Merchants unite to make Nee Soon South dementia-friendly

SINGAPORE — For several months, Ms Michelle Tang, 53, used to see an elderly man going by the jewellery shop she works at, toting a supermarket basket filled with items from the nearby provision shop that he had not paid for.

After some time, Ms Tang realised that the man, who was in his 70s, was suffering from dementia. Once she and the provision shop owner were aware of his condition, they allowed him to walk away with the items, which his family returned in the evening. They would also keep a lookout for the elderly man and help him whenever he needed assistance.

Ms Tang is one of more than 50 merchants in the Nee Soon South constituency who have joined in the efforts to make Yishun a dementia-friendly town.

Together with the Agency for Integrated Care, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and Lien Foundation, Nee Soon South grassroots leaders began reaching out to the merchants last month. They were taught how to identify signs of dementia, and look out for seniors who are alone and displaying such signs.

Some of these merchants — like goldsmiths, clinics and coffeeshops — now also display a Dementia-Friendly Singapore decal on their premises. The decal details some signs and symptoms of dementia, such as not knowing how to distinguish time, place and space.

In addition, three Go-To Points have been set up in Nee Soon South this year. These Go-To Points — there are 61 across the island — are resource centres in the community which provide information on dementia. Members of the public can bring those who appear to have dementia and are lost to these points, where trained staff can provide advice, as well as help to identify and contact their family members.

Dementia is increasingly prevalent as Singapore’s population ages. The disease affects one in 10 people aged 60 years and above, and the number of dementia patients in Singapore is expected to rise to 80,000 by 2030.

Dr Lee Bee Wah, Member of Parliament for Nee Soon GRC, said besides providing the necessary physical infrastructure, teaching residents to recognise the signs of dementia is increasingly important.

“We are also looking into programmes to help carers. They care for their family members who have dementia, but carers themselves also need help. Perhaps early next year, we will announce new programmes at new centres,” she added.

Dr Lee was speaking at the “Walk With Me: Our Journey of Remembering” event held in Nee Soon South on Sunday (Nov 12).

The event saw residents get to experience some difficulties that people with dementia face, through activities such as buttoning their shirts with goggles on to blur their vision, and limit their fine motor skills.

Since the Dementia-Friendly Community initiative was rolled out last year, Nee Soon South grassroots leaders have reached out to more than 5,000 residents and merchants.

Yishun was the first housing estate to come on board, followed by Hong Kah North, MacPherson, Bedok and Queenstown.