Brunei-Muara Senior Citizen Activity Centre

Status: Ongoing

Brunei Muara District Brunei Darussalam

Print this page City population: 3299007.3% over 60Practice started in 2013

Summary

Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Brunei Darussalam through the Community Development Department has established the first Senior Citizens Activity Centre (PKWE) in Brunei Muara on 12 March 2013. It acts as a community-based centre designed to provide space for older people to participate in social, educational and health-related activities while ensuring their wellbeing, active participation and quality of life are maintained.

The Brunei-Muara Senior Citizens Activity Centre serves as a platform to encourage social participation among older people, reduce social isolation and provide opportunities to remain active and productive. The Centre applies the concept of whole-of-nation and whole-of-society approach through a strategic partnership cooperation between government agencies, non-governmental organizations and local communities. It operates as a community support centre for all generations through its inclusive and intergenerational accessibility, including people with disabilities.

Activities conducted in the Brunei-Muara Senior Citizens Activity Centre are mostly focused on strengthening capacity building for older people such as religious, health, social, financial and technological skills. It also creates a conducive environment for senior citizens to socialise, engage and contribute in improving their quality of life.

Key facts

Main target group: Both younger and older people (i.e. intergenerational)

Sector(s): Education, Health

Other sector(s): Social, Welfare, Religious, Tourism, Arts and Handicrafts, Agriculture, Entrepreneurship, Technology

Desired outcome for older people:
Learn, grow and make decisions

Other issues the Age-friendly practice aims to address:

Ageism
Accessibility
Ageing in place
Dementia
Disasters and emergencies
Elder abuse
Healthy behaviours (e.g. physical activity)
Intergenerational activities
Inclusion
Participation
Technologies
Other

Other Issues: Religious, Culture

Contact details

Name: Awang Tarif, Siti Munawwarah

Email address: munawwarah.tarif@moh.gov.bn

Preferred language(s): English

Age-friendly practice in detail (click to expand):

Engaging the wider community

Project lead: Social or health care provider

Others involved in the project:

Local authorities
Civil Society Organisation
Older People’s Association
Volunteers
Private sector
Research institution

How collaboration worked: The collaboration within the Brunei-Muara Senior Citizens Activity Centre is built upon the ‘whole-of-nation’ approach through shared responsibility between the government, private sectors, non-governmental organisations, community and various partners. The Centre is designed to be a community hubs that connect older people with other population groups, including youth and women. It encourages intergenerational activities through social, arts and handicrafts, religious classes and participatory initiatives. The Centre also partners with various agencies particularly the Ministry of Health in health education and health promotion programmes, Ministry of Religious Affairs in religious classes, Ministry of Transport and Infocommunications in digital technology classes and many more. The Brunei-Muara Senior Citizens Activity Centre encourages public-private donations from individuals, private sectors or community groups through various charity activities especially during Ramadhan or Eid seasons.

Older people’s involvement: Older people were involved in the age-friendly practice at multiple or all stages

Details on older people’s involvement: The roles of older people in the Brunei-Muara Senior Citizens Activity Centre ranges from governance and community leadership to active participation and service. Selected older people are appointed as leaders and administrators to run the Centre itself and responsible for their members and the facility. Beyond the formal committee, older people are expected to contribute in sharing skills and knowledge , become mentors, advocators for healthy ageing and community representatives.

Moving forward

Has the impact of this age-friendly practice been analysed: No

Do you plan to evaluate your age-friendly practice? Yes

Expansion plans:
With the initial establishment of Senior Citizen Activity Centre in Brunei and Muara District on 12th March 2013, followed by in Tutong District on 10 July 2017 and in 2020, in Temburong District on 13 January and in Belait District on 19 February. The Senior Citizen Activity Centre has been expanded to other districts in Brunei Darussalam.

Looking back

Reflections:
Currently, the Brunei-Muara Senior Citizens Activity Centre is designed only for active and mobile older adults rather than focusing on those with mild disabilities who might need the most for socialisation and mobilisation. Hence, it would be necessary to introduce a buddy system, whereby a healthier members are assigned to assist frail members during their visits and encourage active participation.

Challenges:
One of the challenges faced was there were too many activities run by the Centre and causing a delayed in conducting few programmes and activities. It is important to prioritise and address the deeper issues of ageing such as loneliness, loss of purpose, digital divide, religious concerns and more, rather than churning through activities to fill up the time. It would be better to introduce a meaningful project for older people to do and to implement structured intergenerational mentorship where an older people is paired with a youth specifically to teach skill, giving the older people a sense of a teacher.