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INSIGHT #1 Physical Health Issues is common among elderly.

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INSIGHT #1 Physical Health Issues is common among elderly.

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-definitely mobility has become much of an issue
-aching in my legs
-body aches are inevitable. And also, the fact that I get tired easily
-I get tired very easily even from doing simple tasks such as washing clothes, cleaning up the house.
-processing speed has been really slow these days

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INSIGHT #9 Dementia has inevitably impact elderly's daily life as well as the people around them.

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INSIGHT #9 Dementia has inevitably impact elderly's daily life as well as the people around them.

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- forget where they placed their things, whether they have put enough seasonings in the food

-  forget almost everything

- cant follow simple instructions, such as to eat her food. She will forget to eat her food.  Her condition kept worsening.

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INSIGHT #8 Elderly's mental health is gradually deteriorating as they age.

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INSIGHT #8 Elderly's mental health is gradually deteriorating as they age.

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- forget things sometimes

- cant really focus on tasks as much

- processing speed has been really slow

- find it hard to carry out my normal tasks.

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INSIGHT #7 Elderly are trying their best but some are struggling to adapt to technology 

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INSIGHT #7 Elderly are trying their best but some are struggling to adapt to technology 

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"I wish knew how to use my phone and other technologies to keep me entertained and busy because sometimes I am alone at home with nothing to do"

"I still have trouble grasping how technology works. Since everyone uses a smartphone to communicate with others, I cant communicate with my family as no one taught me how to use it properly."

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INSIGHT #6 Elderly are feeling bored due to the lack of activities, loss of interaction and socialization due to Covid-19.

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INSIGHT #6 Elderly are feeling bored due to the lack of activities, loss of interaction and socialization due to Covid-19.

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"I usually go for breakfast with my friends at the coffee shop downstairs however I do not really have the chance to do that anymore"

"i hope this virus can faster end because i'm getting very bored at home since I live alone."

"because of the recent rise in Covid cases, now I do not even have the opportunity to go out for my morning taiji session at the park anymore"

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INSIGHT #5 Elderly are trying out different methods to keep themselves mentally active.

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INSIGHT #5 Elderly are trying out different methods to keep themselves mentally active.

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"I try to do mental calculations sometimes, and I try to remember details about the day before to jog my memory."

"I play chess with my friends to keep myself mentally healthy."

"we should avoid smoking, alcohol. then right we should eat well and get plenty of sleep"

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INSIGHT #4 Close relationship within the 3 generations.

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INSIGHT #4 Close relationship within the 3 generations.

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- strong bond and good relationship with my grandchildren and children.

- grandchildren are perfect (visit often)
- children bring parents out for dinner almost every weekend.

- good, would always meet up for lunch or dinner meals every month with the whole family.

- really good relationship with my family, would meet up for family dinner every Sunday.

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- my children and grandchildren will be coming over my place for dinner hence my wife and I have to do preparation for dinner

- cook dinner if my grandchildren are coming over.

- dinner with my children’s family on the weekends

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INSIGHT #2 Grandparents are always excited when it comes to their grandchildren visiting them. This goes to show how closely bonded they are and how much they care

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INSIGHT #2 Grandparents are always excited when it comes to their grandchildren visiting them. This goes to show how closely bonded they are and how much they care

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-we meet our children to eat dinner together every monday

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I do not really feel bored as I have my phone and other technologies to keep me entertained and busy. Often times, my grandchildren will also pay a visit to me and my wife hence I don’t really feel bored.

You know there are times where there is nothing much to be shown on TV, so it’s all these Taiwanese shows and it gets so boring, but er I think I feel less bored when you know, I get family members around that er, going out to the CC to, to experience new activities so I wouldn’t say that I’m bored too often.

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Compared to 10 years ago, how different is your life now? (mobility) (lifestyle)

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Compared to 10 years ago, how different is your life now? (mobility) (lifestyle)

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I have a walking stick beside me right now. So, definitely mobility has become much of an issue. You know, the knees get weaker, and you know, each time I see a chair I would just want to sit down. Just a few years back, I went on a tour with my kids and each time I see a a, a bench or anything, I would tell them that I need to get a sit you know, and take a quick eye shut so mobility has become a bit of a challenge, ...

Back then, I wake up early and always have a busy schedule. My work covers up most of my time as I work from 8am to 8pm. In my work, I am always moving around, guarding the locations and I have to have a sharp mind. There were a lot of responsibilities for me back then which I liked as it made me feel important. I also meet new people everyday and that was something I would look forward to everyday. But now I don’t really have any responsibilities other than to take care of my husband and myself. Now I feel like bored and I honestly miss my old life.

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Do you know of anyone with dementia? (失智症)

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Do you know of anyone with dementia? (失智症)

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No, I do not know anyone suffering from dementia.

I have one friend that had dementia her name was Susan, but unfortunately she passed away a few years back. She watched a lot of TV at home, and was not very active.

