Yishun nursing home to step up daycare service for the elderly

SINGAPORE – Within six months of its opening, a new nursing home in Yishun has seen a tenfold increase in its number of patients and is now running at almost full capacity.

And going forward, to cater for the growing demand for eldercare, the All Saints Home (Yishun) in Chong Pang estate will be stepping up its day care service, “with the ultimate aim of providing home care”, to better meet the different needs of residents.

All Saints Home chief executive officer Eugene Yeo announced this as the voluntary welfare organisation (VWO) marked the official opening of its Yishun home over the weekend (Nov 7-8), attended by Law and Home Affairs Minister K Shanmugam, the ward’s Member of Parliament.

Its Yishun home, which began operations in March, is one of two new eldercare homes the VWO has opened in the span of six months. The second home, in Jurong East, opened in September and houses a dementia ward to cater for the growing need for dementia care and management.

The new homes were built under the Health Ministry’s Build-Own-Lease model, whereby the ministry builds and owns the nursing homes and tenders out the operating rights.

Once they run at full capacity, the two homes are expected to double the VWO’s bed capacity to 700, up from the 357 afforded by its two other homes in Tampines and Hougang.

Dr Yeo said: “The opening of our Yishun home marks the next step in our efforts to scale up our capabilities to help meet Singapore’s growing need for quality and affordable eldercare.”

The number of seniors living alone in Singapore is expected to rise to 83,000 by 2030, and approximately 113,000 seniors will need some form of care, the All Saints Home noted in a media statement. Remarking that 20 per cent of Chong Pang’s 50,000 residents are aged above 65, Dr Yeo added that the home is positioned to offer the “highest quality of care and contribute to an active elderly community” within the neighbourhood.

To encourage meaningful ageing, services at the home include music and art therapy, pet therapy to relieve loneliness, and table tennis therapy for more active residents.

It has also embarked on community initiatives such as the Share-a-Pot programme, which was launched last month, whereby elderly residents are invited to gather for some nutritious soup and do some light exercises on a weekly basis.