Stuck at home and no activities to attend? No worries, you can still learn new things and be active.

When freelance educator-artist Moses Sia heard about the extended suspension of activities for seniors because of COVID-19, he wanted to do something and “bring cheer” to them. So, the 53-year-old started Silver Good, a Facebook group where he is planning to livestream sessions in mostly English on exercise, music, craft, storytelling and cooking for seniors from 8am to 10am on weekdays. The sessions start on March 30, 2020 and will end on April 3, 2020. Those who miss the sessions can still view them in the group.

Volunteers will be conducting the sessions which can range from 10 to 15 minutes, and according to Moses, there are currently 24 volunteers with a handful of those who are over the age of 50. The volunteers will be singing golden oldies, doing simple stretches from head to toe, painting with brewed coffee, and making smoothies and healthy bread. One of the volunteers who will be doing a storytelling session in the group is Sheila Wee, 62, who said, “I got involved with the Silver Good as I saw it as a way to do something positive in this awful situation we are facing. Because I have asthma, I have been isolating myself at home on my specialist’s advice since the end of January. I know how staying at home can make you feel really down at times.

“So Silver Good is a a wonderful way to reach out to people to break up the boredom of isolation. As a professional storytelling for the past 21 years, I have seen how stories can touch the heart and even sometimes have a therapeutic effect on the listeners. So, I am happy that Silver Good has included a story segment in their programme.”

The Silver Good Facebook page has 99 members and Moses hopes to increase this number further when he reaches out to senior organisations like RSVP Singapore and family service centres. He shared, “Really see this as a community effort. It is wonderful what we can do when we each chip in just a small bit.”

 

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