Tsao Foundation

27/03/2026

If Veronica looks familiar, you may have seen her on CNA's The Science of Ageing Well, a series commissioned by the Agency for Integrated Care - AIC Singapore which showed how ageing well happens beyond clinics, in everyday community life.

While the cameras have stopped rolling, Veronica’s journey continues.

Today, she volunteers at Café Kawan where she spends time with older people learning, sharing stories, and ageing well together. “I treasure my moments with them and always look forward to my next visit,” she shares.

Volunteering has helped Veronica stay active and care for her own well-being. It has also been deeply personal. After caring for her late mother during her final years, spending time with older people now brings back memories—sometimes painful, yet meaningful. “I tell myself to pass the love I had for my mum to the seniors now,” she reflects.

What keeps her coming back is the shared purpose she sees— staff, volunteers, and seniors working together with one aim: enabling one another to live well in the community.

Because ageing well is not a solo journey. It’s a shared experience.

If Veronica’s journey resonates with you, consider walking alongside others too. We’re currently welcoming volunteers, including para‑counsellors, who are ready to listen, care, and support seniors in the community. Link in the comments.

21/03/2026

Selamat Hari Raya Aidilfitri.

As families and communities come together to mark the end of Ramadan, we celebrate renewal, togetherness, and the quiet strength we find in one another.

Mdm Jumiati, a valued client of Tsao Foundation, continues her journey with the support of our services. After years of caring for her husband following his stroke, she finds comfort in the connections and care around her - reminders that she is never alone.

Stories like hers reflect the heart of what we do: walking alongside seniors and caregivers, and building a community of care, connection, and dignity.

To our Muslim friends and all who celebrate, we wish you a joyous Hari Raya filled with warmth, peace, and meaningful moments with your loved ones.

20/03/2026

From the first Chinese New Year lunch in 1995, our CNY gathering has always been about more than celebrating a festive occasion. It has been about people, presence, and staying connected.

Over the weekend, that tradition continued as Tsao Foundation welcomed 50 seniors from across our services to York Hotel Singapore, together with 25 caregivers. As with every year, the room soon filled with laughter, familiar faces, new conversations, and stories shared over a meal.

Many of the seniors who join us are frail or facing financial challenges. For them, this annual lunch carries a deeper meaning — a sense of being remembered, included, and valued. For caregivers from different backgrounds, it is a moment to pause, connect, and be reminded that human connection goes beyond ethnicity, age, or gender.

As the festive season draws to a close, moments like these remind us that connection does not end with the celebrations.

We are grateful to everyone who has helped keep this tradition alive, year after year. Sometimes, it is the simplest gatherings that leave the deepest impact. 🧧💛

17/03/2026

🌍 World Social Work Day | Meet Ryan Sim

Ask Ryan what keeps him going, and you might hear about seniors, cars, or a good badminton rally. But at the heart of it, Ryan is driven by making a real difference in people’s lives.

As an Assistant Care Manager with our Community Care Management Services (CCMS) team, Ryan works closely with Care Managers and Nurse Care Managers to support seniors living in the community, meeting them where they are, and walking alongside them through complex challenges.

One moment that stayed with him was working with partner organisations to help clean and declutter a client’s home that had been infested with bedbugs. It wasn’t easy, but seeing the home made safe again, and knowing the client could live with dignity and peace, reminded him why this work matters.

This World Social Work Day, we celebrate social workers like Ryan whose impact is felt not just in care plans, but in restored homes, renewed hope, and better everyday lives. 💛

14/03/2026

There were few dry eyes as Nowhere Like Home unfolded on screen last Thursday evening.

The documentary offers a tender and honest look at ageing and caregiving in Singapore, with stories that felt deeply familiar to many in the room. As we live longer lives, caregiving is no longer something that happens to “other families”. For many of us, it is already part of our own journeys.

Nowhere Like Home follows three families, alongside Tsao Foundation's community gerontology nurse Sister Fong Yoke Hiong, as they navigate what it takes to support older loved ones to live with dignity in the place they know best, home.

The screening sparked heartfelt reflections. During the post‑film conversation, Sister Fong shared what keeps her going through the toughest moments: the relationships built with families, and the trust that forms as they walk through uncertainty together.

Others reflected on how caregiving reshapes family roles, and on a wish voiced time and again by older adults, to return home and to age in familiar surroundings, surrounded by the people and memories they love.

Thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to such a thoughtful conversation. Together, we continue building a more care‑ready society that supports caregivers, honours our elders, and reminds us that there truly is nowhere like home.

💬 What does “home” mean to you, especially as we grow older? We’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments.

06/03/2026

What does Okinawa and Singapore have in common?

