Discover Golden Opportunities at the Time of Your Life Celebration 2023

More than 80 Programmes Islandwide for Ageing Well

The National Library Board’s (NLB) signature Time of Your Life (TOYL) Celebration is back for its 13^th edition with new resources and more than 80 programmes islandwide, including learning journeys, health and wellness workshops, and a talent showcase. In line with the Ministry of Health’s strategies on preventive care and successful ageing, this year’s event celebrates seniors, and encourages active ageing and lifelong learning. This year’s TOYL Celebration, themed “Ageless Creativity, Golden Opportunities”, will offer a mix of in-person, online and hybrid programmes to cater to more seniors. 

NLB has organised the TOYL Celebration since 2011, with programmes and resources encouraging lifelong learning for everyone aged 50 and above. This year’s edition marks the third time since 2020 that NLB and the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) have come together. The Celebration has kicked off with a series of pre-events from 1 Oct 2023 leading up to the official launch today, with free programmes until 31 Oct 2023, and Minister for Health, Mr Ong Ye Kung, who graced the launch as Guest-of-Honour.

Earlier this month, seniors went on learning journeys within the community, where they got to visit organisations such as the Parkinson Society Singapore and SG Assist, a senior and caregiver Resource Centre, to meet professionals there to understand the work they do, and learn more about long-term care options. Seniors and their caregivers can look forward to health and wellness programmes like yoga for caregivers, and masterclasses on those topics at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. 

SUSS has been working with the National Archives of Singapore (NAS), which is part of NLB, on various projects to promote health and well-being among older adults, including Reminiscence in Dementia care, Reminiscence library and Reminiscence facilitation training. Studies have found that reminiscing about the past can significantly increase blood flow to the brain, potentially up to 80 times. Reminiscence holds promise in easing symptoms of depression and slowing the progression of dementia and cognitive functioning.

NLB and SUSS also unveiled a new intergenerational reminiscence game, “Come! Let’s Chat” (CLC) today. Developed using curated visuals of past and present-day Singapore, including archival content from NAS, the game leverages the power of reminiscence to promote psychological well-being, self-esteem and happiness for seniors. SUSS, with support from The Ngee Ann Kongsi, is pleased to partner with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) to offer the new online learning module, “An Introduction to Reminiscence Facilitation: Enhancing Wellbeing in Older Adults”, for Community Care staff. This module offered by SUSS will equip staff with reminiscence facilitation skills to serve the Community Care sector.

Everyone can also check out NLB’s digitised Memory Game cards, which can be downloaded for free via the NLB website (https://go.gov.sg/toyl-resources). These cards will provide more opportunities to engage seniors in conversations about their life journeys, or can be used too as a memory game by matching identical cards. Seniors can share their stories, and at the same time, develop a deeper appreciation and understanding of Singapore’s heritage and identity.

NLB’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ng Cher Pong, said: “NLB has been running programmes and services at our libraries and archives, including many with our partners, to equip seniors with information to live and age well. We are happy to be able to continue collaborating with SUSS, to hold The Time of Your Life Celebration to offer more learning opportunities for seniors. We believe it is important for all of us, as we grow older, to gain a better understanding of the changes we are going through, and importantly to discover ways to continue to thrive.”

SUSS’ President, Professor Tan Tai Yong, said: “SUSS is proud to partner with NLB for the TOYL Celebration, honouring seniors and promoting lifelong learning — a core value at SUSS. Through our leading programmes, SUSS cultivates top-tier professionals in gerontology, fostering a skilled workforce that spans the healthcare, social services, and business sectors. Our longstanding seven-year collaboration with NLB has facilitated a consistent exchange of insights on eldercare and allowed us to co-create programmes focused on gerontology and the promotion of successful ageing. Together, we bridge gaps, uniting sectors in our commitment to empower and celebrate our golden years. We look forward to extending our partnership with NLB.”

As part of the TOYL Celebration, the organisers are proud to invite Mr Tomohisa Komura, Chief Manager of Japanese Broadcasting Corporation, Nippon Hoso Kyokai (NHK) to speak about the NHK Reminiscence Library, a pioneer in Asia on the use of a reminiscence library as a form of therapy for Japanese seniors in eldercare homes. Another guest speaker, Mrs Rebecca Choy Yung, Founder and Chair of Golden Age Foundation (GAF) in Hong Kong, will highlight GAF’s work on smart ageing and empowering people aged 45 and above to solve social problems.

For more active and healthy ageing tips, seniors can also check out NLB’s new resource guide produced in collaboration with MOH. The guide features books and video recommendations curated by NLB’s librarians to encourage seniors to take better care of their health and well-being. The guide can be downloaded at https://go.gov.sg/toyl2023-list.

