Seniors to get easier news access at 60 active ageing centres in new SPH Media, SPH Foundation initiative

The first session was held on Oct 25 at Our Tampines Hub, where 200 seniors attended.

Seniors who ST spoke to said reading news reports remains important even as they age, although some struggle with discerning between fake and real news. The small font can be a challenge too.

Retirees Sunny Tee, 76, and Harry Pereira, 74, from Loving Heart AAC in Jurong East, meet regularly at coffee shops. “We meet to discuss the news together, for example, what’s happening in America, because it is good for us to stay updated,” said Mr Tee, who mostly monitors developments on his phone.

“It is good that the elderly can be informed, but sometimes it is hard to differentiate between the right and wrong news.”

Mr Pereira finds summarised, bite-sized news updates helpful – similar to the curated content under the new initiative – as they help him keep up without information overload.

“I find it more useful and less messy than taking news from many different sources,” he said, adding that this will help him to get information from only trusted sources.

For Madam Saliah Ismail, 64, a retiree and volunteer at Cedar Tree AAC in Tampines, the news is a bridge to connect with seniors in her neighbourhood.

She visits seniors who live alone, inviting them to join centre activities – often starting with a simple chat about what is in the headlines, or other topics they are interested in.

“Given our age, we don’t know much about digital things, and this is something we have to learn,” Madam Saliah said, especially in the age of scams. “It can be difficult for seniors because we don’t know much, but by reading the news, we can know whether what people tell us is true or not.”

She added that discussing familiar topics that often appear in the news, such as those linked to the Central Provident Fund, helps her build trust with isolated seniors. Once they feel comfortable, they are more willing to attend events organised by the AAC, she noted.

Mr Baey said one of Singapore’s greatest strengths is its spirit of “collective responsibility and mutual support”. “We must continue to look out for one another so that no one is left behind,” he added.

“By building micro-communities of care in our neighbourhoods, we can stay close to one another for social and emotional support.”

“Let’s Talk News” pulls in different parts of society to work together to care for seniors, added Mr Baey. The support resources include students from Nanyang Technological University, who will connect with seniors; volunteers from SG Cares Volunteer Centres, and online training materials from SPH Media.

Together with SPH Media and SPH Foundation, the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth, the Agency for Integrated Care, NLB, NTU and community care organisations are working together to broaden the range of content and deepen outreach.

Health supplement company Holistic Way and The Association of Banks in Singapore are also contributing resources and activities for seniors.

Mr Chan Yeng Kit, chief executive of SPH Media, said: “This initiative reflects our commitment to not just delivering trusted news, but also giving back to the community.

“It goes beyond giving seniors access to trusted and carefully curated stories that resonate with them. It is also about sharing content to keep them informed, and sparking conversations that connect them with one another and the community.”

SPH Media said the initiative will be assessed to see if it will be continued after a year.