Training More Healthcare Personnel to Look After Dementia Patients with Ageing Population

Mr Gan Thiam Poh asked the Minister for Health (a) whether there is a plan to train more healthcare personnel to look after dementia patients in view of the ageing population; and (b) what are the measures that have been put in place to support the projected increase in dementia care needed.

MOH adopts a multi-pronged approach in the provision of dementia care, which includes increasing care capacity and capability in the hospitals and the community, increasing awareness on dementia and supporting caregivers of people living with dementia (PLWD).

To increase the accessibility of dementia care services in the community, dementia shared care teams have been set up in the public hospitals to support our primary and community care providers in dementia care management through training and capability building. This includes training of community mental health teams, polyclinics and general practitioners in dementia assessment and intervention. In addition, the Graduate Diploma in Mental Health (GDMH), jointly organised by Institute of Mental Health (IMH) and the National University of Singapore (NUS), provides General Practitioners with structured training on the management of mental health conditions, including dementia. Dementia services are currently also available in the polyclinics.

For patients who require specialist care, the capacity of outpatient Memory Clinic services at public hospitals has increased since 2012. In addition, a new inpatient service for patients with behavioural and psychological symptoms of dementia (BPSD) has been introduced in three acute hospitals and two Community Hospitals.

Together with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), we have worked with our community care partners to establish community outreach teams and community intervention teams to reach out and provide education and intervention to PLWD and their caregivers. To further support PLWD and their caregivers to continue to live well and provide care, respectively, in the community, we have rolled out Dementia-Friendly Communities and increased the number of Dementia Day Care places in the past few years. For individuals who require residential care, dementia-friendly designs have been incorporated into our newer and upcoming government-built nursing homes to enhance the quality of care at these facilities.