SAMH launches festival to raise mental health awareness among seniors
SINGAPORE – While some seniors blended tea and others came together in a drumming circle, Madam Kamala Devi Marimuthu was rolling dice in a game of mental wellness snakes and ladders.
This adapted version of the childhood game encourages self-reflection by prompting players to answer questions related to everyday mental health challenges, and was among the 10 activities that seniors could partake in at an outreach festival organised by the Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) on June 20.
Madam Kamala found the game to be a dose of positivity. 'The volunteer who played the game with me was very friendly, he cracked a lot of jokes and made me really happy,' said the 80-year-old.
The inaugural SAMH Golden Connect festival, being held at the non-profit's Space2Connect integrated wellness centre in Jalan Besar, is aimed at raising awareness of challenges faced by senior citizens, such as social isolation and mental health issues .
Seniors aged 60 to 74 are the least likely age group to seek mental health support, whether from professionals or from their informal support networks, according to the 2023 National Population Health Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Health Promotion Board.
At the event, Central Singapore District Mayor Denise Phua underscored the importance of maintaining mental health as a person ages, given the close connection it has with physical well-being.
She highlighted instances of elderly loneliness in Jalan Besar, and encouraged seniors both to look out for one another and to tap the support of organisations such as SAMH, especially for cases that do not require institutionalisation.
'As we get older, so do our neighbours. So please be more compassionate...(not) every time something happens, we must send them to the Institute of Mental Health,' she said.
The festival also saw the debut of a mental health screening application powered by artificial intelligence that can detect symptoms of anxiety and depression for early intervention.
The application, developed by Singapore-based company Opsis Emotion AI, involves a series of questions and video clips to be watched.
As a person undergoes the 10-minute evaluation, the application assesses his emotional state through real-time analysis of facial expressions and body language, and produces a report for SAMH professionals to interpret.
Ms Jane Goh, deputy director of creative services and youth at SAMH, said the tool complements the association's existing face-to-face screening processes.
'This is useful for clients who might not be able to articulate their emotions very well but might still want to convey certain things,' she said.
The tool will be rolled out at SAMH's premises from June 20, and will eventually be extended to other age groups that SAMH supports, such as youth and adults.
Among the 200 people that attended the festival on its opening day was Mr Hassan Arshad, 76. He felt that the activities were very meaningful, and looked forward to joining more of SAMH's programmes.
Adjunct Associate Professor Lee Cheng, president of SAMH, said community outreach has been at the heart of the association's work since it was started in 1968, and remains a vital part of its efforts to support mental wellness across people's life stages.
He noted that the two-day festival involved numerous community partners, including the Jalan Besar Active Ageing Centre, Kallang CC Community Drumming Circle, and student volunteers from Republic Polytechnic, the Singapore University of Social Sciences, and Raffles Girls' School.
'Through strong community partnerships, we can bridge gaps, build trust, and make support more accessible,' he added. 'We want every senior to know they are not alone, and that care and joy are within reach.'
Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNA
an hour ago
- CNA
Weak muscles may increase risk of diabetes among midlife women: NUH study
Weak muscles and high levels of internal fats can significantly raise the risk of diabetes among middle-aged Singapore women, even if they are slim. This is according to a long-term study by NUH, which also recommends a simple blood test to gauge muscle strength. The study hopes the findings can eventually be accepted as a form of muscle strength management for midlife women. Professor Yong Eu Leong, Head and Emeritus Consultant of the Division of Benign Gynaecology at NUH's Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and lead of the Integrated Women's Health Programme, discusses women's health. He talks about how muscle strength, visceral fat, diabetes and menopause all correlate with one another.
Straits Times
4 hours ago
- Straits Times
UK MPs debate assisted dying law ahead of key vote
Protesters for and against the assisted dying Bill demonstrated outside Parliament in London on June 13. PHOTO: EPA-EFE LONDON - British lawmakers debated whether to allow assisted dying for terminally ill people ahead of a knife-edge vote on June 20 that could see the country take a major step towards legalising euthanasia. Protesters for and against the legislation demonstrated outside Parliament , as inside MPs packed out the lower House of Commons Chamber to consider one of Britain's most emotive and significant bills in years. MPs will either approve sending the legislation to the upper House of Lords for the next step – and further scrutiny – or end it entirely during a crucial vote expected around 2.30pm in London (9.30pm Singapore time). Labour MP Kim Leadbeater, who has proposed the Bill , said changing the law would 'offer a compassionate and safe choice' for terminally ill people. The Terminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill would allow assisted suicide in England and Wales for adults with an incurable illness who have a life expectancy of fewer than six months. They would have to be able to administer the life-ending substance themselves, and any patient's wish to die would have to be signed off by two doctors and a panel of experts. A change in the law would see Britain emulate several other countries in Europe and elsewhere that allow some form of assisted dying, including Belgium and the Netherlands. Advertisement ban Supporters say euthanasia would give the terminally ill greater protections and choice at the end of their lives, but critics worry that vulnerable people could be coerced into dying. Outside in Parliament Square, protesters waved placards with slogans including 'Let us choose' and 'Don't make doctors killers'. Mr David Walker, 82, said he supported changing the law because he saw his wife of 60 years suffer for three years at the end of her life. 