Taguig opens one-stop health shop for seniors

HEALTHY DIP Taguig City’s newly opened wellness hub for senior citizens features a pool for therapy, relaxation or pain relief. —PHOTO COURTESY OF TAGUIG PIO

MANILA, Philippines — Taguig City is offering more and better pampering to its senior citizens starting this month when it opens the country’s pioneer wellness hub for the elderly.

The five-story Center for the Elderly on Ipil-Ipil Street at Barangay North Signal Village will be a place for them to relax and recharge for free.

Senior citizens in the city are already receiving an annual birthday cash gift of P3,000 to P10,000, depending on age. Upon reaching 100 years old, they will get P100,000 and every year thereafter for as long as they live.

They are also provided free vaccination, prescription glasses, dental services and free maintenance medicine delivered to their homes.

The center for the elderly has wheelchair ramps and elevators for easy mobility around the building, as well as a clinic for their emergency medical needs.

Therapy pool

On the ground floor is a therapy pool where they can dip and do exercises in the water to relieve pain and improve balance, strength and flexibility. Offices, a conference room, a pantry and restrooms that could also cater to persons with disabilities are also found there.

Seniors can get a massage and enjoy a sauna bath on the second floor. A ballroom on the same floor can be turned into a yoga room or a gym.

On the third and fourth floors are multipurpose halls for public events. On regular days, the halls serve as venues for chess, scrabble and other board games, where aficionados can show off their skills. Good lighting also makes the floors ideal for handcrafting activities.

‘Probinsyudad’

The fifth floor houses a cinema with cozy couches and a rooftop garden overlooking the “probinsyudad.”

“We are a probinsyudad, and that means we don’t leave our values behind even as we aim high. That means elders have an esteemed place in this city. This building is our way of reflecting that—a place where they can enjoy, pamper themselves, and build their circles,” said outgoing Mayor Lani Cayetano, who is running for the seat of Taguig’s second district in the House of Representatives.

The services come at no cost to the senior citizens. Buses and coasters take them to the building from the city center and back for free.

“It’s a small way of thanking the elderly for everything they contributed in their youth, and even now, to the progress of Taguig City. They deserve our respect and gratitude. We are merely giving back to them by giving them a safe space,” Cayetano said.