"At the moment, we have siloed applications but lack integrated ones that can be comprehensive enough to meet the multiple needs of seniors, as well as solutions that can be customised to their particular needs. KTPH's Prof Yap said Singapore has the essential technologies and clinicians who are keen to work with partners to devise innovative solutions.īut what the country needs is integrated solutions that will meet the needs of seniors here more holistically, the geriatrician pointed out. He said: "They are going to expect to encounter the healthcare system the same way they encounter every other aspect of their lives, and that is going to be online and asynchronous." He said the move to integrate assistive technology into eldercare is a global trend, with middle-aged people today not wanting to encounter healthcare the same way their parents did. The initiative, when fully implemented this year, will help Denmark save 67 million euros (S$107 million) a year.ĭr Paul Grundy, chief medical officer and global director of healthcare transformation for IBM's Healthcare and Life Science Industry, spoke to TNP at a medical conference in August. These include devices that help the elderly eat or to transfer a wheelchair user in and out of vehicles. Since 2013, Denmark has been allocating assistive technologies to its elderly and those physically challenged so they can be independent. ![]() Mr Heng said: "We can learn from the Danish experience in terms of the preventive and rehabilitative part of care." Senior Minister of State in the Prime Minister's Office Heng Chee How raised this at a dialogue organised by the Royal Danish Embassy last year, where representatives of Singapore and Denmark exchanged views on how to design elderly-friendly societies. IMPORTANTĪs the population ages, assistive technology will be increasingly important. "This is because the former came from a generation with little exposure to technology, especially during their working years," he told The New Paper. Yet our current batch of seniors are averse to technology, those aged 75 and older more so than those aged between 65 and 74, said Associate Professor Philip Yap, the director of the geriatric centre at the Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH). The increase is in part due to a growing number of elderly people 65 and above being admitted. ![]() Admissions to the hospitals spiked by 9 per cent last year compared to 2015, figures from the Ministry of Health (MOH) show. With a quarter of our population turning 65 or older by 2030, there is a rush to empower seniors with assistive technology so they can age in place independently. Dr Paul Grundy, chief medical officer and global director of healthcare transformation for IBM’s Healthcare and Life Science Industry When you think about the technology and tools that are going to make someone’s life easier, where that seems to work best is a relationship with trust, with someone in your life you will turn to in times of ill health. His father's plight illustrates the bind Singapore is caught in.
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