Meaningful Experiences with the Elderly

Recently I was given the meaningful opportunity to take part in an investigation where we had to go and interview the elderly. For most of us, this was a new and exciting opportunity- we did not interact with the elderly in our day-to-day life, and so this seemed interesting and a chance to try something new. However, on the day of our investigation, as we approached the throes of elderly in the hawker centers and in the HDB blocks, our hearts sank deeper and deeper into our toes. It seemed as if not one was willing to help us conduct our investigation- at least until an elderly lady we met offered to sit down with us and help us with this investigation. It was truly a meaningful experience- not only did we get to interact with the elderly, we also learnt how to communicate with and talk to them in a manner that allowed them to open up to us. I feel that more such projects should be introduced in secondary schools, with the aim of providing students with the opportunity to interact with the elderly population. We can learn so much from them, from their life experiences to life lessons that they learnt. As the Chinese saying goes, “Having an elderly person in our home is like having a gem!” This is especially as Singapore is an ageing nation- as citizens we should learn to interact with the majority population in Singapore- the elderly!

Having an elderly person in our home is like having a gem!