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Straits Times
30-05-2025
- Health
- Straits Times
Some 800 seniors in 14 active ageing centres to benefit from new dementia prevention programme
The dementia prevention community programme will be rolled out to 14 active ageing centres by 2029. ST PHOTO: AZMI ATHNI Some 800 seniors in 14 active ageing centres to benefit from new dementia prevention programme SINGAPORE – About 800 seniors with mild or no cognitive impairment and their caregivers are set to benefit from a dementia prevention community programme which will be rolled out to 14 active ageing centres (AACs) by 2029. The IMPRESS-MIND2S programme is funded to the tune of about $3 million by the National Innovation Challenge on Active and Confident Ageing grant. It is slated to be piloted at the NTUC Health active ageing centre in Redhill in August 2025 for a start, with 60 seniors benefiting from the programme. The initiative, launched by healthcare cluster SingHealth, was announced by Senior Minister of State for Health Tan Kiat How on May 30 at the SingHealth Community Forum held at Singapore General Hospital. Under the programme, community nurses will use established screening tools like tests to detect those who have mild cognitive impairment and will benefit from the programme. These selected seniors will then receive personalised health coaching to manage dementia risk factors like diet, exercise, stress management and sleep; and have structured physical activity sessions at AACs. Seniors will also use elderly-friendly tablets called SilverPads to play specially designed games to improve their memory and executive function. Their caregivers will also receive education and support – for example, referrals to respite care and caregiver support groups – to lighten caregiver burden. All in, seniors are expected to attend about three sessions at their AACs a week. SingHealth worked with community partners such as Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities, Montfort Care, NTUC Health and Alkin Singapore to co-create the programme. Mr Tan pointed out that based on the second Well-being of the Singapore Elderly study, in 2023, one in 11 seniors aged 60 years and above had dementia. 'This goes beyond another health programme: it is a personalised approach to detecting and delaying cognitive decline, working with seniors who have mild or no cognitive impairment, and their caregivers. ' What makes this approach different from others is how it weaves interventions into daily life, with activities designed to naturally fit into seniors' existing routines,' said Mr Tan. Prof Low Lien Leng, director at SingHealth Centre for Population Health Research and Implementation, said that there is strong evidence that if dementia risk factors are controlled and cognitive function is improved, the risk of developing dementia is lowered. But such measures have not been implemented in the community, and the pilot will offer insights on how that can be done while keeping seniors interested and engaged. Join ST's WhatsApp Channel and get the latest news and must-reads.
CNA
23-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
In Pictures: These horses softened fearful hearts to earn kisses, hugs and ‘love letters' from seniors in therapy programme
SINGAPORE — Placing one hand gently on the forehead of Matahari, a dark-chocolate brown mare, Mr Ang Tee Hiom read it a short letter that he had prepared the week before. 'Hi Matahari. You look very healthy and strong. You look friendly. It's a great day to meet up with you,' the retired police officer said. Matahari tilted its head towards Mr Ang, as if sensing he was saying goodbye, for now. At 25 years old, the former polo horse would be equivalent in human age to Mr Ang who is 75. Mr Ang was one of 10 seniors who took part in a 10-week long equine-assisted programme for elders and it was the last session. In this week's In Pictures, CNA TODAY takes a look at how the equine programme has benefited the retiree and the unexpected bonds that had formed along the way. The Temasek Foundation-EQUAL Haydays with Horses programme is a two-year pilot that connects seniors – including those who may be socially isolated – with horses. Through activities such as feeding, grooming and interacting with horses, the equine-assisted programme seeks to enhance elders' physical and psychological well-being, cognitive functioning and social connectedness with the horses and other people. The sessions are conducted at selected NTUC Health nursing homes and active ageing centres, or at the stables run by the charity group EQUAL. The seniors get to interact with nine retired horses that were previously racehorses, polo horses or riding school horses, as well as six miniature horses. The programme, which was first introduced in October 2024, will be gradually rolled out to some 800 seniors in NTUC Health nursing homes and active ageing centres by 2026. Madam Chow May Ho, 77 is one of the seniors participating in the programme. Together with her husband, the couple signed up for the equine programme with much enthusiasm, but had cold feet the day before the first session began. 