Website created to solve problem of seniors’ low awareness of initiatives that benefit them
Launching www.silverschemes.sg website
The website was created by the Centre For Seniors, and launched on 28 February 2018 by CFS patron Lim Boon Heng at the centre’s open house in Bishan. Mr Lim, a former Cabinet minister, is also chairman of Temasek Holdings and NTUC Enterprise.
Idea to Action
The idea for a one-stop website came after a CFS survey – conducted last year and involving 140 seniors above 50 – found that most respondents lacked knowledge of government schemes. Many of them said it was a challenge to keep tabs on the many schemes available, which are located on different government websites.
After feedback from seniors that it was hard to track the raft of government schemes meant to benefit them, a new website has been launched as a one-stop source of information.
At www.silverschemes.sg, seniors can choose from three age groups – 50 to 54, 55 to 67, or 68 and above – to view a list of schemes available to them. The schemes are further categorised into four areas: financial, work, social and health.
Each scheme has its own webpage, which contains a summary of the scheme, eligibility criteria and a link to more information.
There are currently about 50 government schemes for seniors.
More work ahead …
“The low awareness of government schemes can be improved by pushing this website to seniors instead of having them to pull information from several sources,” said CFS executive director Lim Sia Hoe.
Ms Lim added that CFS will continue to hold roadshows every two months to inform seniors about the website, and teach less computer-savvy seniors how to use it.
Future Development
While the website is now available only in English, Ms Lim said CFS plans to make it available in other languages in the next six months.
There are also plans to expand the platform to include more skills training, volunteering and employment opportunities for seniors, she said.
The website’s end goal, Ms Lim added, is to provide a single holistic and integrated platform for seniors.
What do seniors say after using the website?
Adjunct teacher Corrine Liu, 65, who visited the website, said she found it easy to navigate, and was able to find information about schemes like the senior volunteerism initiative by RSVP Singapore, which she did not know about before.
However, Mrs Liu said the descriptions of the schemes could be made shorter and simpler still.
She said: “Many of the schemes benefit low-wage earners, who might find it a struggle to read or understand parts of the website.”
