65s say they always or often feel lonely. Many people in later life struggle to maintain social networks due to mobility difficulties, access to transport or following the death of a spouse. The isolation and loneliness many face can also lead to symptoms of depression, affecting one-in-four older people."

That's one reason why Seniorsaloud came into being - to provide older folks, especially those in Malaysia and Singapore, a platform to network. It's reassuring to know we have friends out there who share similar life experiences. Whether we like it or not, there will come a time when we are less mobile. The internet will be our main link to our friends and the world outside our home.

So while we are still physically able, let's not sit around at home and mope. Get in touch with old friends. Organize fun outings. Volunteer your services to community-based NGOs. Extend your network of friends. You get to live longer. Having few friends is as damaging to survival as smoking 15 cigarettes a day or being alcoholic, reports PLoS Medicine.

Here's to good friends everywhere. May we all see many more returns of this day!

Cheers!

Related article:

MAKE TIME FOR OLD FRIENDS

"THERE SHOULD BE NO RETIREMENT AGE"

That's what Lee Kuan Yew, 86, Singapore's former PM and now MM (Minister Mentor) proposed in his speech two days ago at a function celebrating the 30th anniversary of the Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF).

From 2012, Singapore employers have to offer re-employment to workers when they reach the retirement age of 62.

Here is what LKY has to say about retirement and reemployment.

"You work as long as you can work and you will be healthier and happier for it. If you ask me to stop working all of a sudden, I think I'll just shrivel up, face the wall and just that..."

"At my age, I may have aches and pains but I can keep going."

"Many of our workers have a preferred retirement, and then they die early! If you start saying, 'Oh, I'm old!' And you start reading novels and playing golf or playing chess or scrabbles, well, you're on the way down."

"The Chinese saying says 'You live long, you learn long'. Never stop learning. The day you stop learning, that's the day you begin to die, atrophy, and I'm still learning."

Sound advice from an elder statesman who is living proof that lifelong learning and purposeful living are hallmarks of longevity.

To view a video clip of excepts from LKY's speech, click here

Related article:
LEE KUAN YEW ON AGEING

AT 55, ARE YOU READY TO RETIRE?

StarMetro interviewed me a few days ago for my views on retirees and re-employment. Here is an extract from the Star's 27 July edition.

Are retirees choosy when it comes to salary and fringe benefits and does that make it difficult for them to get employment?

Retiree Lily Fu, 62, a trainer with Wawasan Open University teaching learning skills, said retirees should make themselves more employable like by picking up new skills or obtaining extra qualifications.

“They must find out the kind of industries that need them and never think of themselves as useless.

“Even if they cannot get a job, why not look into other alternatives like turning their hobbies or passion into one, like baking?” said Fu.

Fu, a retired teacher, said the principal had wanted her to stay on. She, however, had other plans like wanting to do something new, like training teachers.

Being interviewed for StarMetro

She lamented that there was lack of government support to push the private sector into recruiting retirees, unlike Singapore which had a special portal and even job fairs held to employ retirees.

“There is also the Advantage! scheme that offers financial grants of up to S$400,000 to companies registered or incorporated in Singapore supporting initiatives that directly boost the recruitment, retention and re-employment of matured workers,” she said.

Click here for the full article.

Related articles:

AN OPTION FOR OLDER WORKERS: TO BE RETIRED OR REHIRED

PREPARING TO REHIRE OLDER STAFF

HOPE FOR CANCER PATIENTS

Over the past two years, I have received numerous articles on cancer prevention and cures forwarded by friends and blog contributors. Some of these purported cures have turned out to be false while others simply could not be verified.

Finally I've found some really exciting information on the topic that I can share on Seniorsaloud without wondering if it's a work of fiction.

I am referring to Dr William Li's Youtube TED talk on how to starve off tumour cells by eating the right food. Dr Li is a cancer researcher and president of the Angiogenesis Foundation. No medical jargon here - just plain talking about how tumours develop and what we can eat to kill them. Absolutely fascinating. Please share as this might be life-saving information for some people that you know.

Here's Dr Li's list of anti-angiogenic foods:

It is interesting to note that meat and animal products e.g. milk are absent from the list.

You might also find these links useful:

UNDERSTANDING ANGIOGENESIS

ANTI-ANGIOGENESIS FOODS

THE BEST WAY TO PREVENT CANCER: A GOOD DIET