Speech by Minister of State (Health) Dr Amy Khor at the Official Opening of Touch Home Care Centre (Jurong) on 23 November 2011 at 2.30PM

Introduction

1.    Good afternoon. I am delighted to be here at the official opening of TOUCH Home Care centre in Jurong.

2.    I would like to start off by recognising the efforts of TOUCH Community Services. The work of TOUCH was started in 1986 by a dozen or so young adults who organised activities for latch-key children from low-income and single-parent families in Clementi and Jurong. 19 years after its official registration, TOUCH has grown into a multi-service organisation with a network of 17 services, 10 centres and 12 children's clubs located at different parts of Singapore, reaching out to some 15,000 clients and 155,000 service users in 2010. Such growth in its reach and scope of services have indeed been remarkable. TOUCH has indeed been a pillar of support for many individuals and families, especially the young, people with special needs, and the elderly in the community.

3.    Today, we celebrate yet another milestone for TOUCH as they open the doors to a second Home Care centre in Jurong. The launch of this centre is significant, as it expands TOUCH Home Care’s outreach beyond the central region to seniors living in the west. TOUCH has answered the clarion call to provide much needed services in home health and home help in this under-served region, working in close partnership with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) and the Centre for Enabled Living (CEL).

Singapore’s Ageing Society

4.    As Singapore matures and develops as a society, one of the main challenges we will face is a rapidly ageing society. It is already well known that we are one of the fastest ageing societies in the world. In fact, we are expected to age at a faster rate than that of other Asian countries such as South Korea and Hong Kong. Our first cohort of baby boomers turns 65 years old next year. By 2030, one in five residents or close to one million people in Singapore will be above the age of 65.

5.    Beyond these general trends lie several sub-trends that are worth highlighting. The elderly of tomorrow will have different needs and aspirations. Firstly, our seniors will be better educated and more independent. The group aged 55 (and above) with at least a secondary education has increased from 20.2% in 2000 to 34.4% in 20101. There will hence be greater demands and expectations placed on our system to deliver high quality care.

6.    Secondly, more seniors would be living alone or with only one or two other family members. From 1990 to 2010, the percentage of residents living alone or up to a family of three increased from 33.7% to 51.2%2. This is due to the increased prevalence of smaller, nuclear families and the trend of more individuals not getting married. Hence, the elderly of tomorrow will have fewer children to care for them, compared to the elderly of today, and may consequently face a lonely twilight.

7.    These changes will have significant impact on Singapore and our society in the foreseeable future. Beyond the statistics, this issue is also relevant to us at a personal level. We all have elderly parents, relatives or friends, who are in need of care or attention. All of us, however young, will be the elderly of the future. Our policies today must take into account the needs of tomorrow.

Strategies for Ageing-in-Place

8.    We need to invest adequately in care services and facilities to respond to the needs of tomorrow. As part of our ageing-in-place strategy, we aim to enable seniors to lead active and meaningful lives and to age gracefully where they live. We also aim to support care-givers in their worthy efforts of caring for their seniors. To achieve this outcome, we will need to invest in care services and facilities.

9.    An area of emphasis for our ageing-in-place strategy would be to provide seniors with more care options. In particular, beyond just building more nursing homes, we need to develop a more comprehensive suite of care services such that seniors can be cared for in their homes and in the community, and not only in hospitals and other institutional settings. Our current observation is that most families will try to care for their loved ones at home even when the senior has mild to moderate functionality challenges, and rely on institutionalisation only as a last resort. We also understand that most seniors would prefer to spend their golden years in an environment they are familiar with. By having the senior being cared for as long as possible within the home and community, familial ties and our Asian values will be reinforced. It is also important for the community to be familiar with, and to accept, the less functional seniors within our midst, and not to reject them as a segment of the population that is conveniently shunted aside in an institution or elderly enclave.

10.    The provision of home care services, like what we have at TOUCH Home Care, is necessary to help us achieve our objectives. Home-based health care ensures that the medical conditions of the home-bound patients are well managed, hence reducing unnecessary hospitalisations and premature nursing home placements. Home help services, such as personal grooming, meals, and escort services, also work hand-in-hand with home health care services to ensure that seniors are well-supported in their homes.

11.    Notwithstanding all this, we recognise that home care can be resource intensive and hence costly, as professionals have to travel to individual homes one at a time. As we develop the home care sector, we need to concurrently look at innovative ways to optimise resources so as to lower the cost for families and seniors. We are also studying ways to grow home care to ensure that it is accessible and affordable for seniors who need the services. This could include reviewing subsidies and use of Medisave. As a start, from early 2012, needy Singaporeans will be able to tap on Medifund for home and community-based services such as home medical and nursing, and day rehabilitation. This is expected to benefit about 1,000 more Singaporeans.

12.    There is also the potential to have greater integration and coordination of home-based services along the health care and social services spectrum. As exemplified by TOUCH Home Care, home help teams can keep nurses updated on the seniors’ condition, and alert them of possible medical issues. This enables timely interventions which is key to good quality care. Seniors cared for by home care teams could also benefit from social activities organised by grassroots organisations or volunteers, which can contribute to their well-being and dignity through being connected to others. It has been shown that seniors have a lower incidence of depression when they are plugged into strong social networks.

13.    Earlier today, I accompanied TOUCH on a home visit, where I had the opportunity to meet 78-year-old Mr Sapri Bin Amat and his family. Mr Sapri suffers from gout and hypertension and is on a feeding tube. His wife, Mdm Piah, suffers from cancer. As the only caregiver, their son Mohamed quit his job to take care of them. It was a big adjustment for the family, but they are grateful for the help from TOUCH. To help Mr Sapri mange his recent gout attack which caused him to be almost bed-bound, TOUCH activated a medical service whereby its nurses would visit him to monitor his health and manage his medication. TOUCH also conducted a caregiver training session to equip Mohamed with the relevant skills and knowledge to provide better care for his parents. The occupational therapist from TOUCH also put in place a number of home modifications that have helped minimise the risk of falls for the elderly couple. With transport and escort services arranged for his mother, Mohamed no longer has to accompany his mother for her medical appointment and leave his father home alone.

14.    TOUCH has given Mr Sapri and his family the means and the encouragement to age-in-place, and live together at home, through supporting them with the necessary health and social services.

Conclusion

15.    The opening of TOUCH Home Care’s second branch in Jurong is one of the steps in line with our expansion of home care and home help services so that more seniors can age-in-place for as long as possible.

16.    We have a long journey ahead, but I am heartened by what we have achieved here today. With more of such partnerships and commitment, we can ensure that our elderly will be able to lead more fulfilling lives. I congratulate TOUCH on the launch of this new Centre and wish the Centre every success.

17.    Thank you.

[1] Singapore Census of Population 2010, Department of Statistics, Singapore

[2] Population Trends 2011, Department of Statistics, Singapore