Reaching seniors through music and massage

“Is it painful for you?” asks Lili Koh, 67, as she massages the hand of Lim Bee Choo, a wheelchair-bound client at MWS Senior Care Centre – Eunos. “See, your hands aren’t so cold now. Rub them together like this—show me? Very good! That will help your blood circulation and you won’t feel as cold.”

Since August 2024, Lili has been providing hand massages to seniors alongside fellow members from Christ Methodist Church, after observing that clients with dementia were often left out of activities. “Even when they are included in large group programmes, without adjustments, they can feel isolated,” she explains. “For those with more advanced dementia, conversation is difficult, so we connect with them through the sense of touch.”

Last year, the former enrichment teacher also conducted a reminiscence facilitation programme for seniors. Using different themes, the sessions sparked conversations about occupations, favourite places and old friendships. An in-house cooking activity even had clients plucking bean sprouts and tasting the fruits of their labour. “They reminisced about cooking, their favourite foods and running households. Through these sessions, even the quieter seniors opened up and felt uplifted,” she recalls, adding, “Reminiscence is a simple yet powerful way to engage them and give them a chance to hear their own voices.”

Dr Eileen Aw is from Wesley Methodist Church and provided outpatient treatment for university students for 35 years.

She went on to help establish St Luke’s Hospital and lent her expertise to St Luke’s Eldercare Services. She served with MMS as Chairperson of the Advisory Board for the Singapore Mission School (SMS) in Laos for approximately seven years.

Of her years with MMS, she says there was no special calling; she simply responded to a need. “When I heard about SMS in Laos, I thought ‘Wow!’ How wonderful to have a mission school in one of the least developed Southeast Asian countries! It’s a divine opportunity to build capability through education and to share Christian teachings and values, which are cherished memories of my own student days at Methodist Girls’ School (MGS).”

Having served on MGS’ Advisory Board for 27 years, she understands well the function and responsibilities of a school board. “Recruiting Christian staff from Singapore for SMS was our biggest challenge, and establishing and implementing SOPs was slow and sometimes trying. But the tireless dedication of fellow board members and volunteers from Singapore was encouraging.”