Singapore is training volunteers to befriend its loneliest elders

One in five Singaporeans is now 65 or older, and some are quietly slipping through the cracks. So the PAP Seniors Group has launched a one-year pilot that trains branch-volunteer teams to find socially isolated seniors across nine neighbourhoods — starting in Bedok, Kaki Bukit and Toa Payoh Central — befriend them, and connect them with healthcare and community services. A new customisable resource template with helplines and emergency contacts is launching alongside.