Friday, November 17, 2017

AN INVITATION TO A DIALOGUE WITH TIME


Let's face it - all of us are ageing from the day we are born. Each birthday is a reminder of our mortality. But ageing is not all gloom and doom. Ageing is about living each day in ways that will add to our wellbeing. It is about learning and preparing for the future so that we can avoid the comorbidities and disabilities that often accompany old age. Ageing is very much an individual journey and a personal experience. It begins with embracing ageing, knowing how to cope with the challenges of ageing, and what to do to prepare for the future.

32 seniors aged 65 to 85 were selected and trained as exhibition guides. They will explain the activities and share personal stories and memories.

What better way to learn about ageing than at the Dialogue With Time exhibition currently being held at Science Centre Singapore. I spent two hours there recently in an immersive experiential tour of the exhibition, and came away feeling much more optimistic about the future. Dialogue with Time is an excellent platform to promote awareness of what ageing involves, and what we should do to remain healthy and active in our retirement years. Longevity becomes a bane if the extra years are filled with pain, loneliness and suffering.

In one of the activities in the Blue Room, visitors were asked to choose from a stack of photos one that resonated with them most, and explain their choice. My choice - a happy 3-generation family.

The exhibition is for the entire family. The best time to prepare for the future is now. It starts with the importance of laying an early foundation for successful ageing. That way the retirement years will find us enjoying good health, financial security and happy relationships with family and friends.

Here's a quick tour of the exhibition in pictures.

The first stop to watch a video of little Danielle ageing in all of five minutes! You can view the full video here.



In the Blue Room, senior guides Serene, 66, and Ray, 72, share their favourite memories.

Activity: pick any 5 cards and complete the sentence. We all know many older people who still enjoy learning and still retain a spirit of adventure and a sense of fun.
The Yellow Room where some of the challenges of ageing are highlighted e.g. difficulty in walking, climbing stairs, hearing loss and failing vision.
Want to know what it feels like to move around like an old person? Try walking with 4kg weights strapped to your feet!
More challenging activities: listening to and following instructions, inserting a key into a keyhole and testing your hand-eye coordination.
An opportunity to test my eyes. All good. Hope it stays that way.
The Pink Room where visitors can watch videos of five seniors sharing their experiences on work, love and life in general. Inspiring.
Some of the topics include 'Finding Love Online' and 'Re-employment of Seniors'.
The White Room where visitors can view an interactive video and quiz on 'Future of Ageing' in Singapore, e.g. life expectancy of Singaporeans, number of centenarians in Singapore.
Which one would you choose? Are all of the above important to you?
Singapore's action plan for successful ageing
Happy Years Kopitiam - for a good strong cup of coffee and a chat about the good old days.
Just a small sampling of the exhibits in the science and technology zones that span robotics, assistive devices, telemedicine and much more.
Tried this out and was relieved to hear the strong and regular beat of my heart.
A must-try. Quite fascinating (and scary!) to see how we look as we 'age'. Smoking and UV rays make us age faster, so be warned.
Take note of the nine ingredients for healthy ageing
Remember to pick up a complimentary copy of 'I Feel Young' at the Happy Years Kopitiam
Some of the senior guides with June Chen, (far right), Assistant Manager, Exhibition Group, Science Centre. Thanks for the guided tour of the exhibition.
For more info, click HERE to visit the website

2 comments:

Kunzo said...

Most articles about ageing assume that there will be friends and relatives around to care for the aged.
Nothing is said about how those who lived alone, is not financially well off and very possibly immobile or have problems with mobility.
That is also only assuming that the aged has no major health problems.
What if there are chronic health problems and/or terminal illnesses like cancer?
How will such matters be handled?
The crux of the problem is to have such problems taken care off!

seniorsaloud said...

Winston, you will find answers to your questions on our Facebook page. Do follow SeniorsAloud there as we share the latest news and developments of interest and relevance to our demographics.