How tech can close the care gap for an ageing nation with dignity

Business Times

2 days ago

SINGAPORE is facing a stark demographic reality. By 2030, one in 25 Singaporeans will be aged 80 and above, while the number of people available to care for them is shrinking fast.
This is not about longer wait times at the nearby clinic or the higher cost of healthcare. We are, in fact, heading towards a point where there simply are not enough hands for basic human needs: getting dressed, taking medication or having someone help you up after a fall.
The uncomfortable question becomes: When traditional care is no longer feasible, what happens to dignity? What happens to the quality of care we want for our own parents? We must rethink how care is delivered, and technology is an ideal way to bridge the gap between our ageing population's needs and our shrinking workforce's capacity.
Freeing caregivers to care
On the ground, caregivers are burning out fast. They spend precious time on administrative tasks, wheeling meal trays, hunting for clean linen and tracking medication. These tasks eat into hours they could spend providing quality care.
Meanwhile, most aged care facilities disallow smartphones, leading caregivers to secretly use WhatsApp and Telegram to coordinate and communicate with colleagues. What if we used technology to return that time to them?
Autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) are already doing the heavy lifting in 16 Singapore nursing homes, managing routine transport tasks and freeing up at least 10 per cent more staff time for direct patient care. This is not about replacing caregivers, but about letting them focus on what they do best – providing the human connection that no robot can replicate.
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Instead of disallowing smartphones, aged care facilities should embrace them. With the right tools, a smartphone can become the central hub for everything from instant communication with colleagues to real-time care plan updates and emergency alerts.
Sensor networks for emergency alert systems let caregivers instantly call for help during medical emergencies. Add artificial intelligence (AI)-powered cameras that spot falls or wandering incidents, and you have caregivers who can respond to real emergencies instead of constantly checking 'just in case'.
This digital-first approach also appeals to incoming Gen Z caregivers who expect modern, tech-enabled work environments.
Preserving dignity through patient-centric technology
But technology for caregivers is only half the equation. The real test of technology in aged care is whether it serves the people receiving care – and their expectations are changing, too.
Tomorrow's seniors are already familiar with technology, and have no intention of handing over control of their lives just because they need some extra support. They want to stay in charge, not be managed. This insight changes our approach to technology in aged care. Instead of being nagged to take medication, a gentle robot can offer a reminder. The difference is between being watched and being supported.
This is where it gets a little tricky – AI-powered monitoring should preserve dignity, not compromise it. Nobody wants to feel they are living under surveillance, even if it is 'for their own good'. The systems we build must have ethics and transparency at their core. Seniors should know exactly what is being monitored, and who can see the data.
The goal is not a fully automated aged care facility, but giving our seniors the tools to stay independent for as long as possible. That includes everything from smart sensors that prevent falls to user-friendly bedside devices that help them stay connected to family. Ultimately, technology should amplify human dignity, not diminish it.
An integrated approach to modern aged care
Solving this crisis at scale requires more than individual facility upgrades. It demands coordinated leadership to create an ecosystem of innovation. Singapore's government, for example, is not just debating policy, but putting real money behind such efforts.
The Productivity and Digitalisation Uplift Grant has already supported nursing homes by deploying the AMRs mentioned earlier. This commitment is further deepened with the government's S$107 million investment in Active Ageing Centre infrastructure upgrades through 2027.
This is certainly not about buying a few robots and calling it done. Modern aged care facilities must be smart ecosystems built around innovative care models from the ground up. In a project with a large social service organisation in Singapore, we deployed AI-powered closed-circuit television networks that actively monitor for falls, violence, loitering and other safety concerns across communal areas.
When an incident is detected, the system does not just sound an alarm, but it sends targeted alerts to nearby nurses' smartphones via Wi-Fi. These alerts come with context: the incident type, its exact location and three actionable buttons.
One shows the live camera feed from the incident location. Another opens medical records of the patient identified via facial recognition, eliminating precious time spent on identification and medication checks. The third connects directly to relevant personnel like the head nurse or other caregivers for additional support.
This is representative of the kind of integrated approach that modern aged care facilities need: networks where your building's CCTV infrastructure 'talks' to workflow automation systems, with high-performance Wi-Fi seamlessly connecting everything from emergency response tools to mobile collaboration platforms.
Existing aged care facilities make excellent testing grounds for breakthrough solutions like this.
From crisis to global leadership in digital care
Developed countries worldwide, like Japan and South Korea, face similar challenges with aged care. With its government support, innovative capacity and demographic urgency, Singapore can solve this puzzle first.
Ageing populations in Asia are creating significant investment opportunities. The silver economy market value in Asia is expected to surpass US$4 trillion this year, with a projected 7 per cent compound annual growth rate through 2032.
By developing world-class aged care technologies and operational models that can be exported globally, Singapore's aged care providers can transform the nation's demographic challenge into a blueprint for dignified ageing.
If they crack this code first, the rest of the world will come calling.
The writer is director of vertical partnerships, Asia-Pacific, at Alcatel-Lucent Enterprise