2020 has been a difficult year for many of us. When the temporary closure of Cornerstone Senior Centre (CSC) was first announced to the seniors during circuit breaker (CB) period, many of them felt a sense of loss when they could not go to the centre – a place they called as their ‘second home’.

During the CB period, it was difficult for the seniors to cope with the new measures such as safe distancing, wearing masks, and staying at home. It has affected their mobility tremendously as they stopped going for their daily morning exercises. They were also emotionally and mentally affected as they could not socialise with other seniors and volunteers during that time.

Zoom with Seniors
The staff and volunteers at CSC decided to find new ways to reach out to the seniors with the use of technology. It was not an easy task to get them to embrace the use of gadgets such as smart phones and computers. However, the team persisted and kept on encouraging the seniors to go online and connect with them through Zoom. Eventually, many of the seniors took up the challenge to learn. At the Zoom sessions, they shared how they coped during the CB period by doing meaningful and creative activities such as embarking on a healthy lifestyle through exercises at home, and sewing masks for foreign workers etc.

CSC Live Programme on YouTube & Facebook
The team at CSC also launched “CSC Live Programme” – an online weekly talk show hosted by the staff and volunteers. The programme was broadcasted on YouTube and Facebook to engage the seniors who could not come to the centre due to the CB restrictions. From this programme, we are able to reach out to a lot of senior viewers who can do the exercises at home by following the fitness trainers online. They also enjoyed watching the talk show with guest appearances from other seniors who shared their expertise on interesting and enriching topics such as “Fun Activities to Do at Home” and “Gardening Tips” etc.

Through this, we are encouraged and proud to see many seniors and grandparents stepping out of their comfort zone to embrace technology and the opportunity to learn new things, lead a healthy lifestyle and stay connected online with the community during the Circuit Breaker period.