Speeches
Speech by Mr Edwin Tong, Senior Minister of State for Health, at Alzheimer's Disease Association Caregivers' Appreciation Gala Luncheon 2019
5 January 2019
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Mr Jason Foo, Chief Executive Officer, Alzheimer’s Disease Association
A/Prof Ho Peng Kee, Patron, RHT Rajan Menon Foundation
Distinguished Guests
Ladies and Gentlemen
1. It is my pleasure to be here this afternoon. This luncheon, organised by the Alzheimer’s Disease Association (ADA), is an important opportunity for us to show our appreciation to a very special group of people – caregivers, who have dedicated a lot of time and effort to looking after their loved ones with dementia. I know it takes patience and constant attention to care for a loved one with dementia, and many caregivers have had to juggle caregiving tasks with their jobs. Please give yourselves a big round of applause for tirelessly and purposefully giving your best when caring for your loved ones, some of whom are also present today.
Supporting caregivers through services and resources
2. One in 10 seniors aged 60 years and above is estimated to have dementia[1] and we expect this number to increase with our ageing population. With decreasing household sizes and the old-age support ratio in Singapore, the caregiving burden will increase. Caregivers will require stronger support, especially those looking after seniors with mental health conditions, like dementia.
3. To meet the expected growth in seniors with dementia and to support their caregivers, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has been strengthening mental health care in the community since 2012 under the Community Mental Health Masterplan. We have added about 800 dementia day care places in the past year, to provide about 3,000 dementia day care places today. We will continue to increase capacity and improve service quality for our dementia care services.
4. Caregivers are often faced with the unexpected task of taking on caregiving roles. More often than not, they may not know what to expect and face difficulties in coping with their new roles. We want to assure caregivers that you are never alone in your caregiving journey. Partners like ADA play a critical role in providing information and socio-emotional support to persons with mental health conditions and dementia, and their caregivers.
5. Today, ADA’s community outreach team reaches out to persons with depression or dementia, and carries out public education programmes to raise awareness on mental health and dementia conditions. Its community intervention team also provides support through allied health services such as counselling, as well as home support and interventions for seniors with dementia and their caregivers who face difficulties coping with their caregiving duties. I hear that about 900 seniors and caregivers are already benefitting from these programmes. Some caregivers have shared with me that not only have they been greatly encouraged by the community support, they have also become more empowered through these programmes. They now know how to manage behavioural changes displayed by their loved ones, and are more aware of community resources which they can tap on to support them in caregiving.
6. To allow caregivers of seniors with dementia to have better access to information on caring for their loved ones, we recently launched the Dementia Friends mobile app. The one-stop resource app provides tips on caring for seniors with dementia, as well as self-care for caregivers to prevent burnout. Caregivers can also tap on the annual subsidy from the Caregivers’ Training Grant to develop caregiving skills, such as managing mealtimes and creating a comfortable and safe environment for persons with dementia.
7. Even as we develop these programmes with our partners, we hope to raise greater awareness of the resources and assistance that is readily available within the community to help caregivers in their caregiving journey. Mdm Jenny Tan, like many caregivers, needed help when she first stepped into the role. She has benefitted from ADA’s enrichment and training programmes that provided her with essential knowledge on how to provide care for persons with dementia. For example, after participating in ADA’s Family of Wisdom programme, Jenny has incorporated the cognitive and physical wellness activities learnt from the programme as part of her caregiving duties at home, and has even included her children to help out in these activities. Jenny wants to encourage other caregivers by sharing the message that it is possible for persons with dementia and caregivers to enjoy good quality of life. She also wants to share that they can tap on organisations like ADA or access online resources, to support them.
Building supportive community networks
8. As caregivers care for their loved ones, they may neglect their own needs and feel alone in their caregiving journey. Through partnerships with the people and private sector, we want to build a caring community where everyone can extend a helping hand to caregivers when needed.
9. For example, MOH and the Agency for Integrated Care have worked with various community partners to establish six Dementia-Friendly Communities, which are support networks that help seniors with dementia live and age well, as well as to provide much needed support to caregivers. Under the initiative, residents, grassroots leaders, business owners and frontline government agencies are trained to recognise the signs and symptoms of dementia, and will be able to help keep a look out for missing persons with dementia and extend a helping hand when needed. As of June 2018, we have reached out to over 30,000 people to support persons with dementia and their caregivers, and will continue to do more. Community care services, pharmacies, community clubs and residents’ committee offices have also pledged their support to avail their premises as one of the more than 200 Go-To Points across Singapore, which serve as community resource centres on dementia. Anyone who encounters seniors who are disoriented and alone, can bring them to seek help at Go-To Points.
10. I am also heartened by ADA’s efforts to work with other partners in the community to better support seniors and their caregivers. For example, nursing students from the National University of Singapore can volunteer at ADA’s day care centres. This helps to supplement ADA’s manpower, so that it can focus on more initiatives for caregivers and their seniors. ADA has also collaborated with the RHT Rajan Menon Foundation to develop an eldercare guidebook that provides useful information on ageing, including dementia, home and road safety and financial wealth management. We want to encourage more of such local efforts, where the community pools resources to reach out to caregivers and seniors with dementia who need support.
Strengthening caregiver support
11. Beyond these efforts, we recognise that there is scope for us to do more to support caregivers. Over the past few months, MOH has engaged over 200 caregivers and other stakeholders, such as community care providers and healthcare professionals, to gather feedback and discuss ideas to strengthen senior caregiving support. Some of the key areas that we are reviewing include better care navigation and access to information and referral services, improving respite options for seniors with dementia so that caregivers can take a break, and working with the community to provide caregivers with access to socio-emotional support such as counselling services. We will provide updates on our plans in due course.
Conclusion
12. We recognise that being a caregiver is not easy, and it takes a whole-of-society effort to support seniors with dementia to age-in-place in the community. On this note, I would like to thank ADA for taking the lead in showing our appreciation to caregivers for their selfless dedication and commitment. I hope that all of us will continue to encourage and affirm caregivers in our midst, and support them in their caregiving journey.
13. I wish everyone a pleasant weekend. Thank you.