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Community hospitals ramp up facilities for dementia patients

SINGAPORE — More community hospitals here are ramping up their facilities for patients with dementia, with St Andrew’s Community Hospital (SACH) one of the latest to come on board with its new 22-bed dementia ward.

St Andrew’s Community Hospital’s new 
22-bed dementia ward is furnished with antique homeware and furniture to evoke old memories. 
Photo: Don Wong

St Andrew’s Community Hospital’s new
22-bed dementia ward is furnished with antique homeware and furniture to evoke old memories.
Photo: Don Wong

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SINGAPORE — More community hospitals here are ramping up their facilities for patients with dementia, with St Andrew’s Community Hospital (SACH) one of the latest to come on board with its new 22-bed dementia ward.

Some of these wards have been designed to create a more homely environment, while providing facilities for rehabilitation. The SACH ward, for instance, is furnished with antique homeware and furniture to evoke old memories. It also has rehabilitation equipment leveraging on virtual reality technology and offers various forms of therapy such as art therapy.

At Ang Mo Kio-Thye Hua Kwan Hospital (AMK-THKH), a homely space — a five-bed Sunshine Care Corner — has been set aside for its dementia patients, where they can perform functional activities such as tidying their beds.

Meanwhile, a pilot project under St Luke’s Hospital provides a 16-bed ward for its female dementia patients. The project is likely to be expanded to include male dementia patients in the second quarter of next year.

Other initiatives by community hospitals include programmes designed for dementia patients — such as the fall prevention programme in Ren Ci Hospital — and providing relevant caregiver training.

The introduction of such dementia-specific facilities within community hospitals comes as the Ministry of Health announced plans to add eight Senior Care Centres this year, which will provide dementia daycare, as well as daycare, rehabilitation and nursing services for seniors.

Media reports have said Singapore is estimated to have about 28,000 seniors, aged 60 and above, who have dementia. The number is expected to grow to about 80,000 in 2030.

Speaking at a media briefing yesterday, SACH chief executive officer Dr Loh Yik Hin said the hospital had observed a growing need for a dementia-specific facility among its patients. The new ward is important in providing the right amount of care and support for dementia patients who require physical rehabilitation, he added.

Previously, SACH could provide only physical rehabilitation for patients with mild dementia as its rehab-focused facilities and care model then were not as adequate for people with moderate to severe dementia.

“A person with dementia has other needs, cognitive needs, social needs, and they also exhibit challenging behaviours,” noted Dr Loh. Hence, the new dementia ward was renovated to include a purpose-built physical environment and a person-centred care model. The ward has been fitted with more handrails, clearer signage and more call bells in toilets, among other things, to create a safer environment for patients who may wander around.

Part of the person-centred care model also involves considering each patient’s abilities and preferences. For instance, they can participate in “purposeful activities” that are based on their interests, such as playing mahjong and watching movies.

Since it started operations in October, SACH’s new ward has seen 78 dementia patients as of the end of April.

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