Next phase of active ageing focus groups to start on Aug 14

SINGAPORE — The Ministerial Committee on Ageing will start its next phase of public consultation on active ageing next month, Health Minister Gan Kim Yong said yesterday.

This next series of focus group sessions will look at ideas gathered from previous sessions, with the first one to start on Aug 14.

The committee is looking to gather feedback on areas such as successful ageing, elderly-friendly homes, transport, senior-friendly public spaces, and health and wellness.

Mr Gan announced this at the opening of Tan Tock Seng Hospital’s (TTSH) new Centre for Geriatric Medicine, which has been designed to make hospital visits more comfortable for the elderly.

Since his announcement in May that the committee will co-create an action plan for successful ageing with Singaporeans, Mr Gan said they have heard from 189 seniors over 13 focus group sessions.

“They have shared with us how they intend to live life to the fullest in their silver years, as well as what can be done in the various aspects of health and wellness, senior learning, senior volunteerism, healthcare, housing, employment and city infrastructure, to help Singaporeans age confidently,” he said.

In his speech, Mr Gan said it “complements the overall national efforts to improve healthcare for our ageing population”.

Doctors and nurses belonging to the same care team are clustered together to avoid shuffling the patient or caregiver around, and the centre boasts features such as a waiting area that resembles a living room for greater comfort and an indoor sensory garden with glass walls.

Patients can wait for their turn in the indoor garden, which is set in the middle of the centre. The garden is outfitted with plants and bird installations that chirp at the sound of hands clapping — all in a bid to let caregivers engage cognitively-impaired patients through their sense of touch, sight, hearing and smell.

At the centre is also a model of an elderly-friendly home for therapists to perform demonstrations and assess a patient’s ability to live independently at home.

Madam Chan Foong Chai, 89, who has been making hospital visits at the centre for a decade, said she much prefers the new clinic. It is relaxing and comfortable, she said, and it does not resemble a hospital. She added that the staff often ask how she is doing and not only about her medical needs, which lifts her spirits.

Singaporeans interested to take part in the next phase of public consultation on active ageing can sign up at http://www.successful-ageing.gov.sg from next month, or provide their feedback through the website.