As more facilities and services are established for seniors, the way they are cared for is also evolving.
According to NTUC Health CEO Chua Song Khim, there is a greater focus on integrated care and community mental health.
Currently, NTUC Health is one of the largest providers of eldercare in Singapore, but it wants to better serve the needs of seniors.
“NTUC Health is focused on ensuring the right level and type of care is delivered to the senior, and to coordinate the transfer between our services seamlessly. This is important as families may not be aware of the types of services available and patient care information may not be adequately shared between professional caregivers. We are also looking to do more in the area of dementia care,” said Mr Chua.
New Opportunities
Mr Chua said there is a need for more nurses, therapists and care staff who can support seniors with personal grooming, transfers to-and-from home as well as social interaction.
“Such positions require no prior experience as training in basic eldercare services will be provided. To encourage more candidates to consider the sector, we are working with NTUC LearningHub to provide WSQ-certified training in eldercare. For some of our services such as home care, we also offer flexi- and part-time positions to cater to housewives who wish to supplement their household income while using their time and passion to contribute back to the community,” he said.
Challenges in attracting and retaining passionate staff remain a challenge, but the social enterprise is committed to training and developing its staff to meet the varied needs of the seniors.