Both are ageing island societies — and both are rethinking how communities can support people to age well.

On Sunday, Tsao Foundation welcomed four nursing and healthcare students from Okinawa, Japan under the TOBITATE! Programme () for a learning dialogue on community‑based eldercare in Singapore.

Led by our Assistant Director of Nursing, Sister Fong Yoke Hiong, we exchanged perspectives on how our two contexts are responding to demographic change. The conversation went beyond healthcare, focusing on preventing frailty early, strengthening social participation, and building neighbourhood ecosystems of care and support.

We shared insights from our ComSA (Community for Successful Ageing) model, a holistic, community‑based approach that helps older adults stay healthy, socially connected, and independent. We also explored the responsible use of AI in healthcare — from imaging to generative AI for routine documentation — and why innovation must always strengthen, not replace, human relationships in care.

An important reflection surfaced around the gendered nature of care work, both formal and informal, even as women make up the majority of the older population. Designing systems for longevity means considering not just how long people live, but how they experience ageing.

Cross‑border exchanges like this deepen shared learning on how to build communities where people don’t just live longer — but live well 💙

👉 How is your community supporting people to age well?
Share your thoughts, start a conversation, or follow us to learn more about our work in community‑based ageing.

27/02/2026

It’s always uplifting to read stories of “super seniors” in The Straits Times — older adults who continue to live with energy, purpose and joy.

At the same time, the article also reminds us of a reality we see every day. As Dr Andrea Tan, physician at Hua Mei Clinic @ ComSA Whampoa, shares, many seniors aged 90 and above live with mobility and cognitive challenges, fatigue, and the emotional weight of grief, loneliness and loss of independence. For many, leaving home on their own is no longer possible.

That’s where Tsao Foundation’s work comes in. Through home visits, personalised exercise plans and meaningful engagement, our team supports seniors across the ageing spectrum , including those who are frail or homebound, so they can remain connected, cared for and part of the community.

Because ageing well isn’t just about living longer. It’s about dignity, purpose and belonging, at every stage of life.

Read the full article on these inspiring “super seniors” and learn how Tsao Foundation supports older adults to age well, whether they are active, frail or unable to leave home:

👉

Discover how centenarians in Singapore are embracing active ageing centres, staying engaged, and defying expectations for senior wellness. Read more at straitstimes.com. Read more at straitstimes.com.

24/02/2026

“Building trust with seniors and fellow volunteers has been incredibly rewarding. I hope more men step forward to support male clients and bring a fresh perspective to counselling.”

For over a decade, Mr. Stanley Peh has volunteered as a para‑counsellor, supporting seniors and their families through complex emotional and relationship challenges. Along the way, he has built deep bonds with both clients and fellow volunteers, forming a close‑knit community.

Para-counsellors like Stanley are trained by Tsao Foundation to offer psycho‑emotional support to our seniors, working closely with our counselling team to ensure clients feel heard, supported, and cared for.

Passionate about representation, Stanley actively encourages more men to volunteer, especially to support male clients who may feel more comfortable opening up to someone with shared life experiences.

💙 Ready to step forward and make a real difference? Volunteer with us!
We’re actively recruiting Mandarin‑speaking volunteers to support seniors and strengthen our community.

👉 Apply now: https://linkly.link/2eV8k

Open volunteer roles:

1️⃣ Para‑Counsellors
Make a direct impact by offering psycho‑emotional support to seniors and their families, alongside our professional counselling team.

Timeline:
• 24 & 27 Apr 2026: Training for selected volunteers (Mandarin‑conducted)
• From May 2026: Start your para‑counselling journey

2️⃣ Skills‑Based / Event Coordinators (Rolling basis)
Have skills in photography or event planning? Help bring our programmes and community events to life.

💛 Join a purpose‑driven volunteer community that listens, supports, and grows together.

23/02/2026

We are updating our website and need your help. It takes less than a minute - we appreciate your input! Please answer this survey https://linkly.link/2bOG1

20/02/2026

This is how we celebrate Lunar New Year at Café Kawan! 🧧❤️
With smiles, friendship, and plenty of festive cheer!

Café Kawan is a welcoming community space where older adults come together to connect, share skills, and enjoy each other’s company.

Our volunteers at Café Kawan send their warmest wishes for a year filled with good health, happiness, and meaningful moments. 🎉

Curious about Café Kawan? Call 8718 8309 or email at kawan@tsaofoundation.org to join or lead activities!

19/02/2026

Looking for opportunities make an impact? What are you waiting for? Sign up now as a volunteer!

16/02/2026

We are updating our website and need your help. It takes less than a minute - we appreciate your input! Click the link to the survey in the comments section.