Montfort Care

We recently embarked on a heartwarming partnership with Shelton College International, uniting students from their theatre performance course with the vibrant seniors at Goodlife Studio (Bukit Purmei). Through interactive workshops in theatre, both the students from Shelton College and our seniors helped bring the generations together, sparking creativity and fostering shared learning experiences. Our seniors also stepped into the spotlight in a student-produced theatre show, delivering a performance filled with joy and inspiration. 🎭 Their enthusiasm reminded us all that creativity and learning truly have no age limits! We’re honoured that this intergenerational collaboration was highlighted by Shin Min Daily! 😊 Curious to see this wonderful collaboration come to life? Check out the story in the video here: https://lnkd.in/gbR-nz95

We’re thrilled to share that our founder, Mr Samuel Ng, BBM, has been recognised as one of the top 3 award winners at the POPULAR Reader’s Choice Awards for his touching book, Can I Hold You A While Longer? This recognition is a testament to the book’s heartfelt story, which continues to inspire countless individuals on their caregiving journey. 💖 Caregiving is often an underdiscussed topic, and books like this are vital in shedding light on the challenges and joys of caregiving. They advocate for caregivers, provide strength, and bring much-needed awareness to this meaningful role. We’d also like to congratulate the other winners, including Best New Singaporean Short Stories by Gwee Li Sui and Strictly Business: The Kwek Leng Beng Story. Singapore’s literary scene is rich with diversity in genres and themes, and authors like them continue to push boundaries and showcase the depth of storytelling. 📚 Thank you to everyone who voted and supported the journey of bringing Can I Hold You A While Longer? to life, including our publisher, FPL - Focus Publishing. ❤️ #POPULARReadersChoice #CanIHoldYouAWhileLonger #Caregiving #SocialServices #Eldercare

At Montfort Care, we’re constantly seeking fresh perspectives and new ways to enrich the work we do. A key part of this is learning from and collaborating with peers across the region—most recently, in Shanghai. China has built an impressive senior education system, with over 76,000 universities for the elderly and more than 14 million students. By 2025, every county, city, district, or banner will have at least one university for seniors. This presents exciting opportunities for collaboration and fresh insights that can complement our efforts here. Last Saturday, we hosted six representatives from the Shanghai University for the Senior (part of Shanghai Open University) to discuss ways to formalise our partnership and explore new opportunities. Our guests toured the JiaYou - Senior & Caregiver Hub and met our seniors in a digital media training class, offering support and encouragement. Mr Zheng YiHui, Vice President of Shanghai Open University, shared how the Hold Me Now exhibition resonated deeply with his own experience caring for his father with mild dementia. Our Founder, Mr Samuel Ng, BBM, also shared the work we’re doing at Goodlife and our caregiving advocacy efforts. We’ve been partnering with Shanghai University For The Senior for over a decade, offering seniors from YAH! (Young-At-Heart) exchange programmes that promote lifelong learning. We’re excited to take this partnership further, creating even more enriching experiences for our seniors.

Hack Kopitiam, a community-based social design research project by Lien Foundation and Forest&Whale, meets seniors where they are – in this case, the coffee shops – to build rapport with them, find out more about their life situations, and ascertain how social services like Montfort Care can help.    In these common spaces, Montfort Care and Hack Kopitiam are able to reach out to seniors who may be hesitant to join Active Ageing Centres (AACs). Urise Neo, Programme Manager at Goodlife Studio (Marine Parade), shed more light about this situation, sharing that social advocacy projects like these are great in allowing us to act as a “centre without walls” and bring programmes right to where the elderly are.    A truly intergenerational project, a mix of seniors and youths brings fun activities like stone stacking, handicrafts, caricature drawings, and more to coffee shops to engage the elderly.    To date, we have reached out to 276 seniors at coffee shops. Insights from the project will be made into a playbook by the first quarter of 2025, to be shared with AACs and social service agencies that are keen to reach out to seniors through creative interventions in the coffee shop. Read more about the project in the stories below! https://lnkd.in/gHNBFrpc https://lnkd.in/g_32e_R9

In a 2022 survey by the Ministry of Digital Development and Information, it was found that while most seniors above 60 (70%) agree that digital technology makes life more convenient, less than half (49%) were willing to try learning these new technologies. Such are the challenges that come with digital transformation and lifelong learning. Yet, we remain undeterred. Our Founder, Mr. Samuel Ng, BBM, was recently invited to participate in the 2024 Digital Transformation and Lifelong Learning International Conference in Shanghai, organised by the UNESCO Institute for Lifelong Learning, the UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education, and Shanghai Open University. He shared how Montfort Care continues to leverage technology to empower seniors. Through Project E-Seniors by YAH! (Young-At-Heart), we teach seniors to use Zoom, WhatsApp, Facebook, and more. At Goodlife Studio (Tiong Bahru), initiatives like Project Voice Museum allow seniors to create meaningful digital media projects that contribute to their community. Our work is part of broader national efforts to bridge the digital divide, alongside programmes like Seniors Go Digital by IMDA. Check out event highlights below! Together, we’re committed to empowering seniors to embrace lifelong learning—even when it’s challenging or unfamiliar—for more fulfilling golden years. #DigitalTransformation #DigitalDivide #LifelongLearning 

