Nursing homes bring Chinese New Year cheer to seniors with lion dances, festive feasts
Some see around nine in 10 seniors expected to remain in care over the festive period.
A lion dance performance is a key highlight for residents at a nursing home every Chinese New Year.
This audio is generated by an AI tool.
SINGAPORE: Lion dance performances, traditional dishes and even shopping trips for new clothes.
Nursing homes in Singapore are stepping up efforts to help residents usher in Chinese New Year, as some see around nine in 10 seniors expected to remain in care over the festive period that began on Tuesday (Feb 17).
BRINGING FESTIVE CHEER
For more than 270 residents at NTUC Health Nursing Home in Jurong West, a lion dance performance is a key highlight of the year.
It is part of the home’s efforts to ensure residents do not miss out on Chinese New Year celebrations every year.
Other activities include visits by pre-school children who spend time with seniors, a “lo hei” session in line with the tradition of tossing yusheng — a raw fish salad — for good fortune, and a steamboat meal. These are also done across all of NTUC Health's nursing homes.
“The other thing about Chinese New Year is keeping to the tradition of new clothes,” said Ms Lian Shieh Yng, cluster director of the NTUC Health Nursing Home (Jurong West).
“We got our partners to sponsor clothes, and we even brought those who can go out to buy clothes, so that all of them have new clothes to wear on the day.”
Ms Lian said traditions play an important role in helping residents feel connected.
“Keeping to this tradition actually strengthens our residents' dignity, their identity, and we want to bring joy and the connectedness they have with this season as well as with the community,” she added.
“Not every resident can go home, so it is important for us to bring the festivity here … to let them know that they are remembered, they are loved and they are cared for in this place.
“We also encourage our family members to come to celebrate this season with them.”
PREPARING FESTIVE MEALS
Meanwhile at Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital's two nursing homes, a team of chefs carefully curated a festive menu of traditional dishes for residents.
Its compound along Serangoon Road currently has around 690 residents, with about nine in 10 residents expected to remain in care over the festive period.
Menu planning started months in advance to ensure residents who remain in care can still enjoy a festive treat.
These dishes include lion’s head meatballs and golden pear peach gum dessert, prepared to be suitable for the elderly.
Ms Jenny Lee, manager of food services at Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital, said they blend scallops into the meatballs so that residents can enjoy the taste of seafood, adding that this is done only during Chinese New Year.
It is her belief that residents should feel just as included as everyone else celebrating outside.
“I feel whatever we are enjoying outside, the residents should have, they should be eating, especially for festive seasons,” said Ms Lee, with 2026 marking her third year of doing so.
She added that while families are having reunion dinners, residents are having the same experience with dishes specially prepared for the occasion.
Such efforts are well appreciated by many seniors.
“The food contains prawns, the flavour is good,” said one resident. “There's soy sauce, there's also sesame oil. I've never eaten this before here.”
