The view from singapore with British High Commissioner to ... - NUSS

and 45 Senior Activity Centres (SACs)
in mature estates populated with
elderly. The 10 nursing homes will
increase the existing number of beds
from 9,000 to 12,300. These facilities
will complement other community
services such as hospitals and clinics
and provide convenience to family
members. However, not every
Singaporean is appreciative of these
projects. Residents in Woodlands
were against the building of an elderly
day-care centre at the void decks of
two chosen blocks, fearing that it will
affect the value of their flat and bring
bad luck to their estate as a result of
more deaths.
“It is unfortunate but it is not
an isolated case. It is not just in
Singapore. We have an NGO partner
in Korea that wanted to have a
dementia service in their centre right
smack in the residential area. The
same residents also complained. They
are concerned about the value of
their house and that they are people
with dementia,” says Ms Harding,
who attributes their paranoia to
misconception. “They would not
affect the value of your house or do
something to harm you. We are more
harmful to them.”
These may seem to be petty
incidents but they shed light on
several areas. Media could alleviate
the situation by portraying the
elderly as assets and not a burden.
However, instead of blaming the
media, she thinks that people should
introspect about the kind of society
that they want. “Policy-wise, if
you want everybody to be caring
and to ensure every Singaporeans
will age successfully, then we have
to translate that into a supportive
environment for everybody.”
Our Government has always
championed family as a first line of
support for the elderly but signs of
declining familial support in Asia has
caused some policy makers to blame it
on westernisation and individualism,
according to the book, Population,
Resources and Development: Riding
the Age Waves. While elderly are now
encouraged to be self-reliant, Dr Yap
says that the policy is for them to
seek familial support first when they
need help. “The two are not mutually
exclusive,” she adds. One of the
priorities of the newly formed MSF
is to strengthen family bonds and to
create an environment that supports
family formation.*
Disease prevention
and social
participation are
among the key
factors of ageing
healthily. By 2016,
the step-down care
sectors will see
a boost with the
construction of 10
nursing homes, 21
Senior Care Centres
(SCCs) and 45 Senior
Activity Centres
(SACs) in mature
estates populated
with elderly.
cover story
Geriatric education has a part
to play to strengthen the soft
skills of Singaporeans and not just
the technical skills of healthcare
professionals. “A key component
of geriatric education is therefore
engaging and empowering
caregivers through the sharing of
knowledge and skills, so that they
can competently and confidently
provide continuity of care after the
patient has returned home, and
help keep the older persons fit for
community living,” says Associate
Professor Chin Jing Jih, Chairman,
Division of Integrative & Community
Care, Tan Tock Seng Hospital. “An
added advantage of empowering
and equipping the patient’s family,
especially the younger ones, is
that they themselves will be better
prepared for their senior years.”
Institutionalisation can wait
For Singaporeans to age in place,
geriatric care will have to move away
from the traditional focus on crisis
care in acute hospitals to ‘minimising
the risk of hospital admission
and delay institutionalisation of older
persons’. Therefore, a new model of
community healthcare and elderly
services has to be developed. The
Government has to increase the support
for caregivers and strengthen
family ties. Not only is there a need
to recruit more geriatricians but
to train them to be all-rounders to
understand the inter-relation between
multiple conditions in old people.
With the launch of the Institute
of Geriatrics and Active Ageing by
the National Healthcare Group,
Singapore is hopeful of meeting the
challenges of our ageing population.
The one-stop service centre at
Tan Tock Seng Hospital will allow
healthcare professionals to conduct
research in clinical, technology,
living environment and industrial
designs so as to improve the overall
elderly care with the aim to make
quality care more accessible and
affordable in Singapore. At the
end of the day, the goal is not to
surround our elderly with high-tech
equipment at the hospitals but with
their families.
*Referenced from http://app.msf.gov.sg/PressRoom/Morefacilitiestohelpseniorsageinplace.aspx
Jan-Mar 2013 THE GRADUATE 9