Age-Friendly Peer Support

Singapore’s workforce is ageing rapidly—1 in 4 citizens will be 65+ by 2030. For residents aged 55 to 64, the employment rate has increased to 70.4% in 2024. The employment rate for seniors aged 65 and over also increased to 31.7% (MOM, 2024).

Although senior employment rates are on the rise,, employees aged 60–74 are the least likely to seek mental-health support, leading to unaddressed distress, burnout and early retirement. Without targeted intervention, organisations face rising presenteeism, disengagement, turnover costs and increased healthcare utilisation. Industries likely to be impacted are: Administrative & Support Services, Food & Beverage Services, and Transportation & Storage (MOM, 2024).

To close these gaps, we propose a dual-track Peer-Support Training programme co-delivered by GeroPsych Consultants, MindsHeart LLP and Hope Worldwide Singapore:

1.     Workplace track:

• Foundations: 90-min seminar on ageing, stigma and empathetic listening
  
  
• Facilitator Training: equip 40 older employees to lead peer-support circles
  
  
• Train-the-Trainer: develop corporate champions to onboard new peer supporters
  
  

2.     Community track:

• Peer-Mentor Certification: train and certify 20 PMHCs as mentors/befrienders

• Community Circles: deliver one-to-one and small-group support to fellow PMHCs
  

This is Singapore’s first programme integrating geropsychology and peer support across workplace and community settings.

We co-design all modules with older employees, caregiver-colleagues and PMHC advisors through focus groups, pilot workshops and user-experience interviews. 

After each session, participants—both workplace peer supporters and community mentors—provide structured feedback via surveys and monthly reflection circles. 

Stakeholder check-ins (HR teams, SSA caseworkers) ensure ongoing relevance. 

By involving end users as co-creators, deliverers and evaluators, we foster deep ownership, cultural fit and sustained engagement across diverse corporate and community environments.

Our train-the-trainer and peer-mentor certification models transform participants from service consumers into service leaders. 

Corporate champions and PMHC mentors co-lead facilitation, curriculum adaptation and outreach, building self-efficacy and agency. 

Peer supporters master empathetic communication, early risk-spotting and self-care—skills extending beyond work. Community mentors actively recruit and guide fellow PMHCs, embedding lived-experience wisdom. 

This distributed leadership model embeds capacity within organisations and communities, ensuring sustainable delivery and scale long after seed funding ends.