PSSA 2007 - Formal Group/ Non-Profit/ Public Sector Organisation Award Winner

Institute of Technical Education

From 2000 to 2007, 4,000 students and 200 staff from the Institute of Technical Education (ITE) volunteered their skills and knowledge to create safer homes for the elderly and people with disability. The SAFE Home programme started as a collaborative project between South West Community Development Council (CDC) and ITE College West in August 2000, targeting senior citizens and handicapped individuals staying in one- or two-room flats. Since then, 2,611 households and 4,500 senior citizens in 25 HDB estates across Singapore have benefited from the programme.

Since its inception in 2000 when only ITE College West (Balestier Campus) participated, the programme has now expanded to include staff and students from all the other ITE campuses. The number of safety features has also increased from two to 13 through a continued enhancement programme. Some of the features are: installation of grab bar in the bathroom, installation of wireless doorbell, installation of fire extinguishers and first-aid kits, and changing of kitchen sink tap head from rotating tap to lever.

The ITE students who are selected for the programme will attend special training camps to learn more about the skills required for installing the safety features, and to understand the special needs of the elderly and people with disabilities.

The SAFE Home programme has provided an opportunity for students to apply technical skills and knowledge acquired during their ITE training to help the needy in the community. With the newly installed safety features, residents are able to move around with greater ease and comfort. More importantly, the safety features reduce the likelihood of home accidents.

The installation jobs are customised to the residents' needs. For example, when fixing a grab bar at the toilet, the height of the bar will be adjusted to make it user-friendly. The ITE volunteers will carry out a needs assessment of the resident before proceeding with repairs to make the house more elderly- and disabled-friendly. Beside the installation sessions, students also visit the flat regularly, and if necessary, will carry out minor repair works such as changing of shower hose, repair of electrical appliances and clean the flats.

The SAFE Home programme is indeed an innovative, hands-on project that has benefited not only the residents, but the students as well. Through this programme, it has meaningfully engaged and developed the students to be socially responsible and active individuals in the community they live in.

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