Lion dancing is no problem for the elderly! Local senior citizen activities are becoming more and mo

Our country's society is aging rapidly. It is estimated that by 2030, one out of every four Chinese will be 65 years old or above. In order to encourage more elderly people to embrace active aging, in addition to the government, many private organizations and groups have organized unusual and creative activities for the elderly in recent years, hoping to attract more and more knowledgeable new generations of young people. Elderly participation.

Cultural enterprises host lion dance group activities for senior citizens

Bridging Generations, a cultural enterprise, launched the first local lion dance group activity for senior citizens at the end of last year. By cooperating with different senior centers and family service centers across the island, senior citizens can participate and experience the fun of lion dance in person.

In order to allow senior citizens to safely participate in lion dance performances while retaining the cultural essence of lion dance, cultural enterprises cooperated with Gangzhou Association to adapt the lion dance performances. In addition to omitting the horse step, more emphasis is placed on hand movements.

Founder of cultural enterprise, Huang Yuqing:

People usually think that lion dance is an activity for young people to do high and long jumps. But in fact, we can see how the elderly can be exposed to lion dance in a more interesting and safe way.

Local men are generally not as enthusiastic about participating in senior citizen activities as women. However, after the lion dance event, the organizers found that male participation increased by more than 20%. Among the senior citizens participating in lion dance activities today, many are men. They all expressed their pleasure to participate in the adapted lion dance performance.

Participant, Hongweipu:

Lion dance is very rhythmic. I really like watching lion dance. It is also our Chinese culture. Maybe I am older, if I was younger I would have participated. You must have basic physical fitness and have strong hands.

Although lion dance belongs to traditional Chinese culture, through the instructor's explanations in Chinese and English, this lion dance performance also attracts participation from non-Chinese compatriots.

National Museum opens new space for seniors

The National Museum opened a new space called the "Reunion Hall" in April last year, allowing seniors, especially those with cognitive impairment, a space to listen to nostalgic hits and come into contact with daily necessities and images from the past. It also provides a platform for them to communicate with other senior citizens.

Deputy Manager of the Programming Group of the National Museum of Singapore, Li Huiyi:

The museum hopes to use the objects, cultural relics, stories and experiences in the museum to allow visiting senior participants to reminisce about the past, while at the same time providing greater community support for the elderly and people with dementia.

Some experts said that many people have stereotypes about senior activities, thinking that what the elderly want is convenience and it does not matter whether the programs or activities are interesting, but this is not the case. As the pace of aging in our country accelerates, more people are beginning to think about how to inject new elements into such activities to attract more elderly people to participate.

Dr. Edmar Loh, Senior Research Fellow, Center for Aging Research and Education, Duke-NUS Medical School:

They are more educated and require more of these activities. Seniors are no longer just grateful and taking everything. Many of them had jobs before, and they are also consumers, so they have a high level of vision for the activities they want to participate in.