One-stop welfare hub at mall

City Square Mall centre will offer referral services to help the old, the disabled and their caregivers

By Leslie Kay Lim, The Straits Times, 11 Nov 2012

When his wife was diagnosed with dementia two years ago, 73-year-old John Ee approached both the Alzheimer's Disease Association and the Asian Women's Welfare Association (Awwa) for help.

The former army major also sought advice on day-care centres from a nurse at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. The help he received was useful, and today Mr Ee and his wife, whose dementia is still in its early stages, have settled into a comfortable routine of her attending day care at the New Horizon Centre at Jurong Point twice a week.

That process of getting help and information will be easier for others with the establishment of the Centre for Enabled Living @ City Square Mall, a one-stop service hub.

"It's a very good idea," said Mr Ee. "So the caregivers need not crack their heads trying to think, 'Where should I look for this? Who should I talk to?'"

The centre can house several voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) and also a retail area selling wheelchairs and other equipment for the disabled.

As a referral agency for people seeking services to help the elderly, the disabled and caregivers from the appropriate VWOs, the centre currently dispenses referrals through a hotline or references from hospitals, clinics or other organisations.

It serves about 3,000 people each month.

Its new location at City Square Mall, near Farrer Park MRT station, makes it accessible and less daunting than a standalone centre, said the centre's chief executive, Mr Henry Quake.

The roughly 8,600 sq ft space has room for up to eight service providers, consultation rooms, a training room and a showroom for items such as wheelchairs, grab bars and emergency alert systems.

"We want the public to have the widest range of choice possible at one stop," said Mr Quake.

Centre staff will help clients fill out applications for grants or schemes.

Four VWOs - the Awwa, NTUC Eldercare, St Luke's Eldercare and Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities - have signed on to have permanent stations at the hub.

Centre chairman Chua Chin Kiat described the service providers as "an alliance of the willing" and said: "It's good to have the major players under one roof."

THK's divisional director of elderly and disability services, Mr Satyaprakash Tiwari, explained that there was a "stigma" sometimes associated with going to its centres.

This is because some people feel embarrassed about walking into a centre which mainly serves the poor, the elderly or the disabled. But as St Luke's Eldercare manager Veronica Goh said of a centre in a mall: "You can bring the whole family."

The Awwa added that the hub would allow it to check how caregivers - who tend to neglect themselves while caring for others - were doing, and conduct caregiver training workshops.

The City Square Mall centre will be open seven days a week, from 10am to 10pm. Its soft launch is on Friday and doors will officially open on Nov 18.

New care services hub opens at City Square Mall
By Melissa Chong, Channel NewsAsia, 18 Nov 2012

A new one-stop hub for the elderly and disabled has opened at City Square Mall at Kitchener Road.

The Centre for Enabled Living (CEL) made a first-of-its-kind attempt to bring social services into a shopping mall.

"To prepare for an ageing population, the government will be investing significantly in facilities and services to support the needs of our seniors," said Health Minister Gan Kim Yong.

"However, improving the quality of service delivery is also a key priority. We must be able to make services more accessible, more comprehensive and more seamless for those in need."

Receptionists will direct visitors to the right partner organisations, including NTUC Eldercare and St Luke's ElderCare, Thye Hua Kwan Moral Society and Asian Women's Welfare Association, where they can sign up for a range of services.

This includes senior activity centres, home help services and caregiver training.

Family consultation rooms have also been built for those who require further advice, or prefer discussing their needs in a private setting.

Two of the four rooms include video-conferencing facilities for remote consultations.

In the retail section, customers can buy elderly-friendly equipment, exercise machines and devices that can help the elderly live more independently.

The goods and services include mobile phones with an emergency alert system, hearing aids, wheelchair rentals and incontinence products.

Family members can also sign up for hands-on training sessions to learn how to be a better caregiver to their loved ones.

The centre is located at Basement 2, and will be open from 10am to 10pm daily.