Madam Ratnam Periowsamy began volunteering as a student and gave free tuition to needy children. -- ST PHOTO: JASON QUAH
SINGAPORE (The Straits Times/ANN): Madam Ratnam Periowsamy, who turns 90 in March, is still knocking on doors, checking in on neighbours and organising activities for seniors in her Toa Payoh estate.
She is the oldest volunteer with Care Corner Singapore’s Project Neighbour Network, which trains seniors to befriend and support their vulnerable elderly neighbours.
Madam Periowsamy, who began volunteering as a student and gave free tuition to needy children, said volunteering has always been close to her heart.
Besides, the widow does not want to spend her days at home doing nothing. The retired teacher at an after-school care centre has five children and six grandchildren. She lives with her youngest son, who is 60, and his family.
“I find it fun,” she said. “It gives me a chance to go out and meet people.”
She continues to volunteer despite a fall in 2023 that left her with a hip fracture. Now, she goes out with a walking stick.
Apart from needing some support with walking, the sprightly senior describes her health as “perfect”.
As a “ranger” in the Project Neighbour Network, she pairs up with another volunteer to go knocking on doors at least once or twice a month, inviting neighbours to join activities run by Care Corner’s Active Ageing Centre (AAC) in Toa Payoh East.
The volunteers are called “rangers”, which is a nod to their familiarity with the neighbourhood and the residents they look out for.
“Seniors, like children, have moods,” she said. “Some wouldn’t open the door, while others just say they don’t want to join.
“We have to visit them many times before some of them will join (the activities). We have to be very patient, listen to them and not expect any reward.”
Once, an elderly man vented his frustrations at life for an hour the first time she knocked on his door. Standing outside his flat, she listened patiently as he ranted.
When she returned for another visit, his attitude softened. Over time, he began joining some of the outings and activities organised by the AAC.
Twice a month, she helps to organise games and other activities at void decks for seniors living in the block, bringing programmes closer to those who may be reluctant to travel to the AAC, but are willing to go downstairs to take part in them.
Mr Andrew Lee, assistant manager at Care Corner Senior Services, said Project Neighbour Network encourages seniors to look out for their elderly neighbours, especially those who live alone or are frail.
“Instead of expecting them to come to us, we felt we should reach out to them,” he said.
The project began in 2023 at the AAC in Block 261A Toa Payoh East with just seven volunteers, including Madam Periowsamy.
Since 2025, it has been expanded to all nine AACs run by Care Corner in Toa Payoh and Woodlands. About 80 volunteers aged 60 and older have been trained so far.
In one case, an elderly woman confided in a volunteer, after several visits, that she had been contemplating suicide because of conflict at home. The volunteer alerted Care Corner, which arranged for a counsellor to intervene.
Mr Lee said the woman is now in a better mental state after receiving counselling.
The project has also grown to include initiatives such as DIY Partners, where a group of male seniors help with simple repairs, such as fixing the wheelchairs of other seniors and carrying out minor plumbing jobs.
Care Corner’s Project Neighbour Network comes as more elderly Singaporeans live alone, and the Republic is expected to become a super-aged society in 2026 when 21 per cent or more of the population is aged 65 and older.
In Parliament in October 2025, Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said there were about 87,000 residents aged 65 and older who were living alone in 2024.
This is a 50 per cent jump from the 58,000 such seniors who lived alone in 2018, going by figures from another parliamentary reply.
As a volunteer, Madam Periowsamy offers a listening ear. What many seniors want is someone who would listen to them, she said.
For example, a neighbour often knocks on her door at various times of the day and night just to talk.
She said: “The humanity in me makes me do volunteer work. I have a very loving family, but there are families with issues.
“If you have enough, such as knowledge, why not share it with others who don’t have enough?” -- The Straits Times/Asia News Network