I have a couple of long-time friends that have started to uh suffer from some onset of dementia, they get a bit forgetful but not to the extent where they forget their identity or their children’s identity, just that they might forget where they placed their things, or whether they have put enough er seasonings in the food, but nothing too major,...

Yes I have a friend who have dementia. Life is very hard for her. She will forget almost everything. Most of the times she cant follow simple instructions, such as to eat her food. She will forget to eat her food.  Her condition kept worsening. Her children couldn’t take care of her and had to put her in an elderly care.

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I love to visit the museum as well...each time there is a new museum launch in Marina bay, me and my wife we’ll go there and er appreciate the art pieces and also the culture that was brought from different countries.

I always loved sports. When I was in secondary school, I took part in many sports competitions and won many awards. I wish that I can join more activities like cycling,  table tennis, swimming and many more. But I am too old now, my bones have became brittle and I cant keep up with sports

I would love to go for an cycling trip if possible. I like the cycle with friends because i feel that it is very relaxing and i can also enjoy the sceneries. However, I think I am too old to go for a cycling trip now.

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...ranges from half a day to a perhaps, slightly longer than that, to dinner time.

The sessions used to be every week but then now because of the new virus they dont host anymore activity, i hope this virus can faster end because im getting very bored at home..

they are on every weekend from 12pm to 2pm

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Are you facing any challenges in life right now?

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Are you facing any challenges in life right now?

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I feel some aching in my legs if I travel too long or too much. Also, I may forget things sometimes.

Oh yes, body aches are inevitable. And also, the fact that I get tired easily, so I usually go to bed very early and wake up at the wee hours of the morning.

I get tired very easily even from doing simple tasks such as washing clothes, cleaning up the house. I cant really focus on tasks as much as when I was younger and my processing speed has been really slow these days. Basically I find it hard to carry out my normal tasks. Back then I had a job which kept me active and helped me stay in check, however now that I do not have a job, most of my time is spent watching TV. I also find it very hard to cope with this modern world full of technology. My brain still has trouble grasping how technology works. Since everyone uses a smartphone to communicate with others, I cant communicate with my family as no one thought me how to use it properly.

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You can address me as Mr Lee.
You can just call me Ms. Ong
I am Tock Peng.

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67
I am 62 this year.
I am currently 68 years old and am turning 69 years old this year.
I will be 60 this year
I am 72 this year.

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What are some of the things that keep you active?

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What are some of the things that keep you active?

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I get some exercise here and there. I make sure I eat healthy everyday and stay away from junk food. I also like to play the Chinese chess with my wife.

As a hawker, I spent most of my time standing and cooking. Seldom i have the time to sit down and rest. So i consider that as some for of exercise to keep me active. I also spend time playing chess with my friends.

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In your opinion, how can we stay mentally active at your age?

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In your opinion, how can we stay mentally active at your age?

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for me I think we should avoid smoking, alcohol. then right we should eat well and get plenty of sleep. maybe try to get enough exercise and talk to others regularly so can stay mentally active.

I think it’s very important to have a positive mindset and mentality of things and ahhh keep an open mind to go out there to try new things you know. Keep the, the young spirit in you alive you know. So, if there’s events organised by the CC, just take a leap of faith and give it a try you know, keeps your mental state running, keeps the the the engines going. Yea.

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I am staying with my wife.

I am staying with my son currently but he is moving out soon next year. Before that I was living with all my children.

My wife and I are staying together.

I am staying with my wife as my kids has their own family and living in their own houses.
I stay with my husband

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I am mostly a stay at home housewife. Sometimes when i free i do work part time from time to time so that i wont be bored at home but now because of this virus i cannot work part time anymore, so i just use my phone to play games or watch TV.

Retiree

I do not have a job, I am retired. However, I may pick up some easy part time job from time to time to earn some extra cash or when I am feeling bored as since I am old, there isn’t much things for me to do at home too.

it has been 5 years since I retired from my job as a security guard.

I have been working as a chicken rice hawker since I was 20 years old. I work at a hawker centre near my house. At first, I worked for my dad and I took over the business when my dad retired.

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What do you usually do over the weekends? Is there any difference between weekday and weekend?

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What do you usually do over the weekends? Is there any difference between weekday and weekend?

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Normally weekends would be busier than weekdays as my children and grandchildren will be coming over my place for dinner hence my wife and I have to do preparation for dinner. But other than that, weekends are about the same as weekdays. Most likely will stay at home and relax.

On weekdays, we'll clean up the house on a daily basis, and then after that we’ll probably have some cookies and coffee. And then at night we will cook dinner if my grandchildren are coming over.
On weekends, we’ll go out with our grandchildren. Bring them out to the wet market, have breakfast and on occasions, we’ll bring them out to the water theme parks...

Usually I will have dinner with my children’s family on the weekends. But in the mornings I will still go to the market and have breakfast with my friends there. Yes, sometimes weekday like i said just now i will do my part time work on monday wednesday and friday. Then on tuesday and thursday is when i go and meet my friends for coffee or we will play mahjong together. Then on satuday and sunday my weekends evenings are usually meant for my family, we will eat dinner and chat together, sometimes we may even play games like monopoly or card games.

