(This story is from our archives of NextStep Magazine. The Magazine has since been renamed to AIC With You)
Mdm Meena comes to the centre on weekdays to participate in activities and enjoy the company of her good friends.
Mdm Plymeena D/O Sebastian is an active 68-year-old who is young at heart. She loves dressing up as it makes her look and feel good. A member of NTUC Health’s SilverCOVE (Marsiling), Mdm Meena says she’s lucky to have a place to go to for exercise and to chat with her friends every day. “My friends here will organise monthly meal outings. I join them to enjoy good food and go ‘jalan jalan’,” said Mdm Meena.
Celebrating National Day
Mdm Meena recounted proudly that she caught her son on TV during the 1993 National Day Parade. He was one of the parachuters.
In recent years, Mdm Meena’s National Day routine includes taking part in the celebrations at the nearby Marsiling Community Club (CC). Dressed in red and white, she goes to the CC in the morning to watch performances, participate in the games and take photos with her friends. In the evening, she gathers her family in her studio apartment, enjoying a cosy family dinner as they watch the live broadcast of the National Day Parade.
Staying Healthy and Independent
Living alone, Mdm Meena loves that she can do what she likes. “My parents taught me to be independent from a young age. While my children care about me, they are also busy with their lives.” But they WhatsApp her every morning to find out how she is, and visit her on special occasions like Christmas. Mdm Meena will prepare her signature dishes such as chicken rice, devil’s curry and nasi lemak whenever they visit.
Her three children and six grandchildren are one of the reasons why Mdm Meena stays active. “I want to keep fit so I can take care of myself. I hope to see my grandchildren grow up and get married,” shared Mdm Meena.
To stay healthy, Mdm Meena takes care of both her body and mind by exercising and going out with her friends. To control her diabetes and high blood pressure, she goes for regular check-ups and maintains a healthy diet. She drinks lots of water and eats healthier choices such as fish instead of meat, and mixing brown rice with her basmati rice.
Want to Learn New Skills and make Friends like Mdm Meena?
Introduced to the wellness centre (SilverCOVE) by her neighbour, Mdm Meena joined as a member in August 2016. At SilverCOVE, there is a gym, social and hobby activities, IT workshops and health check-up services for the seniors. She has since picked up many new skills such as making paper flowers, taking photos using her phone and even using WhatsApp.
Besides NTUC Health’s SilverCOVE, there are also other places you can go to learn new things, and to stay active and healthy!
As part of the Community Networks for Seniors, government agencies and community partners are working to bring active ageing activities to seniors, on top of befriending, care and support services.
For more information, visit: https://www.aic.sg/caregiving/Active%20Seniors
