CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Silver Mind Exchange

As they solved games of Sudoku, whizzed their way through Chinese chess and took each other on in Mahjong and Contact Bridge, some 1,000 seniors who gathered at Bedok Adventure Park for the first of many Active Ageing Roadshows on Sunday morning were learning how to keep their minds sharp, even as they age.

Titled ‘Silver Mind Exchange’, the roadshow featured a myriad of intellectually stimulating games that not only provided seniors with hours of wholesome fun, but helped to boost their mental well-being as well. Science has shown that seniors who keep learning and acquiring new skills tend to be sharper in their mental skills as they age.

One big highlight for those who attended was being a part of Singapore’s largest Sudoku challenge. More than 1,300 active agers proved their mental prowess by participating in the challenge to earn food packages — soya bean milk and cooking oil — for themselves and needy elderly residents within the South East District. The food packages were generously donated by corporate sponsor, Lam Soon Singapore Pte Ltd.  

The roadshow was graced by Guest-of-Honour Professor S. Jayakumar, Deputy Prime Minister (DPM), Co-ordinating Minister for National Security, MP for East Coast GRC and Adviser to East Coast GRC GROs. Also an active ager himself, DPM Professor Jayakumar joined in the festivities and participated in a dynamic “clapping hands’ exercise demonstration conducted by an all-seniors fitness group from Bedok Constituency. Other event highlights included a rousing Daiko drum routine presented by the Kampong Chai Chee Daiko Group, while the Singapore First Elvis Fan Club picked up the tempo and got the crowd to their feet with favourites from the King.

The flagship roadshow underscored how the Community Development Councils (CDC) and private sector can collectively reach out to all seniors to bring the active ageing cause into the heartlands, so as to encourage more Singaporeans to adopt an active lifestyle in their golden years.