Opening Address by Dr Lam Pin Min, Minister of State for Health, at the Singapore Patient Conference 2015, on 30 October 2015

Dr Jennifer Lee, Chairman, AIC

Professor Philip Choo, Group Chief Executive Officer, NHG

Dr Jason Cheah, Chief Executive Officer, AIC

Dr Eugene Soh, Chief Executive Officer, TTSH

Dr Mark Chan and Mr Michael Poh, Co-Chairs of Singapore Patient Conference,

Distinguished speakers and judges

Patients, caregivers, community partners, volunteers and healthcare colleagues

1.          Good morning. I am delighted to join you at the annual Singapore Patient Conference and the launch of the inaugural Singapore Patient Action Awards.

2.          Since starting two years ago, this conference has now become a useful platform to hear from our patients directly, and for healthcare professionals, our partners and the larger community to engage in meaningful conversations to improve care.

3.         Through these conversations, important partnerships are also formed. This year’s conference is a good example with the National Healthcare Group and the Agency for Integrated Care, or AIC, coming together to organise this conference. Such partnerships are needed to support our focus on delivering patient-centric care.

Addressing the Needs of the Growing Caregiver Population

4.          Today’s theme on addressing caregivers’ needs and celebrating caregiving resonates with me in a personal way. Being a Doctor and a Member of Parliament, I have met many caregivers from all walks of life who share with me their challenges in caring for their loved ones. The stress is physical, emotional and sometimes financial as well. Caregiving is indeed a complex and arduous journey, and a commendable sacrifice.

5.          There are about 210,000 caregivers in Singapore today¹. As our population rapidly ages, this number will continue to grow and it is our collective responsibility to ensure that we are better prepared for the heavier caregiving responsibilities ahead. It is with this in mind that our healthcare and community partners, some of whom have been invited to speak at today’s conference, have taken concrete steps to enhance caregiver support and expand the network of resources available.

Providing better access to information for caregivers

6.          First, we have made it easier for our caregivers to seek help and support. AIC has expanded on its touch-points to make care information more easily accessible to our seniors and their caregivers, such as the Singapore Silver Pages portal, and the Singapore Silver Line, a national eldercare helpline.

7.         AIC has also collaborated with the Regional Health Systems (RHS) to set up AICare Links² at four restructured hospitals. Today’s opening of AICare Link at Tan Tock Seng Hospital is the newest addition. Many of you had asked for the “personal touch” when seeking help. AICare Links in the hospitals will allow caregivers and their families to speak directly with Care Consultants to access information on care services, assistance schemes and grants. More than 12,000 patients have used AICare Link’s services to plan their post-discharge care options to-date³.

Enhancing Training Support for Caregivers

8.          Second, we want to provide better training to equip caregivers with the right skills and know-how to take on the caregiving role with greater confidence and ease. The government introduced the Caregivers Training Grant in 2007 to support caregivers with up to $200 each year to attend approved caregiver training courses. Since its inception, more than 29,000 have benefitted from the grant. In 2014 alone, more than 7,000 caregivers have tapped on this grant. Beyond the grant, we also need partners to train our caregivers. I was pleased to hear that since its opening in 2013, CareConnect, the Patient Experience Centre in TTSH, has supported more than 5,000 patients and their caregivers, through its suite of 150 training workshops and health talks. It has also partnered voluntary welfare organisations like AWWA Centre for Caregivers to provide psychosocial training to teach caregivers self-care skills and coping strategies. Today, CareConnect has become a visible gateway where it engages the community with more than 350 active volunteers and a network of 27 volunteer and patient support groups. Likewise, the Primary Care Academy, a training arm under the NHGP, has also been equipping caregivers with skills to care for the less ambulant elderly within their own homes.

9.        These community partnerships are a key step in the right direction as we continue to work on enhancing training support for patients and their caregivers.

Bringing Care into the Community

10.          Third, we will strive to make quality care more accessible to patients in the community. Through programmes such as the Virtual Hospital and Post-Acute Care at Home, TTSH partners community providers to support caregivers with care delivery at patients’ home. Patients with chronic but more stable medical conditions can be cared for in their homes so that they can recuperate in a more conducive environment. I must congratulate TTSH for its efforts in championing the cause for community programmes to benefit patients and their caregivers.

Launch of the Inaugural Singapore Patient Action Awards Ceremony

11.          Today also marks the inaugural launch of the Singapore Patient Action Awards and I am honoured to have this opportunity to celebrate the determination and resilience of our caregivers and honour those who have gone the extra mile to improve the lives of those under their care.

12.          Every award nominee has a heart-warming story and everyone is a winner today. But I would like to make special mention of Mrs Heng-Chang Ye Veng and Associate Professor Albert Teo Chu-Ying who are recipients of the Patient Caregiver Award and Patient Advocate Award respectively. They exemplify an age-old Chinese saying – “施比受更有福” - it is more blessed to give than to receive.

13.         Both of them believe strongly in giving back to the community and in doing so, they have motivated and inspired others to make a positive impact in the lives of others.

14.         Let me elaborate. Mrs Heng was a dedicated caregiver to her late husband for nine years since he was diagnosed with dementia in 2007. To better care for her husband, she read widely on caregiving to persons with dementia and even picked up practical nursing skills to care for her husband who was battling with sleep apnoea and swallowing difficulties. Even as she was coping with the bereavement of her husband, Mrs Heng agreed to share her caregiving experience at the recent Asian Medical Student Conference Workshop on dementia and caregiving. Today, she still actively participates in support groups and workshops to encourage and share with other caregivers on her caregiving experience.

15.      Associate Professor Albert Teo is another passionate patient advocate. A familiar figure at the Patient Care Centre in TTSH where he has volunteered for the past 14 years, Associate Prof Teo has been visiting HIV patients with his team of 20 volunteers every Saturday. He initiated the Touch Therapy Programme which trains volunteers to provide massages to help these patients relieve muscle stiffness. He has also raised funds for needy HIV patients who cannot afford to pay their medical bills and helped some to secure job placements. He even keeps a tab on the patients’ families after the patients have passed on.  His greatest reward is being able to witness HIV and AIDs victims live their lives with dignity and this firm belief has kept him going on all these years.

Conclusion

16.      Their stories are indeed inspiring and reinforce the need for us to do even more for our patients and caregivers. I hope today’s conference will generate more conversations and forge greater partnerships to support a more holistic and person-centric approach to patient care. We need to continue our efforts as a community to co-create a better caregiving experience for our patients and their loved ones.  I will leave you with the words of Brett H Lewis, a renowned American author of the book on Family Caregiving, “Doctors diagnose, nurses heal and caregivers make sense of it all.”

17.      I wish you a very fruitful conference.   Thank you.

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[1] The Sunday Times, 22 September 2013, “Behind the Silver Surge”, Radha Basu  

[2] Pronounced as “i Care Links”

[3] Figure provided by AIC.