Kopi & Loti with You

Kopi & Loti with You: How SKH Medical Social Workers Brought Healthcare to the Community

Find out how SKH is bringing healthcare out of the clinic and into the community – one cup of ‘kopi’ at a time.

What if the best place to talk about health wasn’t a clinic – but your neighbourhood Active Ageing Centre (AAC), over ‘kopi’ and ‘loti’?

That’s the idea behind ‘Kopi & Loti with You’, a community outreach initiative started by SKH’s Medical Social Workers (MSWs) in 2019. The programme was born from two important observations: a desire to improve the health literacy of residents living in rental flats near SKH, and a recognition that a growing number of older adults are living independently in Singapore’s ageing society. 

Meeting Seniors Where They Are

Before starting the ‘Kopi & Loti with You’ programme, the team conducted interviews and focus groups, spending time listening to residents living in Sengkang and Punggol to understand their health challenges.

They found that seniors want to stay healthy but prefer to get their health information in a more casual, familiar setting over a clinical lecture. From there, our MSWs worked together with other healthcare professionals at SKH to craft a series of educational activities for seniors attending the Active Ageing Centres (AACs) in these communities.

Hidden Impact of Living Alone

The need for this kind of outreach is backed by research. A survey of 528 older adults across 15 HDB blocks found that living independently in a public rental flat doubles an older adult’s risk of loneliness. 

Loneliness has a direct impact on physical health, with isolated seniors being more likely to skip meals, ignore symptoms, or lose the motivation to look after themselves. Without the nudge of a concerned family member, small health issues can go unnoticed until they become serious. 

This is what the ‘Kopi & Loti with You’ initiative was set up to address – not just by sharing health advice, but also building a sense of connection and community around it.

Kopi & Loti with a Bit of Heart

Sessions are held at AACs in the community once every two weeks. Each three-hour session brings together SKH healthcare professionals sharing practical health tips with seniors. Over the course of the programme, a diverse range of professionals has contributed, including audiologists, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, speech therapists, dietitians, pharmacists, podiatrists, wellbeing coordinators, and community nurses.

And yes — actual kopi and loti are served! That tea break is, by all accounts, the heart of the session.

Many participants used the sessions to ask questions and clarify health information, making them a valuable touchpoint beyond the talks themselves. After the tea break, the second half of each session is led by our MSWs who share information on social support resources and how participants can access help when they need it. 

Throughout these informal talks and interactive activities, the team ensures that sessions feel less like a health lecture, and more like catching up with friends.  

Small Conversations, Real Change

For many participants, the sessions have made a real difference.

For example: Understanding that muscle loss is an inevitable part of ageing and raises the risk of falls, our occupational therapist led a session on practical home safety tips seniors can take to reduce the risk. The results were immediate – one participant went home and replaced her worn-out non-slip mat, a simple change that could go a long way in preventing a serious fall.

Many participants also go on to share with their family and friends the advice they picked up, extending the reach of these conversations beyond the session itself. Word has spread too, with more seniors — including those who missed earlier sessions — now keen to join, having heard about it from neighbours.

These sessions also provide a safe space to talk about the things families often avoid, such as end-of-life care. As Singapore transitions into a super-aged society, conversations around death, dying, and end-of-life care are becoming increasingly important – yet they remain topics many sidestep.

Advance Care Planning (ACP), the process of documenting one's wishes for future medical care, is one way to start that conversation. It is not an easy one to have, but over a cup of kopi with friends, the topic feels less daunting. By normalising these discussions in a familiar setting, the programme also aims to encourage more seniors to take that step, so that their loved ones and doctors can honour their wishes if they are ever unable to speak for themselves.

One participant shared he is now far more open to ACP after attending the sessions: “Right now, it may not be helpful for me still, because I'm still independent. But as time goes on, all these health information and tips to stay healthy help us to improve our life, so I think it's a good programme to pick up!"