Speech by Minister for Health Mr Gan Kim Yong at the Official Opening of Grace Corner, Thursday 7 June 2012, 10am, Peacehaven Nursing Home

    I am happy to be here today to witness the opening of the Grace Corner at Peacehaven Nursing Home. This is another good example that demonstrates how better integration of care can benefit our seniors as they age in place.   

The Transitional Convalescent Facility (TCF) Care Model

2          Most elderly patients discharged from the acute hospitals or community hospitals prefer to return to their homes to recuperate in the company of their loved ones and in the familiar surroundings of the community. We should help them do so as much as possible.  There is currently a range of home- and community-based services, such as home medical, home nursing and day rehabilitation services, which cater to the diverse needs of patients to help them age-in-place within the community.

3          At the same time, we also recognise that there is a group of elderly patients who may require a longer period of rehabilitation and recuperation to improve their mobility and function. We want to support this so that more of our elderly can maximise their recovery potential before returning home. The Nursing Home Expert Panel led by Associate Professor Chin Jing Jih, and comprising local and foreign experts, was tasked to look into ways to upgrade the capabilities of nursing homes to better serve the needs of these patients.  As a result of their careful deliberation, the Panel recommended implementing the Transitional Convalescent Facility model in nursing homes, or TCF in short. The TCF model aims to provide lower intensity rehabilitation for the frail elderly over a period of three to six months, to allow them to regain maximum mobility so that they can return home and live as independently as possible. This helps to bridge the gap between hospitals and home.

4          The Grace Corner is the first such facility in Singapore. A collaboration between Peacehaven Nursing Home and Changi General Hospital, the 32-bed facility began operations last December. It is modelled similar to a home environment that patients are familiar with, which will facilitate their return to their homes and the community once again. A dedicated core team of physiotherapists, occupational therapists, nurses and social workers in Peacehaven, with strong clinical support provided by specialists from Changi General Hospital, will ensure that each patient is carefully assessed and care is well coordinated and delivered. The collaboration between CGH doctors and Peacehaven’s nursing and therapy staff will create strong synergy between acute care and long term care services in the Eastern Health Alliance.

5          Besides providing a range of integrated medical, therapy, nursing and social support, Grace Corner also works very closely with families to ensure that patients are discharged smoothly back home. This includes providing families with caregiver training, assistance on home modifications for enhanced safety and advice on long term care arrangements upon discharge.

Encouraging Results from the Pilot TCF Model

6          Although this programme at Grace Corner has only just started six months ago, we are beginning to see heartening results.  I understand from Madam Low Mui Lang, the Executive Director of Peacehaven, that since the introduction of the programme, Grace Corner has admitted a total of 33 patients, half of whom have been successfully rehabilitated and discharged back into the community within 3 months. I understand many of the patients who have been discharged are here today among us, and I am heartened to see that they are recovering well.

7          Apart from Peacehaven Nursing Home, the Salvation Army also runs the Bedok Multi-Service Centre, a day rehabilitation and dementia day care centre. Grace Corner patients can thus continue to be cared for by the same service provider when they are discharged into the community. The Grace Corner facilitates the seamless transition of care of patients, from an institutionalized setting back into the community and their homes.

8          The TCF complements the existing aged care services and healthcare facilities in the vicinity, such as acute and community hospitals, polyclinics, and GP clinics, so that our seniors can be better cared for. As we gain more experience, we will see how this TCF model can be adapted successfully in other suitable nursing homes as well.

Nursing Homes and the Community

9          I am pleased to note that Peacehaven has established strong links with the surrounding community. It offers a range of volunteering opportunities and conducts regular outreach programmes for the neighbourhood residents such as health talks on elder care and dementia care. This is what we are trying to achieve by situating nursing homes in the community. Besides making healthcare services accessible, we want to encourage family members, relatives and friends to visit. We also want to encourage volunteers to serve our seniors in the nursing homes.  In so doing, we will foster a more inclusive society.

Conclusion

10        I would like to take this opportunity to thank Associate Professor Chin and his team of experts on the Nursing Home Expert Panel for their work.  Let me also once again congratulate Peacehaven on the opening of Grace Corner, and all the members of the Eastern Health Alliance who made this facility possible. 

11        Thank you.