These included recent enhancements to the CARA app, which is now more accessible to those more comfortable with Mandarin.
Animated banter, vibrant stage setups, and nostalgic tunes are the mainstay of getai performances. Fusing this popular entertainment with important messages about living with dementia is the main aim of Dementia Singapore’s ongoing outreach initiative, aptly titled Back to the Heartlands.
Aimed at bringing greater awareness and support to a diverse demographic living in the more matured estates, where the more vulnerable reside, Dementia Singapore (DSG) staged its second Our Getai event on 27 January at the Eunos Cultural Centre on Bedok Reservoir Road, with well-loved personalities Hao Hao and Anna Lim hosting the two-hour-long programme.
A 300-strong crowd comprising a mix of elderly residents and young families from the neighbourhood began streaming steadily into the sheltered pavilion even before the start of the show at 7pm. Lured no doubt by the familiar songs, many had arrived for a little post-dinner entertainment and left with better awareness of dementia.
Also present was Adviser to Aljunied GRC Grassroots Organisations, Mr Chua Eng Leong, who encouraged the audience to take on a more active stance in understanding dementia and seeking professional advice if needed.
He affirmed: “We think using getai shows to spread awareness about dementia is perfect for the older residents as it is both entertaining and nostalgic for them. It also reaches out to our Chinese- and dialect-speaking residents, who may not have access to enough resources to learn about dementia.”
Midway into the show, Hao Hao and Anna demonstrated their diverse talents by addressing dementia-related topics through an engaging skit.
A familiar face at many of DSG’s outreach events, its Director of Advocacy & Communications, Bernard Lim, also got on stage to share what the team at Dementia Singapore has been working hard on.
After months of testing and debugging, the Mandarin version of the CARA app was finally ready, and Lim used the opportunity to affirm the importance of this development. He stressed how it augments the English version to bring the app’s critical features, such as Report Missing Person and Safe Return, to an extended community.
Lim went on reiterate the value of building such a community, highlighting how CARA – which stands for Community, Assurance, Rewards and Acceptance – is a free membership programme that serves as a platform to connect persons living with dementia and caregivers to an ecosystem of solutions.
The DSG team that was onsite to encourage the crowd to download the app and assist those who had questions about the features and how to utilise them effectively.
Since its first instalment in October last year, over 75,000 people have joined us for our getai performances, both in-person and online. And as reassuring as these numbers are, sustaining conversations about dementia remains key towards dismantling the stigma associated with the condition.
Stay updated on DSG’s latest programmes and outreach events by following our social media channels.
