NAFA and St Luke’s ElderCare Join Hands to Empower Seniors & Caregivers through the Arts

Singapore, 21 August 2025 – Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts (NAFA), University of the Arts Singapore (UAS) and St Luke’s ElderCare (SLEC) have formalised a new partnership aimed at enhancing eldercare through arts-based training for frontline staff with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on 21 August 2025, 10:00 AM at the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts campus.

This collaboration brings together expertise in arts education and eldercare to promote innovative approaches in engaging seniors and supporting their well-being.

Partnership Highlights

As part of this partnership, NAFA’s Centre for Lifelong Education (CLE) and SLEC will co-develop and deliver initiatives designed to equip eldercare professionals with creative skills to use the arts to engage seniors and enhance their well-being.

These include:

• Ageing Artfully Conference — An annual platform that brings together artists, health professionals, community care partners and experts in ageing and wellness to explore how the arts can serve as a powerful medium for improving seniors’ lives. The conference will showcase how artistic engagement, spanning music, dance, painting, drama and storytelling, can foster emotional well-being, cognitive health, social bonds, and a renewed sense of purpose in seniors. Participants will gain insights into how creative practices can promote holistic ageing and be integrated into daily eldercare routines.

• Arts-based Training for Caregivers — Two programmes will be offered:
  • • Kampong Chempedak: A Drama-Based Programme for Seniors — This course trains caregivers to facilitate engaging drama workshops for seniors, including dynamic warm-ups, basic acting techniques (voice, movement, expression) and guidance through a specially designed kampong-themed script. Participants will learn to organise simple performances in English or Chinese dialects that encourage seniors’ creativity, emotional expression and social connections.
    • Pasar Malam!: Using Nostalgic Items to Tell Stories — This course equips caregivers to use nostalgic objects and simple storytelling frameworks to guide memory-sharing activities and group performances. Participants will gain skills in interactive storytelling, adaptive techniques for seniors with diverse abilities, and ways to foster self-expression, joyful engagement and social bonding through shared memories.

Supporting Lifelong Learning in Eldercare

The partnership builds on NAFA CLE’s commitment to lifelong learning and its ongoing efforts to offer arts-enriched programmes that promote healthy ageing. Through a range of creative courses and community initiatives, NAFA CLE aims to provide seniors and their caregivers with meaningful opportunities to grow and connect with society.

“We are pleased to collaborate with St Luke’s ElderCare to bring the transformative power of the arts into the eldercare sector. This partnership reflects our shared vision of supporting seniors in living vibrant, connected lives through creative expression. Our students have previously engaged seniors at SLEC’s Senior Care Centre @ One Punggol through musical activities on a yearly basis since 2023. We look forward to building on these shared experiences to elevate arts-based eldercare in Singapore.” said NAFA President, Mrs Tan-Soh Wai Lan

“This collaboration with NAFA allows us to reimagine eldercare through creativity, while also fostering intergenerational connection between seniors and the young. Artistic expression has the power to inspire, enhance the well-being of seniors, and bring joy to the ageing journey. We believe this partnership will enrich the lives of both seniors and youths through the arts, build intergenerational bonds and shape a future where everyone can continue to learn, grow, and thrive meaningfully,” said SLEC CEO, Adj A/Prof (Dr) Kenny Tan.

The signing of this MOU lays the groundwork for future collaborations, including a detailed Memorandum of Agreement for the upcoming Ageing Artfully conference to be held on 15 November 2025.