'That's why I'm here, because I can't help her anymore, but I can help other people who are going through the same thing, because if you have no quality of life, you have nothing,' he told AFP. 52-year-old doctor Elizabeth Burden said she feared the Bill could open 'a floodgate' of people being forced to end their lives and urged the government to focus on providing palliative care instead. 'It is a slippery slope. Once we allow this. Everything will slip down because dementia patients, all patients... are vulnerable,' she told AFP. Labour MP Kim Leadbeater argues that changing the law will 'offer a compassionate and safe choice' for terminally ill people. A YouGov poll of 2,003 adults, surveyed in May and published on June 19 , suggested the public overwhelmingly supports changing the law, with 73 per cent in favour. MPs backed the proposed legislation by 330 to 275 votes at an initial vote in Parliament in November 2024. Since then , the Bill has undergone several changes, including applying a ban on advertisements for assisted dying and allowing all health workers to opt out of helping someone end their life. MPs have also added a safeguard which would prevent a person being eligible 'solely as a result of voluntarily stopping eating or drinking', ruling out people with anorexia. Several lawmakers in the 650-seat Parliament have subsequently switched positions, and parties are not telling them how to vote, making the outcome difficult to predict. Undecideds An ITV News tracker of around half the parliamentarians estimates that 162 MPs plan to vote for changing the law, with 152 against. Some 22 remain undecided , with another 23 due to abstain. Both the House of Commons and the House of Lords need to approve the legislation before the end of the current parliamentary year, likely sometime in the autumn, or the Bill will fail. If it passes and receives royal assent, then it would be four years before an assisted dying service is implemented. A government impact assessment published in June estimated that approximately 160 to 640 assisted deaths could take place in the first year, rising to a possible 4,500 in a decade. If he votes, Prime Minister Keir Starmer is expected to vote in favour , but several of his top ministerial team, including the health and justice secretaries, have publicly opposed changing the law. Assisted suicide currently carries a maximum prison sentence of 14 years in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Separate legislation is going through the devolved Scottish Parliament , while the Isle of Man at the end of March became the first British territory to pass an assisted dying bill. UK MPs last considered changing the law in 2015 and Ms Leadbeater warned it could be another decade before the issue returns to Parliament if MPs reject her Bill . AFP Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Straits Times
5 hours ago
- Straits Times
SAMH launches festival to raise mental health awareness among seniors
SINGAPORE – While some seniors blended tea and others came together in a drumming circle, Madam Kamala Devi Marimuthu was rolling dice in a game of mental wellness snakes and ladders. This adapted version of the childhood game encourages self-reflection by prompting players to answer questions related to everyday mental health challenges, and was among the 10 activities that seniors could partake in at an outreach festival organised by the Singapore Association for Mental Health (SAMH) on June 20. Madam Kamala found the game to be a dose of positivity. 'The volunteer who played the game with me was very friendly, he cracked a lot of jokes and made me really happy,' said the 80-year-old. The inaugural SAMH Golden Connect festival, being held at the non-profit's Space2Connect integrated wellness centre in Jalan Besar, is aimed at raising awareness of challenges faced by senior citizens, such as social isolation and mental health issues . Seniors aged 60 to 74 are the least likely age group to seek mental health support, whether from professionals or from their informal support networks, according to the 2023 National Population Health Survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Health Promotion Board. At the event, Central Singapore District Mayor Denise Phua underscored the importance of maintaining mental health as a person ages, given the close connection it has with physical well-being. She highlighted instances of elderly loneliness in Jalan Besar, and encouraged seniors both to look out for one another and to tap the support of organisations such as SAMH, especially for cases that do not require institutionalisation. 'As we get older, so do our neighbours. So please be more compassionate...(not) every time something happens, we must send them to the Institute of Mental Health,' she said. The festival also saw the debut of a mental health screening application powered by artificial intelligence that can detect symptoms of anxiety and depression for early intervention. The application, developed by Singapore-based company Opsis Emotion AI, involves a series of questions and video clips to be watched. As a person undergoes the 10-minute evaluation, the application assesses his emotional state through real-time analysis of facial expressions and body language, and produces a report for SAMH professionals to interpret. Ms Jane Goh, deputy director of creative services and youth at SAMH, said the tool complements the association's existing face-to-face screening processes. 'This is useful for clients who might not be able to articulate their emotions very well but might still want to convey certain things,' she said. The tool will be rolled out at SAMH's premises from June 20, and will eventually be extended to other age groups that SAMH supports, such as youth and adults. Among the 200 people that attended the festival on its opening day was Mr Hassan Arshad, 76. He felt that the activities were very meaningful, and looked forward to joining more of SAMH's programmes. Adjunct Associate Professor Lee Cheng, president of SAMH, said community outreach has been at the heart of the association's work since it was started in 1968, and remains a vital part of its efforts to support mental wellness across people's life stages. He noted that the two-day festival involved numerous community partners, including the Jalan Besar Active Ageing Centre, Kallang CC Community Drumming Circle, and student volunteers from Republic Polytechnic, the Singapore University of Social Sciences, and Raffles Girls' School. 'Through strong community partnerships, we can bridge gaps, build trust, and make support more accessible,' he added. 'We want every senior to know they are not alone, and that care and joy are within reach.' Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
