The Taguig City government on Monday inaugurated a new facility where more than 60,000 senior citizens in the city can enjoy massage, yoga, ballroom dancing, swimming, and other activities to relax safely—all free of charge.
Considered the first of its kind in the country, the five-story Center for the Elderly features a therapy pool, sauna, massage area, gym, yoga and ballroom space, multipurpose halls, PWD-friendly comfort rooms, conference rooms, offices, a pantry, and an elevator.
The wellness hub is located along Ipil-Ipil Street in Barangay North Signal village.
“We are a ‘probinsyudad,’ and that means we don’t leave our values behind even as we aim high,” said Mayor Laarni Cayetano, explaining the purpose of the Center for the Elderly.
“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, build their circles,” the mayor added.
The building was designed with facilities for senior citizens’ meetings, casual gatherings, and days off from grandpa and grandma duties at home.
The first floor features a therapy pool, where seniors can do exercises for pain relief, improved balance, and strength and flexibility. Also on the same level are a conference room, offices, clinic, pantry, and restrooms for persons with disabilities.
The second floor sports a massage room and two saunas. Seniors can get their groove on in the ballroom, which can also double as a yoga room and gym. A waiting lounge can also be a place where seniors can read or just relax.
The third and fourth floors are multipurpose halls. It can be repurposed for town hall events but, on regular days, has loads of boardgames, such as all-time favorites chess and Scrabble. The great lighting makes it an ideal place for knitting and a host of other crafts fancied by those passing the time—or selfies, for the more contemporary lolos and lolas.
The fifth floor has a cinema with cozy couches, for the enthusiasts of the silver screen. The exit opens into the rooftop garden that makes one appreciate life in the “probinsyudad.”
The building has ramps for those coming in wheelchairs. Stairs connect the floors, but an elevator is on hand for those with mobility challenges.
The center is manned by friendly and hospitable staff eager to serve their elderly clients. A clinic is also manned with medical personnel to respond to the needs of the elderly.
The services come at no cost to the senior citizens of Taguig. City buses and coasters even carry them for free to and from the Center, the mayor noted.
“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,” said Cayetano.
In Taguig, senior citizens receive a yearly birthday cash gift of P3,000 to P10,000 depending on their age. They also get P100,000 when they reach the age of 100 and receive the same amount yearly as long as they live.
They also get free vaccination, prescription eyeglasses, dentures and dental services and movies. Maintenance medicines for asthma, hypertension and diabetes are delivered straight to their homes.
Seniors are also one of the most visited sector of the city’s pioneering program called Home Health, which is composed of nurses and physical therapists who visit debilitated patients in their homes and teach family members how to take care of their loved ones.
