|
|
|
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth
and Sports (MCYS) will officially open its first residential co-location
facility, Home@Hong San on 26 May 07. The 4-storey purpose-built
facility comprising 2 homes, Sunbeam Place and Evergreen Place, was
completed in May 06 and commenced operations a month later. |
|
Sunbeam Place is a group home for children
and young persons run by Singapore Children's Society. Evergreen Place
is a home for the aged run by Singapore Amalgamated Services
Co-operative Senior Citizens Home. |
|
Both operators are voluntary welfare
organisations receiving funding from MCYS (please see Annexes on the
profile of the Homes). |
|
''This is a milestone for residential care
services in Singapore. Co-locating Homes for both children and elderly
is mutually beneficial and synergistic. It will promote greater
interaction between generations. The elderly will enjoy the
companionship of the children, who will in turn, learn many lessons of
life from their seniors.'' |
|
- Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, Minister for
Community Development, Youth and Sports and Second Minister for
Information, Communications and the Arts. |
|
The co-location also optimise space and
resources in land-scarce Singapore. In recognition of its barrier-free
accessibility design which enables it to accommodate people of all ages
and abilities, Home@Hong San won the Bronze Award for Universal Design
for Built Environment presented by the Building and Construction
Authority. |
ISSUED BY:
MINISTRY OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, YOUTH AND SPORTS
26 May 2007 |
Annex
PROFILE OF SUNBEAM PLACE
INTRODUCTION
Sunbeam Place, managed by the Singapore Children's Society, is a 72-bed
group home for children and young persons aged 2 to 18 years who are in
need of safety and protection. The home's design is based on a small
group home concept, where not more than 12 residents are housed in each
modular unit consisting of bedrooms, living and kitchen facilities. The
objective of this arrangement is to create a family environment for the
residents.
BACKGROUND OF SINGAPORE CHILDREN'S SOCIETY
The Sunbeam Place (former Convalescent Home), was first established in
1955. It then had a bed capacity of 80 and was situated at the old
Nicoll Drive, Changi Road. In 1976, the Convalescent Home was relocated
to Keramat Road to make way for the development of the Changi
International Airport. In 2006, the Sunbeam Place was relocated to its
present site at Hong San Terrace. There are a total of 55 residents as
of May 07.
At Singapore Children's Society (webpage:
www.childrensociety.org.sg),
we help protect and nurture children and youth of all races and
religions, especially those who are abused, neglected, and/or from
dysfunctional families via the six service categories of Caregiving,
Preventive, Developmental, Remedial, Community and Public Education.
Today, Singapore Children's Society operates 8 other centres namely (a)
Family Service Centre (Yishun), (b) Students Care Centre (Henderson),
(c) Student Service Hub (Bukit Merah) (d) Youth Service Centre (Toa
Payoh), (e) Roundbox , (f) Research and Outreach Centre, (g) Singapore's
Children's Society-SGH Peritoneal Dialysis Centre and (h) Youth Centre (Jurong),
aside from the Sunbeam Place.
Children's Society was founded in 1952 and this year, the Society will
be celebrating its 55th birthday.
ENVIRONMENT AND FACILITIES
The concept is akin to a family set up. The smaller capacity and homely
set up will allow the residents to live in an environment that is more
'normalized' compared to a larger Home.
The building has 6 apartment type modular units to house 12 residents.
As it is a modular unit, it has the flexibility of usage, ie the number
of unit catering to each category of residents can be altered according
to the changes in needs without affecting the structure changes in the
complex.
SERVICES / PROGRAMMES
Besides lodging and personal care, the Home provides a range of
programmes that target at the residents' emotional and developmental
needs. These include therapeutic programmes, educational programmes,
social and recreational, and religious programmes.
FUNDING
Since April 1999, the Sunbeam Place has been receiving per capita grant
from MCYS to subsidise the running of the Home. The children of the Home
have also received free medical services from Government Out-patient
Clinics and Hospitals through applications for the Medical Fee Exemption
Card from MCYS.
The running cost of the Sunbeam Place is also supported by funds raised
by the Appeals Committee of the Singapore Children's Society, sponsors
and donors from the public.
Annex
PROFILE OF EVERGREEN PLACE
INTRODUCTION
Evergreen Place, a 102-bed home for the aged, is operated by the
Singapore Amalgamated Services Co-operative Organisation Senior Citizens
Home, which was re-located from its smaller premises in Telok Blangah to
the current location. The home caters mainly to seniors above the age of
60 without alternative means of accommodation. Like Sunbeam Place, the
living units are designed to be small to create a more personal feel.
Each dormitory can accommodate a maximum of 6 residents.
BACKGROUND OF SASCO
The SASCO Senior Citizens' Home was set up on 21 Jan 81 at a HDB
void-deck to provide lodging and care for the destitute elderly
regardless of race, language or religion. It was registered with the
Commissioner of Charities in the same year, and attained its IPC status
on 23 Nov 89. It is also affiliated to the National Council of Social
Service (NCSS) and is a member of the NCSS Charitable Fund. When the
Home was first set up, it took in 10 residents from the now defunct
Woodstock Home. The intake soon expanded, with the Home running
consistently at its full capacity of 20 residents at their old premises.
The Home's occupancy has been increasing steadily since it moved to the
new premises at Home@Hong San. Now renamed as Evergreen Place, the Home
has 57 residents as of May 07.
ENVIRONMENT AND FACILITIES
Evergreen Place consists of fifteen 6-bedded rooms and three 4-bedded
rooms located on the 2nd, 3rd and 4th levels. Each room comes with a
bathroom and toilet with ramps and grab-bars. The main nurse's station
and sick bay are located on the 2nd level, where the higher dependency
residents would be housed. There are also activity and staff rooms on
each level, and a roof garden on the 4th level. The main office,
kitchen, security quarters and multi-purpose hall are located on the 1st
level. The Home shares a basement carpark with the children and youth
complex.
Recreational facilities such as exercise equipment, television sets,
reading materials, and a reflexology path are also available. The Home
engages the services of physiotherapists from the Society for the
Physically Disabled who conduct a 2-hour therapy session once a week.
SERVICES / PROGRAMMES
Besides lodging and personal care, the Home provides a range of
organised activities for its residents. These include karaoke sessions,
board games and art and craft with the children. To meet the resident's
rehabilitative needs, professional physiotherapy sessions are conducted
at least twice weekly. To meet their spiritual need, there is a private
prayer room for residents of all religions. Basic recreational resources
such as television sets, reading materials and board games are also
available.
FUNDING
Evergreen Place receives per-capita funding for its operations based on
the prevailing norm cost and means-testing framework. In addition,
residents may apply for the Medical Fee Exemption Card which covers
medical treatment at government polyclinics and hospitals.
The Home is also supported by donations from its affiliates, volunteers
and members of the public. |
|
Source:
www.mcys.gov.sg Media Release
26 May 2007 |
|
 |
|
Important
Notice |
|
Our FrontPage
Editions are a historical record of our Web site and reflect
the changing of the times, and also of our Web site through
time. We do not and will not update the links and stories on
these FrontPages even if they have become obsolete. |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
If you have an event or some news to
share with our readers, send the details, including picture(s), to us at
editor@getforme.com |
|
We are now 13570
pages thick and growing. | |
Public Holidays
NATIONAL DAY
is the next public holiday. It falls on 9 August 2007. |
|
FrontPage Edition: Sat 2 June 2007
All rights reserved
