Dementia is a common illness that affects the older generation of Singapore. According to the Alzheimer’s Disease Association, there are 82,000 people in Singapore who suffer from dementia, and this number is expected to reach more than 100,000 by 2030.
In light of this, Singapore is doing more to aid these dementia patients and help make their lives easier.
For example, the HDBs in Nee Soon South and Chong Pang will soon be painted in February next year so that they will become easier to recognise for the dementia patients.
In other news, St John Singapore’s first dementia day-care centre has officially opened on 22 October.
It is currently located beside its headquarters along Beach Road.
New Features
The three-storey day-care centre cost a whopping $3 million to build, and it was completed in 2017 and began operations in April 2018. The centre also has other facilities to aid those who went in physical and cognitive training, as well as a training ground for staff.
The day-care centre has an outdoor garden for the elderly to enjoy the sceneries of Singapore and breathe in the fresh air, a karaoke area for them to let loose and sing their favourite old tunes, and a photo wall of Singapore’s yesteryears for them to fully immerse themselves and reminisce the past.
St John Singapore, formerly known as St John Ambulance Singapore, is a non-profit organisation that set out to provide medical assistance and ambulance services to the public.
They have now extended their outreach to dementia patients in hopes to reduce the responsibilities taken on by their caretakers.
Number Of Patients And Costing
The day-care centre currently serves 15 patients and can be expected to serve up to 30 patients. Should there be a need to accommodate more patients, they would make the necessary adjustments to expand their facilities.
With subsidies, it costs $14 a day to send a senior with dementia there and without subsidies, it will cost $60 a day.
Chief executive of St John Singapore Albert Choong said that they hope that more elderly patients would be able to benefit from their services, especially with the number of dementia patients increasing.
Let’s hope that more of such day-care centres are built as our population continues to grow older.
