Speech by Minister of State for Health, Dr Amy Khor, at the Opening of the Parkinson’s Disease Society Singapore’s Centre, 6 April 2013

Advisor Mr Wong Kan Seng

Ms Julie Lau, President of Parkinson’s Disease Society (Singapore)

Ladies and gentlemen

Good morning.

1. I am happy to join you here today for the opening of the first centre of the Parkinson’s Disease Society Singapore (or PDSS).

2. As all of us know, we are ageing very rapidly. Our senior population will grow manifold over the next two decades. By 2030, about 23% of our residents will be over 65 years old, compared to only about 9% today. Within the growing senior population, based on current trends, many will have moderate to severe functional impairment by 2030.

Parkinson’s Disease

3. Parkinson’s is currently one of the most common neurodegenerative conditions seen in Singapore. It affects about three in every 1,000 seniors aged 50 years and above. Parkinson’s is a chronic condition affecting the nervous system. It is more common in the elderly, with most cases occurring after 50 years old. The early signs of the disease are movement-related, including shaking, slowness of movement and difficulty with walking. Later, cognitive and behavioral symptoms may arise, with dementia commonly occurring in the advanced stages. Fortunately, Parkinson’s can usually be controlled by medication. Although Parkinson’s patients require close monitoring and care, frequent trips to the hospitals and clinics are not necessary if their caregivers are equipped with sufficient support within the community.

The New Centre

4. “The Parkinson Centre” is developed with the vision of extending the support for Parkinson patients and their families into the community, so that they live normal and fulfilling lives in familiar surroundings.

5. This centre at Bishan is the first such community facility in Singapore. It will be a one-stop centre for training, programs and activities for people living with Parkinson’s and related illnesses and their caregivers. The Centre will provide therapeutic programs, such as physiotherapy, occupational and voice therapy, as well as other movement and cognitive classes for patients. It will also serve as a training centre to support and train caregivers and healthcare professionals to better care for such patients in the community. In addition, PDSS has done a commendable job to make sure that the centre is well planned and carefully designed. I am pleased to note that the centre has sliding doors, wheelchair-friendly toilets and elder-friendly colour schemes. We are confident that this Centre will be able to reach out, and cater to, the needs of Parkinson’s patients and their caregivers, and also serve as a useful information and resource centre on Parkinson’s for all residents.

6. Mr Peter Tan is an example of a patient who will benefit from “The Parkinson Centre”. He was diagnosed with Parkinson’s five years ago, just when he reached retirement age and was looking forward to enjoying his golden years. Within two years, Mr Tan became wheelchair-bound and lost his independence. His wife said that it was painful to see him lose his mobility, spirit and enthusiasm for life. Apart from medication, he needed psycho-social and emotional support. His wife’s goal was to help him regain his sociability and live life to the fullest. Encouraged by his wife, Mr Tan took that “first step” to join PDSS. He was surprised by the variety of activities that PDSS had to offer and subsequently participated in other activities such as the Calligraphy Class, MaxMind- Cognitive Stimulation Class, Karaoke Sessions, Art and PaperClay   Appreciation. “The Parkinson Centre” is therefore a very valuable and meaningful resource and source of support for Mr Tan, and other Parkinson’s sufferers like him, as well as their families.

Conclusion

7. I would like to commend the dedication and enormous efforts by PDSS committee, staff and their healthcare partners such as the National Neuroscience Institute (NNI) in setting up the “The Parkinson Centre” at Bishan. I would like to thank Advisor Wong and his team of grassroots leaders for facilitating the setting up of the centre, and also for the valuable suggestions made throughout the entire process. Most importantly, we thank all residents for their support in the set up of the centre. The launch today is indeed a celebration of community partnership and service to our seniors with Parkinson’s. It is through such efforts that we can forge a supportive environment for our seniors with Parkinson’s to improve their quality of life and enable them to age successfully in the community.

8. On this note, I wish “The Parkinson Centre” every success in your operations.

9. Thank you.