BY IVY MARIA CHRISTOPHER
KUCHING: The Senior Community Activities and Memory Care Innovative Hub here aims to provide a platform for senior citizens to live healthier and better lives via its various mental, physical and memory programmes.
Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah said it is the first-of-its-kind to focus on memory care, which is an important aspect towards ensuring a happy and healthy ageing process.
Registered with the Registrar of Society (ROS), the Happy Longevity Welfare Society is also engaging digital technology programmers to adopt digital solution platforms and an integrated health smart watch for the senior community.
The society’s chairperson Annie Chua said the hub would play an important role in sharing experiences as Sarawak enters the ageing era, with the country expected to reach ageing nation status by 2030.
“In June 2019, leaders of the world’s G20 countries recognised ageing as a global risk that requires multidisciplinary socioeconomic solutions. So for Sarawak, we need to start thinking about the solutions that are relevant for our society.
“Our ultimate goal is to get the process started as a model for our local community,” she said.
“We also focus on social interaction for the elderly. We want them to really interact and keep themselves engaged physically and mentally.”
The hub, located at 352, Mayling Garden, Sungai Maong Tengah consists of mind challenging and stimulating colours in a calming, creative space, multi-colour sensory garden to stimulate their sensory functions, open kitchen area for everyday living memory care, among others.
With 50 members currently, Chua is inviting more senior citizens, and youths, to join them.
Meanwhile, deputy chairman Muhammad Zen said the society aimed to provide activities for physical, mind, memory, social and most importantly, motivation, confidence, self-esteem and encouragement for maintaining healthy living among the elderly.
