“The process of ageing begins even before we are born, according to an international team of researchers led by the University of Cambridge.”—Science Daily
Ways to maintain youthful appearances and physical strength have been a topic of interest for many generations. Despite advancements in age-reversal technologies and constant reminders of our ageing bodies, ageing remains inevitable, whether slowly or quickly. (Who knows? By 4048, we might even discover ways to look and feel 18 in our 60s.)
Since ageing is a process we cannot avoid, it’s worth pondering a different question. Instead of asking, “How can I stay young?” we might adopt a healthier mindset: “How can I maintain a high quality of life as I age?”
The Jalan Jalan project has allowed me to understand better what “having a good life” means to seniors in Singapore. It has encouraged me to embrace various perspectives on ageing and, most importantly, inspired me to find ways to improve the lives of my loved ones and myself as we grow and change.
Hello, I’m Hwee Chieh! I’m sharing this blog post based on my personal experiences with the Jalan Jalan project, which involves planning and interacting with seniors. In a span of close to 2 years, this project coincided with a life-changing event—the sudden loss of my father. Since then, Jalan Jalan has become more than just a project; it has forced me to reconsider my role in the lives of the seniors I cherish.
In this post, I would like to begin each paragraph with a short expression from different seniors. These expressions are selected as I believe therein lies an undercurrent that has value in unpacking. I hope these nuggets of wisdom can shed some light on the blindspots you may have while on the health journey with the seniors dear to you.
I've encountered this expression multiple times, from seniors in the Jalan Jalan project and some of my relatives. During a session at Nanyang Technological University, after a snack break, seniors were asked to take a 10 to 15-minute walk to the School of Art, Design and Media. After a downpour, the walkways were slippery, and humidity rose as the scorching sun emerged. A handful of seniors grew restless.
As we encouraged the seniors to move slowly, one participant with a walking stick remarked, “Next time when you are my age, then you will know already!” Beyond annoyance, her voice carried a sense of helplessness and frustration. Perhaps the mobility challenges reminded her of how her body used to be and how it has changed over the years.
This moment made me reflect: a senior's reluctance to partake in physical activity may stem from a subconscious fear of disappointing themselves with their physical capabilities and facing the irreversible loss of youth. Preferring a sedentary lifestyle might be an easy way to avoid confronting these uncomfortable emotions.
In situations like these, how can we better encourage our seniors to progressively embrace discomfort, and build physical strength, endurance, and balance, to gain more control over their bodies? Most importantly, how can we convey the essential role that experiencing unpleasant feelings plays in the journey toward better health?
This is what my uncle said when I invited him to join an intertidal walk at Changi Beach. In our daily lives, we might have heard or made such comments like, “There’s no need to visit this place; I already know everything,” or “What’s there to read about? These things are so simple and I’ve lived long enough to know them.” These seemingly casual statements can stifle one’s sense of curiosity in insidious ways.
Maintaining a sense of wonder and curiosity about the world can propel us to learn and seek understanding through interactions with people, visiting new places, and immersing in new experiences.
For instance, while guiding a group of seniors who work as cleaners in Hong Kong through the Bedok trail, it was evident that they were eager to learn. They approached the waste collection point without hesitation and eagerly interacted with the migrant workers. They were genuinely interested in understanding how the waste collection vehicle operates, how waste is organised, and what measures are taken to keep the collection point environment clean—a stark contrast to some senior participants encountered in other sessions. Being enthusiastic about what the world can offer can lead to increased daily activity, meaningful conversations through engaging questions, and delightful moments of learning new things.
After all, if all is known, what more is there to learn and discover? Thankfully, to be all-knowing is a rather impossible feat.
One senior shared: “My husband and I don’t really talk much. We can spend hours at home with him watching documentaries while I do my own things, and we don’t go out too. He is in a wheelchair, and I have initiated that I can push him around so we can go somewhere nearby for meals together, but he refuses. Sometimes, I hope he can care for me a little more.”
This senior often brought chips with high sodium content and frozen carbonated drinks (which she would let melt slowly throughout the day to keep them cold) to enjoy. When asked why she preferred these foods, she explained briefly that she cooks at home for both herself and her husband, but she doesn’t see the point in taking care of herself.
Food can be a source of motivation, a coping mechanism for stress, or a reward after a long and hard day. Food can also be all of the above. This particular instance made me reflect on our relationships with food and how it often becomes a convenient way to seek temporary comfort and pleasure through familiar tastes, “helping” to power through the unhappy or challenging moments in our daily lives. (That may be why eating large amounts of ice cream is often associated with breakups…hmm…)
Habits formed to cope with life’s stressors come in many forms, and food is often a convenient choice for comfort. I’ve started to see that food choices may reflect a psychological state rather than a conscious and intentional decision to be healthy or unhealthy. The next time you notice someone making a questionable food choice, consider taking a step back to ask, “What stressor or event might they be trying to soothe themselves from?” instead of simply advising them to “Eat less sugar, salt, and saturated fat.”
A common expression across different age groups—essentially meaning "YOLO"—often feels the most relatable. This surfaced during a conversation with a friend who mentioned that her father embraces this mindset. Frequently, we say things like, “Eat less oily food so that you can be healthy” or “Don’t eat so much salty and fried food, very unhealthy,” assuming the person doesn’t already know this. But how likely is it that someone heard this advice for the first time?
When hearing this mindset, questions that come to mind include: “Why doesn’t the individual want to be healthy? Is there nothing worth staying healthy or living a long life for?” From a senior’s perspective, after fulfilling responsibilities like raising children or retiring from work, there might be a sense of having no further purpose for continuing to live for many more years.
With their contributions no longer needed by their children or the workforce, they may feel like they are done for “life” (not for the day). Finding a meaningful reason to extend one’s life can be challenging, and there’s no right answer. Perhaps we can start by letting the seniors we care for know how much their presence matters and how their long and healthy life enriches ours even more.
Sustaining comprehensive well-being—social, mental, and physical—for our ageing population requires effort on all fronts. That said, we can start the ball rolling by focusing on the seniors we love and care for. Since we will one day become seniors, now is the right time to consider our future years.
I’d like to end this post with a reflection shared by a senior after an intertidal walk: “Hope to share such activities with older friends and relatives. Wished I knew the importance and had encouraged my parents when they were alive. Ah well, we can't look back, but we can do well to learn from the past.”
Let’s do what we can for the ones we care about so that when we look back, our fond memories will outweigh any regrets. I look forward to continuing our meaningful work of Jalan Jalan.
Feel free to read through the Jalan Jalan consolidated report to learn more about the outcomes we’ve achieved. Download our FREE digital guidebooks from our 2-year Jalan Jalan project to organise an outing with the seniors you love. ❤️
If you find value in what we’ve done throughout the past 1 to 2 years, we’d love to connect with you to explore ways to continue and expand this project. Reach out to us via our team email at team@greennudge.sg!
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