Adjournment motion on preparing Singapore for dementia
Singapore has been building up its capacity for dementia care and will continue to look for ways to improve, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Rahayu Mahzam. Community outreach teams proactively identify seniors at risk of dementia and refer them for assessment. By the end of 2021, 68 such teams had reached out to more than half a million people and provided assistance to more than 32,000. The capacity of dementia day care services has more than tripled from 1,000 places in 2015 to 4,200 places last year. Most nursing homes can also care for people with dementia, with the median wait time for a bed at around one month. Ms Rahayu elaborated on the availability of medical staff and specialists, financial support to ensure that long-term care costs are affordable, and support for caregivers. Meanwhile, a campaign will be launched next month to make Singapore more dementia-friendly in five sectors that regularly serve seniors - transport, banking, retail, building, and arts and leisure. Ms Rahayu was responding to MP Poh Li San, who had moved an adjournment motion in Parliament on Thursday (Oct 20). Ms Poh said that Singapore has to be better prepared to cope with dementia as its society ages rapidly. She called for more to be done in three areas - building capacity for care, mitigation of challenges and prevention.
*Audio issues inherent from source
Singapore has been building up its capacity for dementia care and will continue to look for ways to improve, said Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Health Rahayu Mahzam. Community outreach teams proactively identify seniors at risk of dementia and refer them for assessment. By the end of 2021, 68 such teams had reached out to more than half a million people and provided assistance to more than 32,000. The capacity of dementia day care services has more than tripled from 1,000 places in 2015 to 4,200 places last year. Most nursing homes can also care for people with dementia, with the median wait time for a bed at around one month. Ms Rahayu elaborated on the availability of medical staff and specialists, financial support to ensure that long-term care costs are affordable, and support for caregivers. Meanwhile, a campaign will be launched next month to make Singapore more dementia-friendly in five sectors that regularly serve seniors - transport, banking, retail, building, and arts and leisure. Ms Rahayu was responding to MP Poh Li San, who had moved an adjournment motion in Parliament on Thursday (Oct 20). Ms Poh said that Singapore has to be better prepared to cope with dementia as its society ages rapidly. She called for more to be done in three areas - building capacity for care, mitigation of challenges and prevention.
*Audio issues inherent from source
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