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How is your relationship with your family members like?

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How is your relationship with your family members like?

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I have a strong bond with my grandchildren and a good relationship with my children.

...happy wife happy marriage right. So, I guess as long as I keep my wife happy, you know, everything goes well at home and my grandchildren are perfect, they visit me often and ah my children also bring me out for dinner, er almost every weekend.

Frankly speaking, my kids have abandoned me and my husband. They feel like I am a burden to them as they would have to keep repeating everything to me and I have became really slow in daily activities that I do. I do not blame them for thinking this way. They rarely come and visit me nowadays as they are so preoccupied with their work and their kids. It has been so long since I last saw my grandchildren

It is good. Before the pandemic, we would always meet up for lunch or dinner meals every month with the whole family. Now, only one family can visit me on the weekends, but I think we are still close. We also do the zoom meeting calls once in a while.

I have really good relationship with my family. I married my wife for 45 years and we love each other. I have two kids and both are married and have their own family. Every Sunday, we would meet up and have family dinner together.

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What do you like to do during your free time? (hobbies)

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What do you like to do during your free time? (hobbies)

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I normally go for morning walks and chit chat with my friends at the coffee shop. I also like to enjoy tea as it is healthy for the body and mind since I am old, I need to take better care of my body. normally I also take care of my plants and plant new plants. If I see my neighbours, I will chit chat with my them and ask them about their day.

...find different types of tea leaves and then come together with a few of my friends, and we’ll try teas from different regions of China, India and we will brew them in our backyard...

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I don't sleep that much since I'm older, so I wake up quite early in the morning. I will have my breakfast either at home or with my friends at the coffee shop downstairs. After that, I care for my plants and tidy up the house a little. Enjoy the rest of the day reading newspaper, watching videos or television. sometimes if my friends come over, we will play mahjong and chit chat about our lives and update on how we are doing and if my grandchildren or children come over for dinner or lunch then we will spend the day preparing the meal and also stock up on soft drinks and snacks so that the grandchildren can enjoy.

we just clean up the house on a daily basis, and then after that we’ll probably have some cookies and coffee. And then at night we will cook dinner if my grandchildren are coming over.

Usually on the on monday to friday before the Covid situation is either I will go to the market in the morning and meet my friends to have breakfast and chat if not i will go and take care of my grandchildren. If not then most likely I will do some marketing then return home to cook lunch and do housework. After finish everything already then maybe i will watch TV in the afternoons or sleep Hahahaha. Most of the time saturday and sunday, my children and grandchildren will usually come to my place and we will have family dinners.

My typical day will be waking up at 5AM to do food preparation and my stall will start at 8AM. From 8AM I will be selling my food. At 12 PM, I will have my lunch break but it is just a short one because customers might still come. I will stop operation at 4PM and start to clean off my stall. I will be home at 6PM and have my dinner with my family at 7PM. It will be my leisure time after 7PM. I normally spend my leisure time watching TV.

I usually get up at 5am in the morning to go for my tai chi class which ends at 7am. Then I would make my way down to the market to buy groceries and food for my husband. I would reach home at about 8am and eat breakfast at home with my husband. I would then usually nap for a while or watch the television. Then in the afternoon I go out to buy lunch and after that I go and meet my friends, chit chat for a while and then buy dinner at about 9pm. Then I go to sleep.

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Are you currently participating in any CC (Community center) activities? Tell me more. What activities?

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Are you currently participating in any CC (Community center) activities? Tell me more. What activities?

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No. Before the Covid situation I used to attend the CC morning tai chi sessions on Wednesday mornings in the park, but now because of the virus all the activities are cancelled. Sometimes the CC will organise outings or community events for the senior citizens and volunteers as well and I will participate and attend.

No I am not participating in any CC activities but I have considered carrying out Tai chi and playing Chinese chess before. i feel that travelling to the CC is an issue and there isn’t any friends who wants to accompany me to participate the activities in the CC so I do not really participate in any activities.

Oh yes! I love to visit my CC.... So recently they had this dumpling making challenge to see which um, which team could create the best-looking dumpling so that, that was pretty fun, and I was actually looking forward to the next one where we were supposed to go to East Coast Park to fly kites. However, it was cancelled due to the recent rise in Covid cases, and I was pretty upset.

No, I am not participating any cc events.  I am considering joining Tai Chi classes because I feel that I am getting older and I need to exercise more often to keep myself healthy. However, I am concerned that I do not have enough time as I spend most of my time working.

I signed up for the arts and craft as well as cooking. They conduct these activities every weekends in the afternoon. For the arts and craft, we learn how to make things like origami and paint pictures. For cooking, we learn how to cook traditional foods from other races such as Rendang, Char sew, Curry and many more. There are many elderlies in the programmes which is something that I like, as I am able to interact with people of my age and make new friends. These classes not only teaches me skills, it also acts as a place for me engage with others and find happiness. I am really grateful for the government for having these types of activities for elderlies like me.