Visit https://go.gov.sg/toyl2023 for the full line-up of programmes and registration for the TOYL Celebration 2023. More details of the TOYL Celebration 2023 programme highlights and new resources are available in the Annexes.

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About the Time of Your Life Celebration

The Time of Your Life (TOYL) Celebration is an annual event held in October, in conjunction with the International Day of Older Persons, to celebrate our seniors. This signature event under NLB’s TOYL series for seniors aged 50 years and above, aims to celebrate seniors, encourage active ageing and lifelong learning. It features a variety of talks, workshops and activities that are suitable for seniors, caregivers, and industry practitioners. 

About National Library Board

The National Library Board (NLB) nurtures Readers for Life, Learning Communities and a Knowledgeable Nation by promoting reading, learning and history through its network of 28 libraries, the National Library and the National Archives of Singapore. NLB also forges strategic partnerships that encourage awareness, appreciation and greater discovery of Singapore's history through its rich collections in Singapore and the region.

NLB achieves excellence through innovation, focusing on citizen engagement and co-creation, resource and digital innovation. This creates learning opportunities, greater access to library resources, services, and archival collections, as well as a continual development of innovative library spaces. Established on 1 September 1995 as a statutory board, NLB is under the Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI).

For more information, please visit the NLB website, and NLB’s Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube channels.

About Singapore University of Social Sciences

The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) is a university with a rich heritage in inspiring lifelong education and transforming society through social sciences. We develop students and alumni to be work-ready and work-adaptive, aspiring to reach their full potential, through our 3H’s education philosophy – ‘Head’ for professional competency with applied knowledge, ‘Heart’ for social awareness of the needs of the society, and ‘Habit’ for passion towards lifelong learning.

We offer more than 90 undergraduate and graduate programmes, available in full- and part-time study modes which are flexible, modular and inter-disciplinary, catering to both fresh school leavers and adult learners. SUSS also offers a broad range of continuing education and training modular courses for the professional skills upgrading of Singapore's workforce.

Our programmes and courses are offered by our five schools:

S R Nathan School of Human Development
School of Business
School of Humanities and Behavioural Sciences
School of Law
School of Science and Technology

To date, over 44,000 graduates have experienced our unique brand of education, and each year, over 18,000 students are pursuing their full- and part-time studies with us.

The Institute for Adult Learning (IAL), as part of SUSS, leads in the field of research on adult and workplace learning and training of adult educators to build capabilities of the training and adult education sector in Singapore and beyond.

For media enquiries, please contact:

Quah Jia Ling 
Weber Shandwick 
Tel: 9699 0830 
Email: jquah@webershandwick.com

ANNEX A
TOYL Celebration’s Key Programme Highlights

ANNEX B
“Come! Let’s Chat” – An Intergenerational Reminiscence Game by SUSS & NAS

The Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) and National Archives of Singapore (NAS) have teamed up to develop “Come! Let’s Chat” (CLC), an intergenerational reminiscence game which harnesses memory as a tool to aid cognitive stimulation and social integration for the elderly. 

Having first begun their partnership in 2019, SUSS and NAS have been studying the efficacy of reminiscence in dementia care and eldercare in several active ageing centres, home care and long-term care settings locally. Their research has found that reminiscing about past events and sharing life experiences has various benefits, especially for the elderly – it stimulates the mind, reinforces personal identity, and allows individuals to appreciate their life’s journey.

Through CLC, SUSS and NAS hope to propagate these benefits to seniors in Singapore. The game, suitable for participants of all ages and backgrounds, features curated visuals of Singapore's past and present, categorised into three themes: People & Places, Kampong Days, and National Campaigns. These are used to start conversations and encourage individuals to share their life stories and experiences to foster mutual understanding and learning about each other and Singapore. Activity cards are also included in the game. 

In tandem with CLC, SUSS also developed a Reminiscence Facilitation Training (RFT) programme which will be rolled out to provide a standardised approach to conduct reminiscence activities.

For more information on the kit and other resources visit: https://www.suss.edu.sg/igremi.

ANNEX C
NLB’s Digitised Memory Cards

NLB has developed a digitised Memory Game that is now available free for download via the NLB website [https://go.gov.sg/toyl-resources]. Featuring photos of olden day Singapore, these cards are a fun and easy way for the young and young-at-heart to interact through a game of memory and bond over stories of Singapore. Through these interactions, the hope is for both seniors and their loved ones to develop a deeper appreciation of Singapore’s heritage and identity and foster stronger social connections with one another.