Singapore: As Singapore’s population ages, the Ministry of Health (MOH) aims to nearly double the number of long-term care centers to 220 and expand the range of services by 2025.
The Elderly Care Center serves as a reliable place for all seniors and offers a variety of services such as active aging programs, friendships, referrals and care services.
“This is the Ministry of Health’s largest ground community asset,” Health Minister Ong Ye Kung said on Monday (June 13), noting that there are currently 119 care centers.
At the Integrated Care Agency (AIC) Community Care Work Planning Seminar, Mr. On said that ultimately each elderly care center would need to be responsible for 1,000 to 4,000 elderly people.
He added that he needs to work with community networks such as grassroots, social welfare offices and general practitioners to address health and social needs.
“In addition, we will expand the scope of our services at the Elderly Care Center,” said On.
“For example, today’s older people may visit GPs and polyclinics once every few months due to chronic illness. In between these visits, older people visit the Elderly Care Center. You can engage in health-related activities or enroll in an active aging program.
“In time, we want to enable the Elderly Care Center to monitor the vital signs of the elderly, perform a brief health check, and collaborate with other services and healthcare providers.”
Focusing on the challenges of aging, On said the number of beds in nursing homes increased by 70% from about 9,600 to 16,200 between 2010 and 2020.
Over the next decade, authorities plan to increase capacity by nearly 100% to more than 31,000 beds.
Therefore, Mr. On said it is important to expand both the scale and scope of services at the Elderly Care Center to support the aging of people in the right places, communities and at home. rice field.
“It’s not a panacea, but it helps to establish and support community care,” he added.
