Cheng San-Seletar is home to a large number of seniors. TSMP is partnering with Cheng San Community Club (CC) to befriend the seniors, whose age makes them particularly vulnerable to COVID-19, and accompany them to get their vaccinations at Hougang Community Club and Teck Ghee Community Club. Seniors with such needs were identified during house visits and other means, including personal appeals to the Member of Parliament. Nadia Ahmad Samdin, the newly minted Member of Parliament for Cheng San-Seletar constituency, is a TSMP alumnus. 

Over three days (covering both vaccination visits), around 70 volunteers from TSMP Law Corporation will meet the seniors at designated locations near their homes and accompany them to the vaccination centres in transportation arranged by Cheng San CC, including for those in wheelchairs. Each volunteer is assigned to a senior and will accompany the senior for both vaccination visits, to provide them with cheer and support. After the vaccination process, the seniors were escorted to the pick-up points, where a surprise goody bag comprising fresh fruits and nuts awaited them.

Many seniors were understandably anxious about the vaccination process and side effects, including the effectiveness of the vaccines and whether those with pre-existing medical conditions could be vaccinated. These questions were tackled by the TSMP volunteers, who had been briefed earlier by staff of Cheng San CC. The seniors expressed their gratitude for the programme, with one senior noting that the event “was very well organised”, and another saying, “thank you for taking care of us.”

Said Nadia Ahmad Samdin, Member of Parliament for Cheng San-Seletar in the Ang Mo Kio Group Representation Constituency: “In the past few months, our Cheng San CC staff and volunteers on the ground have carried out extensive house visits to ensure that seniors in Cheng San-Seletar have access to accurate information about the COVID-19 vaccine programme. We are very grateful that TSMP Law Corporation lawyers and staff have now come forward to befriend and accompany our seniors, and address their queries. It makes such a difference to our seniors who live alone or face mobility challenges, and I deeply appreciate TSMP’s longstanding partnership with the community.”

This event follows TSMP Law Corporation’s previous initiative in February 2020 (just before COVID-19 sent Singapore into its Circuit Breaker period) where, within a week, TSMP sponsored and its staff hand-packed 1,000 personal care packs for Singapore General Hospital’s frontline staff to thank them for their tireless work in keeping the nation healthy and safe.

Said June Ho, TSMP’s head of community services: “With safe distancing measures still in place, we are unable to hold our usual large in-person community outreach programmes. We always try to tailor our charity events for the needs of the community so when it was announced that the government was rolling out vaccinations first for the elderly, we knew that this is how we could help. It is a privilege for us to buddy the seniors, especially those who are isolated or have disabilities, for their vaccination appointments.”