Dementia

Question No: 215

Name of the Person: Mdm Halimah Yacob

To ask the Minister for Health (a) how serious is the dementia problem in Singapore today and what is the projected rate of increase over the next 10 years; (b) what is the Ministry’s plan in dealing with the greater number of dementia patients; and (c) how are the afflicted and their caregivers assisted and whether there are enough trained health care professionals to deal with this challenge.

Reply

Reply From MOH

About 20,000 Singaporeans suffer from dementia. This is a prevalence rate of 5.7% among those aged 65 years and above. In comparison, Australia, North America, and Japan reported higher rates of 6.5%, 6.9%, and 8.5% respectively. This is because we have a relatively younger population of those over 65, i.e. fewer people in their 90s and over.

2. As more people turn elderly, we will encounter more dementia cases. At the current prevalence rate, we will see the number more than double to about 45,000 by 2020. However, dementia is not part of the normal ageing process. The main causes are vascular dementia and Alzheimer’s disease. The risk factors of vascular dementia are the same as for stroke and heart disease. The preventive strategies are therefore similar, namely not smoking, eating in moderation, exercising regularly, and treating high blood pressure and diabetes. As for Alzheimer’s disease, doctors still know little about the modifiable risk factors. But people who keep mentally and socially active are less likely to develop Alzheimer’s disease.

3. Hence, we need to tackle this growing problem of dementia on multiple fronts:

(a) First, we must emphasise prevention. Efforts by the Health Promotion Board to promote a healthy lifestyle from young will also contribute towards preventing dementia. This year, HPB started its public education campaign to increase awareness about dementia, its warning signs, and risk factors. It will continue to educate the public on how best to reduce the risks of the disease. There are also programmes by the PA and Council for Third Age that help older Singaporeans keep active mentally and socially.

(b) Second, we will increase the availability and access to dementia care so that caregivers and persons with dementia can seek medical attention early. We have piloted community mental health teams for the elderly (Community Psycho-Geriatric Programme) that partner eldercare agencies to pick up seniors with dementia early. We are also looking at new models of dementia care such as partnerships between specialist memory clinics and General Practitioners.

(c) Third, we will strengthen community and caregiver respite services. We are working with MCYS to build up early dementia day-care programmes to keep patients mentally, physically, and socially engaged. We have also piloted a home and community respite service with the Alzheimer’s Disease Association.

(d) Fourth, we will work with partner agencies to ensure that the supply of services and facilities keeps up with the increase in demand. MOH is expanding the number of nursing home beds. Many of the new nursing homes will be able to serve people with dementia.

(e) Finally, we will expand our pool of trained healthcare professionals, including psychiatrists, geriatricians, neurologists, family physicians, nurses, psychologists, occupational therapists, and medical social workers. We will also improve their training on geriatric medicine, and create more subspecialisation opportunities in this area.