Community Programmes
Enabling the Community
SNM provides a slew of community programmes for seniors, single mothers and befriender services for the under-served. To support these services, we collaborate with community partners and other organisations to ensure that we deliver quality social assistance interventions to as many beneficiaries as possible.
SNM conducts several upstream community programmes that are designed to improve quality of lives and enhance the psycho-social wellbeing of the community. SNM volunteers play a big part in the success of delivering SNM Community Programmes.
SNM’s current slew of Community Programmes is aligned to the active ageing center’s ‘ABC’ model. The enhanced suite of ABC’ services of Community Programmes are:
• Active Ageing activities to keep seniors engaged within the community
• Befriending services for lonely and isolated seniors
• Care & Support Services to link systems and services to the seniors
Our Programmes
Active Ageing – to bring wellness integrated programmes to encourage active living
1. SNM Chit Chat Sessions
Lim Kopi Jiak Roti / Chaaya & Chat – The chitchat session helps provide a platform for our seniors to meet up their friends virtually over a cup of tea and share their thoughts on topics of their interest. The sessions are held in Mandarin and Malayalam/Tamil to attend to the senior’s language preference. These sessions are a useful medium to help showcase use of technology in daily living.
2. SNM Social Activities and Outings
SNM encourages seniors to have a healthy and wholesome life through all our active ageing programmes. SNM organises quarterly outings and regular social activities to ensure seniors can enjoy life beyond their home and community.
3. SNM Share a Pot Programme (SAP)
This is an initiative with several of our community partners. In SAP, Seniors are encouraged to participate in physical exercise, arts & craft activities and end the session with a pot of nutritious soup. The programme is developed to promote an active and healthy lifestyle among seniors while providing them with an opportunity for social interaction.
4. SNM Enrichment Life of Seniors (HAPPY)
This programme is a collaboration with RSVP Singapore, an organisation of senior volunteers. HAPPY is adapted from Cognicise (a combination of cognition and exercise), an exercise programme designed by the National Centre for Geriatrics and Gerontology (NCGG) in Japan.
Befriending – To match lonely seniors or those at risk of isolation to volunteer befrienders.
1. SNM Helping Hands
This community outreach initiative is jointly developed with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), with the aim of raising awareness in the community, on mental health and wellness. SNM will provide committed volunteers with specialised training in identifying and addressing early intervention in mental health concerns such as depression, anxiety disorders, dementia and a wide range of mental health conditions. These volunteer befrienders were then appropriately matched by SNM Social worker to beneficiaries who requested for befriending support. By conducting regular visits and phone calls, the volunteer befrienders actively promote awareness on mental health concerns and assists the community in depth.
2. SNM SHARE Programme: Personal Care Support for the Community – SNM Volunteers have played an integral part in the SNM Home Assistance Reach – out for the Elderly (SHARE) Programme, launched in early 2015. This is another community outreach programme that has the volunteers visit beneficiaries and their families staying in rental flats. SNM volunteers do monthly befriending visits to interact with and help with any concerns clients might be facing and refer them to SNM’s Social workers to find the appropriate support agencies. The volunteers also organise events and activities such as block parties for clients to socialise and bond with one another.
Care and Support Services – Linking seniors and families to appropriate community resources and service providers to address their needs.
1. Information & Referral
SNM Community Programmes are focused on holistic support and hence, anyone who approaches SNM will assessed by a social worker to understand immediate concerns and their multi-layered aspects.
2. Case Management
Besides Information and Referral services, SNM receives referrals from community partners on clients who requires intensive support. Our social workers apply an ecomap and asset-based community development model to ensure these clients continue to receive support from its relevant agencies.
3. Series on Care planning Series: Advanced Care Plan (ACP), Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) and Will Making
As part of SNM’s continuing efforts to support seniors in the community, SNM has collaborated with Life Point @ Chinatown to provide services of awareness talks and facilitation of both ACP and LPA for our seniors. The aim for this collaboration is to raise awareness and ensure that our seniors have a good understanding on ACP and LPA.
4. Heartwarmers 100=50
SNM has a tie-up with supermarket retailing chain Sheng Siong that allows low-income families to purchase items at an affordable price. Every third Saturday of the month, Sheng Siong teams up with Heartwarmers volunteers to set up a scaled-down size of their supermarket in SNM’s Multi-Purpose Hall. Beneficiaries who qualify for the programme would just need to fork out $50 to be able to purchase $100 worth of items during this unique programme. The aim of this programme is to give beneficiaries the autonomy to purchase their household groceries, rather than giving out fixed rations.
Digital Adoption – Empowering seniors to be digitally savvy.
1. Digital Clinics
Leveraging on our partnership with IMDA and Nee Soon GRC Digital Office, we conduct Digital Clinics that provide programmes ranging from understanding the basic use of smart phones to connect with loved ones, partaking in new online experiences and accessing government services.
2. Smile with you Programme
These are women empowerment programmes via skills development to empower financially disadvantaged single mothers at large to enable them to live a stable, dignified, and fulfilling life. Trained volunteers act as agents to engage, encourage and empower the single mothers to learn vocational skill training in arts and craft. The 12 weekly sessions provide the ideal platform to learn and boost their entrepreneurial potential and boost their self-reliance. The products they create will be sold at events and bazaars to provide a weekly income to the beneficiaries.
