Ageing well in the community: Using time-banking to promote social capital for mutual help and healthy ageing

Community Engagement as a Public Policy Imperative in Caregiving Research

Professor Terry Lum
Henry G. Leong Professor in Social Work and Administration, The University of Hong Kong

Associate Professor Nathan Boucher
Associate Professor of Medicine, Nursing and Public Policy, Duke University

Professor Terry Lum is a renowned expert in long-term care, productive ageing, and geriatric mental health. As the Henry G. Leong Professor at The University of Hong Kong, he has advised the Hong Kong Government on major ageing policies, including long-term care assessment systems, community care voucher schemes, innovative support for caregivers, and a stepped-care model for mental health.

Professor Lum leads pioneering projects such as the HKJC JoyAge and Age Friendly City initiatives, and serves on two WHO committees on healthy ageing and long-term care, and is a commissioner of the Lancet Commission on Long Term Care. A Fellow of the Gerontological Society of America and recipient of the Career Leadership Award in Social Work Gerontology, Professor Lum’s work extends across academic, policy, and community spheres to address the evolving challenges of an ageing society.

Associate Professor Nathan Boucher is an expert in assessing patient and caregiver experiences during serious illness. As a Research Scientist with US Veterans Administration Health Systems Research and faculty at Duke University, he specialises in both qualitative and intervention research at the intersection of social care and healthcare for populations in need.


Dr. Boucher leads projects to support family caregivers and older adults—including those assisting older adults re-entering the community from prison—and develops innovative interventions for families living with dementia and other serious illness. Dr. Boucher’s multidisciplinary perspective bridges clinical practice, health/social policy, and community engagement to drive meaningful advances in health and social supports for older adults.

Professor John Wong Eu-Li

• Isabel Chan Professor in Medical Sciences
• Executive Director, Centre for Population Health, National University of Singapore
• Senior Advisor, National University Health System

Professor Elaine Ho

• Vice Dean, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences Research Division
• Research Leader, Migration and Mobilities Cluster, Asia Research Institute
• Professor, National University of Singapore, Geography

PROFESSOR JOHN EU-LI WONG is the Isabel Chan Professor in Medical Sciences, Executive Director, Center for Population Health, National University of Singapore; Senior Advisor, National University Health System, Singapore. He is an elected member of the Academia Europaea, and an international member of the U.S. National Academy of Medicine, where he co-chaired an international commission which published the consensus report on a Global Roadmap for Healthy Longevity. He is currently a Commissioner, Lancet Commission on 21st Century Global Health Threats. He was the recipient of the David Rall Medal, US National Academy of Medicine, received the degree of Doctor Philosophiae Honoris Causa, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and from Singapore, the President’s Science & Technology Medal and the Public Administration Medal (Gold), among other awards.

PROFESSOR ELAINE HO is a human geographer whose research focuses on the social and spatial dimensions of ageing. She led the project “Ageing and Social Networks: Mapping the Lifeworlds of Older Singaporeans,” which integrates social network analysis, qualitative methods, and Geographic Information Science (GIS). She also headed the Transnational Relations, Ageing and Care Ethics (TRACE) project, exploring global care circulations such as grandparenting migration and retirement migration. With a co-investigator from the National University Health Systems, she is currently completing a project on the community participation and recovery experiences of post-ICU discharged older adults. Professor Ho’s work contributes to ageing and social network theories, advances qualitative GIS methods, and rethinks care ethics in transnational contexts.

Dr Lily Yeo

• Head, Active Ageing Centres, NTUC Health

Ms Tan Zhi Xu

• Director, Successful Ageing, Ageing Population Office, Ministry of Health (Singapore)

DR. LILY YEO heads NTUC Health’s Active Ageing Centres, Singapore’s largest network supporting seniors to age well. She spearheads strategic growth and service transformation, shaping inclusive and engaging community spaces for ageing. With a PhD in Chemistry and an MSc in Applied Gerontology, Dr. Lily brings over 20 years of leadership across corporate R&D, sales, and social innovation. Passionate about community well-being, she contributes to national initiatives in innovation, digitalisation, and healthy ageing, creating meaningful impact for seniors and society.

MS TAN ZHI XU is the Director of Successful Ageing at the Ageing Planning Office (APO) in Singapore’s Ministry of Health, where she leads whole-of-government efforts to shape national strategies that harness the opportunities of an ageing population. Her portfolio includes the development of residential care infrastructure, housing-cum-care models to support ageing in place, active ageing initiatives, senior outreach, and the coordination of national approaches to age-related conditions. She also oversees ageing-related research and innovation.

Her cross-sector experience in strategic planning and industry development informs her current work in building integrated, forward-looking systems of care and support for Singapore’s ageing population.

Dr Ad Maulod

• Principal Research Scientist, Centre for Ageing Research & Education (CARE), Duke-NUS Medical School

DR. AD MAULOD specializes in critical gerontology and leads a team of qualitative researchers using culture-centred approaches to interrogate intersections between culture, health and ageing. His primary focus is applied research, particularly ethnographic and evaluation studies examining older persons’ experiences with community health and social services, identifying needs and determinants of healthy ageing and co-developing solutions to improve care and quality of life for vulnerable elders. He has led several research grants, completed over 13 studies spanning different topics of ageing and health, and conducted over 800 in-depth interviews with older persons. Ad believes in the wisdom and empowerment of our elders by amplifying their stories and advocating for an inclusive and compassionate society for all-ages. He is invested in advancing research and the development of policies and community-based care models promoting health equity, purposeful ageing, and community empowerment for older persons.