Steps Taken to Delay and Prevent Dementia Among Singaporeans

NOTICE PAPER NO. 1116
NOTICE OF QUESTION FOR WRITTEN ANSWER

FOR SITTING OF PARLIAMENT ON 9 MAY 2022

Name and Constituency of Member of Parliament
Mr Sitoh Yih Pin,
MP for Potong Pasir

Question No. 1751

To ask the Minister for Health (a) whether the Ministry can provide an update on the steps taken to delay and prevent dementia among Singaporeans; and (b) whether the Ministry will consider (i) conducting community screening for pre-dementia in the form of Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and (ii) taking steps to identify the causes and treat MCI to prevent deterioration to dementia.

Answer

The onset of dementia can be prevented or delayed through the adoption of healthy lifestyle habits including having regular physical activity, maintaining a balanced diet, not having excessive alcohol intake, and not smoking. Screening for chronic conditions such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol would enable early detection and timely intervention to reduce the associated risk of dementia.

However, there is no clear evidence internationally, that population-wide dementia screening in persons without recognised signs or symptoms of cognitive impairment is an effective public health intervention. 

Hence, our current efforts continue to be more targeted, focusing on increasing dementia literacy and awareness, early identification of persons at risk or suspected to have dementia in the community and referral for early interventions. Over the last year, our community outreach teams have reached out to 150,000 persons and provided assistance to 4,000 persons who were at risk of developing dementia and/or mental health conditions.