'We were very excited, but after signing up, I was a bit scared. That night, I couldn't sleep. Are the horses aggressive? Will they kick us?," Mdm Chow recalled. Their fear was probably compounded by their friends' concerns, who had told them that the stable would be 'smelly and infested with mosquitoes' and that they had to be under the sun for hours, even though these friends have not interacted with horses or taken part in the programme. Mdm Chow's husband Tan Choon How said he wore a long sleeved T-shirt, a wide-brimmed hat and doused himself with mosquito repellent on his first visit to the stable. Eventually, their fears dissipated and their confidence grew as they learnt how to interact with the horses. In the end, even their most sceptical friends signed up for the sessions. A NERVOUS KISS FOR "SAYANG" At the active ageing centre in Jurong West where one of the sessions was being conducted, Mdm Chow was tasked to write a letter to one of the miniature horses named Boogie that was brought there that day. Halfway through penning her thoughts, she was distracted by Harley, another miniature male horse that was there. Unable to resist petting him, she stopped her work and placed her hand near its nose for it to sniff, a technique she was taught as a way to introduce oneself to a horse. The trainer then asked if she would like to give Harley a kiss. With much trepidation, she leaned forward and gave the horse a small peck and stroked its mane, while gently whispering 'sayang' to it, a term of endearment in Malay. The retired preschool teacher said her heart was racing because it was her first time kissing an animal. As Mdm Chow's confidence grew, so did her husband's. Programme instructor Clarabelle Sih, 29, said she saw the 'biggest change in attitude' in Mr Tan among the seniors. 'At the begining when you talked to him, he could not focus. His hands were shaking, even while leading the horse,' Ms Sih recalled. The former taxi driver said he had never been so close to such a large animal before, let alone touched one. However, his fear gradually went away and before long, he was looking forward to the interactions. 'Even though each session is two hours, it passes by very quickly, like there's not enough time." During the last session at the stable, Mr Tan waved goodbye to each of the horses in their stalls and patted them on their heads, bidding them a fond farewell. Fear and anxiety were common feelings among the seniors at the start of the programme. Mr Ang, for instance, said he was 'a little scared' as well when he first approached a horse. The 75-year-old, who bears a stoic exterior, is not someone who is easily intimidated, having worked in the police force, the prison service and the Singapore Boys' Home, a shelter for youth in rehabilitation. Still, he said it was "different" when it came to animals. 'For human beings, if we don't like them, we can scold them, we can react to the way they treated us. But for animals, we have to understand their feelings, so it's a different type of interaction,' he added. Ms Sih noticed that Mr Ang had 'came out of his shell' since the first few sessions of the programme, when he preferred to sit by himself away from the rest of the group. Unlike most of the other participants who came with either their partners or friends, Mr Ang signed up for the programme alone, out of curiosity. He lives with his wife, who is still working, and two adult children. During the last session at the stable, he got emotional when he spoke about Matahari, having built a connection with it. 'Feels sad that I won't be able to see her again,' he said with a trembling voice. GRANDMA "KNOWS WHAT SHE IS DOING" On the last day of the programme, the participants were allowed to invite a guest to the active ageing centre in Jurong West to interact with two miniature horses. Mr Ang invited his daughter, Ms Doreen Ang, 38, a human resource executive who took leave from work to see firsthand what her father has been preoccupied himself with for the past 10 weeks. He showed her how to adopt a relaxed posture while holding the lead rope as well as where to stand when introducing herself to the horses. Ms Ang said that her father looked forward to the sessions every week and would share photos of himself with the horses in the family chat group on the phone. Mdm Chow took along her 16-year-old grandson Brandon Sim, who got to see his grandmother move with ease around the horses. She instructed him to say the horse's name when approaching it and introduce himself. 'She knows what she's doing,' he said proudly. When it was time for a final group photo, the trainers positioned the horses in front of the seniors and their guests. And as if right on cue, Ginger the miniature horse delivered its parting gift – a sizeable poop drop, just as the photo was being taken. Laughter broke out all round and someone in the group quipped that everyone received some 'good luck' to end the day.
CNA
02-05-2025
- Health
- CNA
GE2025: Nursing homes make arrangements for residents to cast their votes
Some nursing homes are making their own arrangements for their residents to cast their votes in the General Election. A pilot programme during the last Presidential Election, in which polling stations were set up within nursing homes, has been discontinued. NTUC Health has arranged for more than 40 staff members and volunteers to escort seniors to their allocated stations. They will accompany more than 90 seniors across its six nursing homes islandwide. Meanwhile, 15 residents from the Kwong Wai Shiu Hospital in Potong Pasir will be casting their votes with the help of students from St Andrew's Junior College.
