When Mdm Jackie Cheng, 65, first found a flyer tucked into her front gate two years ago, she didn’t think much of it. It advertised something called the IM-OK tablet, part of an eldercare technology initiative by Lions Befrienders. Curious, she decided to drop by their Active Ageing Centre. She didn’t expect it to change her lifestyle completely. Today, Jackie is a familiar face at Lions Befrienders. She happily points out the spaces that she frequents at the Bendemeer Active Ageing Centre: there, on Mondays, she does qigong. Tuesdays, resistance band training. Wednesdays, lion dance.
“One of the reasons I’m here is because the staff pays such personal attention to every person,” she says.
“They know who likes what, and they invite us for things that suit us. There’s a beautiful personal touch. It makes you feel wanted.”
That same spirit drives TechCare, the innovation arm of Lions Befrienders. Launched in 2020, TechCare looks at how technology can support the wellbeing, independence, and dignity of older adults – from health-monitoring stations in community centres to the IM-OK home tablet that Jackie now uses. Designed to prompt seniors to check in daily, the
tablet alerts caregivers if something seems wrong.
“I have vertigo and you just don’t know when it will strike,” she explains. “Last year, it was really bad. I couldn’t get out of bed. The tablet notification went off, my nephew called me, and I managed to tell him I was feeling really, really bad. He came over to check on me.”