Some of our seniors were moved to tears as they listened to their own voices, recounting cherished memories and life-defining moments. 💙 Through Project Voice Museum, created in collaboration with Mediacorp Pte Ltd CAPITAL 958, we helped seniors share their life stories and preserve them as digital legacies. Over six weeks, they revisited and recorded these personal narratives, experiencing a transformative process that helped them find healing, pride, and connection through sharing their stories. This was created at Goodlife Studio (Tiong Bahru) - our Active Ageing Centre focused on digital media. For many seniors, creating audio recordings in a studio was a foreign and strange experience, but they soon warmed up to it and enjoyed themselves. Goodlife Studio empowers them with digital skills to engage meaningfully with technology and contribute to their communities. At Goodlife by Montfort Care, we aim go beyond simply creating activities or programmes to engage seniors, and instead encourage them to continue contributing to their communities. Part of this is recognising and honouring that our seniors have a wealth of experience and wisdom, and empowering them to share these stories proudly. Swipe below to see the touching journey! Also stay tuned for the digital showcase of these powerful stories at our AAC, Goodlife Studio (Tiong Bahru). #SocialServices #GoodlifebyMontfortCare #Eldercare #ActiveAgeing

Last Friday, we welcomed Mr. Louis Ng, Member of Parliament for Nee Soon and Advisor for Nee Soon East, to officially launch our newest Active Ageing Centre (AAC), Goodlife Studio (Yishun Riverwalk). When you step into the centre, you wouldn’t guess it’s designed for seniors. Mr. Ng also noted the space’s youthful vibe, which aligns with our vision of future-ready AACs that meet the needs of the new generation of seniors. Themed as a Bike Kitchen, Goodlife Studio (Yishun Riverwalk) stands out with technology-driven, social, curated exercise experiences, all crafted to inspire seniors to stay active, connected, and engaged. Our cozy cafe, run by senior volunteers, offers a welcoming spot for neighbourhood cyclists to drop by for a quick bite. During the tour, Mr. Ng enjoyed demonstrations of the Reax Light reflex training system, Muay Thai and Drum Fit classes, our power-generating bicycle and also a bicycle maintenance session led by Bike School Asia. In a meaningful gesture, Mr. Ng also signed our signature bamboo bicycle at our request — a centerpiece that reflects how sustainability is a key theme of the future-ready centre. Check out the highlights from the day below!

In case you missed it! 📢 We recently launched our FY2023/2024 Annual Report, capturing a pivotal year for Montfort Care. The theme for 2023, UPLIFT, speaks to the heart of our mission. It reflects the compassion and care we aim to extend across our community, especially in times of change. While the landscape has grown more complex, our commitment to uplifting those most vulnerable remains constant. This year, we focused on advancing our vision through the development of Goodlife Studio, our signature brand of Active Ageing Centres, and expanded our thematic studios to deepen our impact. We are also grateful to be nominated a second time as a Great Place to Work! 🎉 This honour, along with laying the groundwork for Singapore’s first integrated caregiver resource hub and deepening our advocacy work, strengthens our dedication to being a positive force in the community. Check out the full report below to read more about our key highlights across our different programmes, from families, children, mental health, and more!  #SocialServices #CommunityImpact

We recently hosted a meaningful Leadership Dialogue for emerging healthcare leaders, organised by MOH Holdings Pte Ltd (Singapore). Our Founder, Mr. Samuel Ng, BBM, shared a candid and inspiring account of how he built Montfort Care from the ground up, overcoming challenges along the way. The event was held at Goodlife Studio (Bukit Purmei), a space that aptly reflects Montfort Care’s take on #ActiveAgeing, with our signature carpentry studio for male seniors. Samuel illustrated the importance of hands-on engagement with clients, sharing a memorable story from an overseas learning trip to Japan. While the male seniors initially seemed disengaged throughout the trip, their interest sparked during a hands-on activity planting sweet potatoes. This insight led to the creation of our signature carpentry studio, designed for male seniors to engage in meaningful work, building things to be used in the community, as opposed to recreational activities that traditionally appeal to our women seniors. Our seniors from the carpentry programme were also present to share with the team more about their creations, including the fall-prevention stools and bookshelves for a local community library. During an engaging Q&A session, he also emphasised the necessity to innovate in social services, encouraging leaders to break away from old, given templates, and the importance of influencing stakeholders to usher in new ways of thinking. As the needs and ambitions of the communities we serve evolve, so must our approaches. Check out the highlights from the event below! #CommunityEngagement #Leadership #SocialService #SocialServices #Innovation #Eldercare

On 14 October, Montfort Care came together with community residents and beneficiaries to mark Marine Parade’s 50th anniversary at the Beyond 50: Love, Inspire, Transform community event. 🌟 With food and activity booths catered for all ages, the event also highlighted the estate’s rich heritage and fostered a sense of unity, love, and positive transformation within our community. We were honoured to have Dr. Tan See Leng, Minister for Manpower and Second Minister for Trade and Industry, kick off the festivities with a special Light Up Ceremony, symbolising the unique contributions of every individual in our community. Joining him were Montfort Care's esteemed leaders, including our founder, Mr. Samuel Ng, BBM, and Acting CEO & Chief Purpose Officer, Mdm Han Yah Yee. Special thanks to our partners from SingHealth Group, Agency for Integrated Care (Singapore), Ms Teoh Zsin Woon, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), Lien Foundation, Masjid Wak Tanjong, Caritas Singapore, Forest&Whale (Happitiam), Home Nursing Foundation and Foo Hai Buddhist Cultural and Welfare Association who made the evening even more memorable. From nostalgic games to light installations, the carnival spread joy across generations, inspiring kindness and bringing everyone together in celebration of community spirit. 🤝 Join Montfort Care as we continue to grow with our Marine Parade communities beyond 50 years! #MontfortCare #MarineParade #MarineParade50 #MP50 #MarineTerrace #SocialService #CommunityPartnership