Seniors enjoy a festive afternoon of fun and games

Singapore

TSMP Law Corporation (TSMP) spread the festive cheer by holding a Christmas party for around 200 residents at St Theresa's Home on Dec 17.

The party saw the residents, together with 40 staff members from TSMP, participating in activities that included games and art.

One of the activities was Passing the Parcel, where a bundle of 10 gifts wrapped up in successive layers of bright wrapping paper were passed around by the residents while Christmas-themed music was played.

The resident holding the parcel when the music stopped playing got to unwrap one layer and keep that gift. The game continue until all the layers were unwrapped.

The staff from TSMP also made festive-themed art using string and pegs, which gave them an opportunity to interact more with the residents. They also visited bedridden residents in their wards, chatting with them and giving them goodie bags.

The party ended with a buffet lunch, which included a live noodle cooking station and a sing-along session where Christmas carols and other old favourites such as Silent Night and Feliz Navidad were belted out.

"It is heartwarming indeed to see the elderly at St Theresa's Home celebrate life so joyously during this festive season, and we are honoured to have had enjoyed the company of the lovely residents who took time to share with us a wealth of stories and life lessons as well," said TSMP partner Ian Lim, who is in charge of the firm's Community Programmes.

TSMP decided to partner with St Theresa's Home after finding out about it through its internal community network and recognising it as a charity that is under-funded.

Licensed by the Ministry of Health, St Theresa's Home is a nursing home under the Catholic Welfare Services, an independent charity that serves the needy in Singapore.

Most of its residents were discharged from restructured hospitals.TSMP planned and organised the party to fulfil the desire of many Home's residents to take part in festivities during the holiday period.

As part of a charity initiative under its Handprint community outreach programme, TSMP organises and participates in two community charity events a year.

Previous charity events it has organised include a digital clinic outing to Kallang Wave Mall for seniors from Tembusu Senior Activity Centre and a educational trail around the Civic District of Singapore for socially disadvantaged children and youths, in partnership with non-profit organisation Tasek Jurong Limited.

When asked if TSMP hopes to expand into other areas for its community outreach programme, Mr Lim said that the law firm intends to continue with their three core areas of focus - at-risk children and youth, foreign migrant workers and the elderly.

"There's much more to be done in these areas, and we are very much looking forward to do so in the coming years," he said.