Speech for Mr Lim Boon Heng, Minister, Prime Minister's office, at the Public Seminar on Ageing and Resilience, on 28 November 2009, Saturday, 2.00pm, Sheraton Towers Hotel
Ladies and Gentlemen
1. Good afternoon! I am pleased to join you today at the Public Seminar on “Ageing and Resilience”, and also the Handover Ceremony of Henderson Senior Citizens’ Home to NTUC Eldercare Co-operative Ltd.
2. First of all, I must congratulate the Chinese Women’s Association, (CWA) under the leadership of Mrs Betty Chen, for continuing with the good work done for the elderly in Henderson Senior Citizens’ Home all these years. In the 1970s, the CWA, under the leadership of the late Mrs May Wong, raised $100,000 from selling $1 lottery tickets, to set up the Home. It was a daunting challenge, but they were equal to the task. I am heartened that such spirit lives on till today. It has carried from one generation to the next and the baton will continue to be passed on, so that this spirit of commitment lives on, bringing better and improved services to the elderly.
Person-centric, Ageing-In-Place & Enabling Principle/Culture
3. Today we have more seniors, and the numbers will grow. There will be higher demand for services for the elderly. There are lessons that have been learnt over the years by countries that have aged before us, so their approach to providing services has evolved. There are two lessons that should under-pin the development of our services for the elderly. Firstly, our services should be more integrated, more “person-centric”. Secondly, we should enable people to age-in-place, to live independently as far as possible.
4. The conventional approach is service-centric. Thus an organization serving the elderly specializes in a particular service. However, the elderly have multiple needs. So, under the conventional approach, the elderly may be seen by several people who mostly do not liaise with one another. This way the elderly is not supported holistically. At the same time, there is inefficient use of resources.
5. I recently joined a study trip to Melbourne organized by MCYS to see how Australians manage their aged care homes and run various care services. One of the trends there is the development of alternative seniors housing that is affordable, adaptable, smaller scale, with assisted living and with lifestyle choices. It reinforces the principle of ageing-in-place. What does one mean by ageing-in-place, what does it really involve? It involves enabling the elderly to age in the home he has grown old in, in the community he is familiar with. It also involves connecting the elderly with resources and services, enabling them to live a meaningful life in that familiar environment for the longest possible time. Australia has evolved an Active Service Model, for seniors with lower care needs. This model’s key idea is to enable or restore one’s function. What does it mean? It means not just acceding to the request for service, but to enable the senior to do things for himself. It means looking at ways to enable the elderly to perform the function himself. It could be done by coaching, or simply placing assistive equipment. We were given an example. A senior requested for home help service and it includes vacuum cleaning her floor. However, when the care worker went in, she discovered that the vacuum cleaner was an old and very heavy one, almost impossible for the senior to operate. Thus, by simply replacing the vacuum cleaner to a user-friendly one, the senior was able to continue with her vacuum cleaning, which is a form of meaningful work and exercise for her.
6. The philosophy behind the Active Service Model is profound. If the service model is one of care, then the client follows a programme that is determined by the service provider and the client has little choice. The elderly falls into the mode of being cared for, rather than the mode of living his own life in the way he wants to. The Active Service Model, on the other hand, respects the elderly and maintains self-esteem. This is the approach we should take, to enable the elderly to live independently as long as they can.
7. Over time, as one grows older, being less able-bodied, one may require more support or assistance from families or carers. In some cases the need may change from requiring low level care to higher levels of care. We continue to emphasize the family as the first line of care and support. For these, families need to know where and who they can turn to for resources and help so that they can continue with their caregiving duties.
8. For elderly who are single, with little or no family support, aged care facilities such as Henderson Home provide a place for them. It will not just be providing a roof over their heads, but more of the communal living experience, of social engagement, of mutual support. Thus, the kind of care given for elderly is no longer just addressing the symptoms. It is more holistic in nature.
Local Example
9. I draw one example from an elderly who comes to one of NTUC Eldercare’s day care centre in Jurong Central. The elderly man has cervical myelopathy, a condition where the spinal cord gets compressed in the neck. In the past, besides experiencing pain, he was also lethargic and had to use a lot of strength even to walk. For such cases, if we just address the symptom, one would simply let the elderly remain passive as frequent resting seems to be a good option. However the centre staff encouraged him to join qigong. Instead of being passive, he was encouraged to be active. Over time, as he saw improvements, he became more motivated to practise more. Now, occasionally the pain still occurs but he is able to say that he is able to manage it better after rest. Although he feels the occasional pain, he is nevertheless more cheerful. New Perspective
10. I cannot deny that it takes much effort, time and resources to develop elderly services to the Ageing-in-place and Enabling principles. It is a process that needs to be inculcated. For a start, it can begin from our own areas of influence. Just look around you and you may be surprised that by looking beneath the surface, one can find innovative ways to help one engage, connect, improve the quality of life and well being. The ways of looking at ageing issues should be done in a brand new light. It is the Age to be Active, Involved, Connected, Valued, Enabled and Resilient!
Handover – Towards an Enabling Culture
11. With handover of Henderson Home to NTUC Eldercare, we hope to see a more holistic and enabling culture for staff, elderly and their families. NTUC Eldercare has recently in September, graduated their first batch of daycare and homecare staff who completed a WSQ certified community home care giving skills certificate. Plans to offer training and support for family caregivers are also underway, to equip caregivers with basic home care giving skills and introduction to related services and products. This will enhance the standard level of care at elderly’s home as well as in the Residential Home, helping caregivers to be great enablers.
12. I once again congratulate and thank CWA for their hard work and contributions made in the elderly sector for the past 31 years. They have made history, gleaned into the future and passed the baton of operating the Henderson Senior Citizens’ Home, including the May Wong Social and Lifestyle Centres to NTUC Eldercare, to ensure that the elderly continues to benefit, in terms of its service delivery standards and holistic care for many years to come.
13. I believe CWA will continue to influential in the VWO elderly sector. It will, very importantly, remain as Founding Friends of Henderson Home! The name of the founder, “May Wong”, will remain an integral part of the facility. It will remind us of the important pioneering role she had played in the development of eldercare sector in Singapore.
On this note, I wish all of you a fruitful and enjoyable seminar!
