Lions Befrienders and Great Eastern partner to help seniors stay connected and age well
- Up to 2,000 seniors to stay socially connected and supported through tele-befriending efforts, reinforced by activities in the neighbourhood
- Close to 1,000 Great Eastern volunteers to provide regular engagement and companionship
- Educational programmes in the pipeline to empower healthier ageing among seniors
Singapore, 8 October 2026 – As Singapore officially enters "super-aged" status with more than one in five citizens aged 65 and above, Lions Befrienders and Great Eastern today inked a strategic partnership agreement to bolster national efforts in keeping Singapore’s seniors socially engaged and ageing well in communities.
Loneliness and psychological distress amongst seniors living alone remain a matter of national concern. According to the Singapore Department of Statistics, the number of one-person households amongst those aged 65 and above has more than doubled from 2014 to 2025, growing from 42,100 to 88,369 households. An earlier study by the Duke-NUS Centre for Ageing Research and Education in 2018 also found that older adults aged 60 living alone were 100% more likely to report depressive symptoms than those who did not live alone.
To address this, the strategic partnership will see Lions Befrienders combine their community experience with close to 1,000 Great Eastern’s people resources to provide seniors with more opportunities for social engagement and active participation in community life. Additionally, there will be joint education efforts to empower seniors with the right knowledge to make positive informed choices that help them age well.
Ms Karen Wee, Executive Director of Lions Befrienders, said: “Behind the statistics of single-senior households are real individuals who often go days without speaking to another person. Loneliness takes a profound toll on physical and mental health, but regular touchpoints can change everything. Having Great Eastern’s people step forward—both through calls and on the ground across our Active Ageing Centres—creates a lifeline of warmth and trust. Together with practical education that helps seniors navigate their daily health, this collaboration ensures our older adults never have to feel that they are facing the ageing journey alone.”
Ms Kwek-Perroy Li Choo, Managing Director and Chair of Community and Culture Taskforce, Great Eastern, said: “Singapore’s efforts to help people age well requires sustained human effort on the ground. Keeping seniors socially engaged and healthy takes people who show up, listen and build relationships over time. We have teams of people who are used to starting conversations, listening with empathy and building connection over time, and we thought we can very well put our skills to good use beyond business. At Great Eastern, a lot of our customers age with us, and as we help young Singaporeans protect their futures, supporting our seniors to live well and stay connected is a role we are willing to take up too. We will play our part in supporting people in Singapore stay resilient through every phase of life, starting with a simple “How are you today?”.
A Catalyst for Systems Change: Corporate-Community Synergy
The agreement underscores a shared commitment to engage up to 2,000 seniors in the following areas:
- Building Meaningful Connections Through Tele-Befriending
Great Eastern volunteers will reach out regularly to vulnerable seniors through tele-befriending, offering a listening ear, emotional support, and companionship. Through these conversations, volunteers will help seniors stay socially connected, cared for, and supported in their daily lives.
- Adopting Three Active Ageing Centres to Strengthen Community Connection
Great Eastern volunteers will work closely with community partners to reconnect socially isolated seniors with activities, services, and support networks in their neighbourhoods. The initiative will also bring seniors and residents together through large-scale community events and social activities across three adopted Active Ageing Centres (AACs): Ghim Moh 18, Mei Ling 170, and Tampines 499, beginning with Tampines 499. - Education for healthier ageing
Great Eastern will support Lions Befrienders in making practical information around ageing well and meaningfully more accessible and engaging for senior communities, equipping them to make informed choices that help them remain healthy, active and socially connected .
Media Contacts
Christopher Daguimol
Head, Brand & Strategic Communications
Email: press@lb.org.sg
Malvin Chua
Group Corporate Communications and CSR
Email: Corpcomms-sg@greateasternlife.com
Yeo Hui Hui
Executive, Brand & Strategic Communications
Email: press@lb.org.sg
About Lions Befrienders Service Association (Singapore)
Established in 1995, Lions Befrienders Service Association (Singapore) [LBSA] is a social service agency dedicated to providing holistic care and support to help seniors age healthily in place through community participation, enabling them to enjoy purposeful and meaningful lives. Supported by nearly 1,000 regular volunteers, LBSA engages close to 13,000 seniors through a spectrum of integrated eldercare services that address their social, emotional, mental, physical, and spiritual needs. LBSA currently operates 11 Active Ageing Centres, two Community Case Management Services regions (East & West), enhanced Home Personal Care (HPC+) services across Queenstown, Clementi, and Tampines, alongside counselling programs that reach out to socially isolated seniors.
About Great Eastern
Founded in 1908, Great Eastern is a well-established market leader and trusted brand in Singapore and Malaysia. With over S$123 billion in assets and more than 16 million policyholders, including 11.7 million from government schemes, it provides insurance solutions to customers through multiple distribution channels – a tied agency force, bancassurance, direct digital, digital partnerships and financial advisory firm Great Eastern Financial Advisers. The Group also operates in Indonesia and Brunei.
The Great Eastern Life Assurance Company Limited and Great Eastern General Insurance Limited have been assigned the financial strength ratings of "AA" by Fitch Ratings and "AA-" by S&P Global Ratings, one of the highest among Asian life insurance companies. Great Eastern's asset management subsidiary, Lion Global Investors Limited, is one of the leading asset management companies in Southeast Asia.
Great Eastern is a subsidiary of OCBC, the longest established Singapore bank, formed in 1932. It is the second largest financial services group in Southeast Asia by assets and one of the world’s most highly-rated banks, with an Aa1 rating from Moody’s and AA- by both Fitch and S&P. Recognised for its financial strength and stability, OCBC is consistently ranked among the World’s Top 50 Safest Banks by Global Finance and has been named Best Managed Bank in Singapore by The Asian Banker.
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