Direct Life Education partners Care Corner Seniors Services to launch new community initiative to help seniors leave a legacy through life stories

SINGAPORE, Oct. 26, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Direct Life Education, the education and advisory arm of Direct Funeral Services (DFS), partners Care Corner Seniors Services to launch My Story, My Life, a new free community initiative designed to help seniors reflect on their lives, capture meaningful memories and stories, and create a starting point for difficult end-of-life conversations with their loved ones.

The initiative was officially marked at the participant appreciation ceremony following the pilot run held at Toa Payoh West Community Club earlier this month, on 3 and 10 October. Mr Cai Yinzhou, Member of Parliament for Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC, graced the event. The appreciation ceremony also marked the official launch of Direct Life Education (DLE).

DLE aims to encourage a shift in how individuals approach conversations about death and remembrance, starting with a greater appreciation of the lives and experiences of the seniors around us. By creating opportunities for seniors to share their stories, reflect on their life journeys and preserve cherished memories, DLE hopes to strengthen intergenerational bonds and help people discover more about the seniors in their lives, beyond what they may already know. To make these opportunities accessible to more people in the community, all programmes under DLE are fully funded by DFS.

"Conversations around death are often difficult to start or viewed as taboo. I have seen how loved ones have struggled as they deal with grief, uncovering keepsakes and photos, showing a side of those who have passed they never knew, and realising it's too late to find out. Our My Story, My Life initiative reflects our broader mission to encourage meaningful conversations that help us learn more about one another's lives while we still can. We designed the keepsake journal to be simple, giving people a natural way to start conversations with their parents, grandparents, and even for the seniors themselves to initiate these chats. The ultimate goal is to make the journal available to all so that more families and individuals can celebrate the lives of their loved ones, and in time, take on more difficult conversations. Because we shouldn't ask a person how they want to leave before we have asked them how they lived," said Jenny Tay, Co-Founder of Direct Life Education and Managing Director of Direct Funeral Services. As Programme Lead, she also oversees all DLE initiatives.

About My Story, My Life

The flagship programme under Direct Life Education, My Story, My Life aims to reach 20,000 seniors by 2028. Following the successful pilot at one of Care Corner's Active Ageing Centres in Toa Payoh, there are plans to make the free programme available at other Care Corner Active Ageing Centres in Bishan-Toa Payoh.

Seniors from Care Corner Active Ageing Centre at Block 106 in Toa Payoh participated in the first pilot run of the initiative. They were guided through conversations and encouraged to look back on their lives, capture their stories, and start conversations with their loved ones about how they would like to be remembered. Located in one of Singapore's super-aged towns, where seniors aged 65 years and above make up close to a quarter of its residents, this centre proved a meaningful starting point.

My Story, My Life adds a complementary boost to existing national ageing-well initiatives such as Age Well Neighbourhoods, addressing the emotional, relational and legacy dimensions of ageing among seniors.

Ms Sharon Tang, Deputy Director of the Active Ageing Group at Care Corner Seniors Services, said: "At Care Corner, we believe in helping seniors age well, with dignity and a strong sense of connection to community. Our Active Ageing Centres hold space for them to share their journey of ageing with others and uplift one another through meaningful conversations in the process. We hope to help seniors look back on their lives and see that they are surrounded by people who care about them."

The seniors were guided through a keepsake journal, where they could recall and record their favourite things, songs and places they found meaningful and valuable life lessons. They could either write, draw, add photographs, or share their stories with the help of a trained volunteer. The journal, regardless of its completion, is meant to become a tangible keepsake for their loved ones.

SOURCE Direct Life Education