Caring for their needs

AIC expends every effort to care for seniors through initiatives such as intergenerational programmes, dedicated activities for frailer seniors, Meals on Wheels, and new initiatives like the Communities of Care pilot. Access to mental health help for seniors is not forgotten, with more activities being held to increase public awareness and the addition of more dementia Go-To-Points (GTP), community nodes for dementia-related resources, in efforts to build a #DementiaFriendlySG.

Intergenerational programmes

AIC actively collaborates with PCF Sparkletots and the Early Childhood Development Agency (ECDA) on meaningful activities that bring the young and old together.

Through the AIC-PCF Intergenerational Programme and the national ‘Start Small, Dream Big’ (SSDB) initiative, seniors and children come together to build bonds and connect, fostering a deeper understanding between different generations and backgrounds.

Children from Star Learners @ Jurong East and seniors from St Luke’s Eldercare (SLEC) Ayer Rajah Centre created beautiful flower crafts together through the national “Start Small, Dream Big” initiative. Photo Credit: Preschool Market

Over the years, AIC’s intergenerational programmes saw an increase in the number of collaborations with our supportive partners. There were increased engagements with organisations in the Community Care sector through activities between pre-schoolers and seniors.

Compared to 2021, the number of engagements for both the AIC-PCF and SSDB initiatives have increased in 2022.

Enhancing activity access for frailer seniors

Physical, cognitive, and social activities bring well-being to everyone; however, access to suitable, meaningful activities for frailer seniors can be challenging. To better enable frailer seniors’ participation in activities, AIC worked with partners to curate activities ideal for their interests and abilities at two national events in 2022.

PCN-Mental Health

Mental health is an essential part of one’s overall health and well-being. In line with Healthier SG, the shift towards population health aims to improve physical and mental health outcomes and reduce health inequalities across the entire population.

General Practitioners (GPs) and polyclinics aim to bring care closer to home and improve seniors’ access to mental health services. For this, AIC worked closely with MOH and the Primary Care Networks (PCN) to develop PCN–Mental Health (PCN-MH), catering to the public’s needs through an integrated mental health network.

Consistent and quality nursing care across PCNs is key to supporting seniors and caregivers holistically in the community. Recognising this, AIC incorporates more mental health components and care within the PCN nurse training roadmap.

AIC has put together additional mental health resources and shared support to equip primary care professionals to complement existing public-facing resources better.

PCN nurses learning more about mental health care

World Mental Health Day 2022

World Mental Health Day is commemorated annually on 10 October to raise awareness of mental well-being and to mobilise efforts in support of better mental health.

Planned with the Interagency Taskforce on Mental Health and Well-Being, the overarching theme for WMHD 2022 was ‘Stand Together for Mental Health’. The nation-wide campaign featured merchandise in the form of car decals, tote bags, and umbrellas specially designed by local artist Stephanie Raphaela Ho, a mental health activist who has lived with depression and anxiety.

The collaboration also engaged a local media company, TheSmartLocal. Under this campaign, a documentary short film was produced, titled ‘99 Singaporeans sharing their darkest moments’. The video aims to help the public know that they are not alone on their mental wellness journey, and that it is okay to seek help when needed.

#DementiaFriendlySG movement

In November 2022, AIC officially launched an inaugural campaign to spearhead Singapore’s movement to build a more dementia-friendly nation. The social movement was part of the Dementia-Friendly Singapore (DFSG) initiative, first announced in 2016 by the MOH to address the growing prevalence of dementia in Singapore.

The #DementiaFriendlySG movement rallies society at all levels – individuals, communities, and businesses, calling on each group to play a part in building a caring and dementia-friendly Singapore.

Led by AIC and supported by 81 partners, the campaign’s key message was the importance of creating an inclusive society. It advocated ways for the public to become a ‘Dementia Friend’ to support people living with dementia in their communities.

Call to action from the #DementiaFriendlySG campaign

Our ageing nation needs to build a caring and supportive environment for persons living with dementia to enable them to continue living a fulfilling life in the community.

Meals on Wheels

Community Case Management Service

In 2022, the Cluster Support (CS) programme was streamlined into the Community Case Management Service (CCMS) to provide support to seniors in the community who have difficulties managing their health and social care needs.

Advance Care Planning

AIC is the national office that works closely with healthcare providers and community partners to make Advance Care Planning (ACP) more accessible to Singaporeans. An ACP helps Singaporeans communicate their values and healthcare preferences to their loved ones and healthcare team. The process of an ACP helps to kickstart conversations and provide a safe space for the beneficiary to share their personal wishes and care preferences, decreasing the stress of decision-making that their family members have to go through. It also ensures that their preferences are heard, especially when they can no longer speak for themselves.

View: Simple Steps For ACP

AIC and our community providers are also working to enhance public awareness of ACP through outreach to younger Singaporeans via online resources on social media platforms. Educating this demographic, who may be caregivers, may also help to convince their older parents to do an ACP as well. With Tele-ACP being rolled out during the COVID-19 onset, it has also made it more convenient and accessible for Singaporeans to do their ACP.

For patients with chronic or life-limiting conditions, they may check in with their healthcare professionals to do an ACP. For healthy individuals who wish to do their ACP, they may visit the MyLegacy page for a list of the places to make an appointment for an ACP session, or visit https://mylegacy.life.gov.sg/ for more details on end-of-life planning.