Latest news with #SingaporeGeneralHospital
Asia News Network
2 days ago
- Health
- Asia News Network
Singapore-developed AI-powered app accurately identifies pre-dementia seniors
July 22, 2025 SINGAPORE – A new locally developed digital application powered by artificial intelligence (AI) takes less than five minutes to identify seniors with early memory problems or pre-dementia, with an accuracy rate of up to 93 per cent. Patients can use Pensieve-AI to draw pictures on a tablet with a stylus and the app's AI will check different areas of thinking and memory before analysing the drawings for signs of pre-dementia. It will soon replace current screening tools doctors use to assess for dementia, which include using pen and paper to draw a clock and recalling three random unrelated words, such as banana, sunrise and chair. A nationwide study of the app completed in September 2024 found that it achieved an accuracy of 93 per cent in detecting pre-dementia, a result that is as good as the current gold standard of detailed cognitive testing. The results were published in the scientific journal Nature Communications at the end of March. Pensieve-AI was developed by the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech), and is slated to be rolled out in 2026. Dr Liew Tau Ming, a senior consultant in the department of psychiatry at SGH, said the Pensieve-AI test, which comprises four drawing tasks including a clock, can be done by seniors themselves with little or no help in 3½ minutes. The current test can take up to 30 minutes to complete, depending on the patient's literacy skills, and needs trained staff to administer. 'It was in June 2020 when we started to discuss and develop the app. A year later, in June 2021, we started our study on whether the AI would be able to detect pre-dementia. We recruited nearly 1,800 seniors aged 65 and above for the study,' Dr Liew said. Pensieve-AI may become available at community sites, in the form of tablets. It cannot be downloaded to smartphones, to prevent people from learning to draw the images by rote. 'Mild cognitive impairment, or more commonly referred to as pre-dementia, is often missed because it can be mistaken as part of normal ageing. But pre-dementia can show up as more frequent memory lapses, trouble finding the right words, or increasing difficulty managing day-to-day tasks,' he said. This is worrying for the authorities, as the number of people living with dementia will rise as Singapore's population ages. By 2030, about 80,000 of the almost one million seniors in Singapore are projected to have dementia. One participant of the Pensieve-AI study was Madam Tan Yew Tee, 84, who was found to have early dementia after she was tested using the app. 'My mother has a penchant for bringing home brochures and it was a blessing that she brought the one on Pensieve-AI back from the (active ageing centre) which she was attending,' said her daughter and caregiver Nancy Hoon, 59. 'That was how we found out her condition. Otherwise, I would have thought she was getting older and her forgetfulness and memory lapse were all part of ageing. She kept asking me what day it was every five minutes. It was exasperating. (It was) only after I found out that she has early dementia that I became more understanding towards her,' she said. Today, Madam Tan continues to go to an active ageing centre and her daughter also schedules activities for her to engage in with other seniors, such as arts and craft. 'The socialisation seems to have helped stave (off) the condition. She seems happier and is no longer the woman who sat and daydreamed in front of the television every day,' Ms Hoon said.
The Star
2 days ago
- Health
- The Star
AI-powered app accurately identifies pre-dementia seniors, to be available in Singapore in 2026
SINGAPORE: A new locally developed digital application powered by artificial intelligence (AI) takes less than five minutes to identify seniors with early memory problems or pre-dementia, with an accuracy rate of up to 93 per cent. Patients can use Pensieve-AI to draw pictures on a tablet with a stylus and the app's AI will check different areas of thinking and memory before analysing the drawings for signs of pre-dementia. It will soon replace current screening tools doctors use to assess for dementia, which include using pen and paper to draw a clock and recalling three random unrelated words, such as banana, sunrise and chair. A nationwide study of the app completed in September 2024 found that it achieved an accuracy of 93 per cent in detecting pre-dementia, a result that is as good as the current gold standard of detailed cognitive testing. The results were published in the scientific journal Nature Communications at the end of March. Pensieve-AI was developed by the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech), and is slated to be rolled out in 2026. Dr Liew Tau Ming, a senior consultant in the department of psychiatry at SGH, said the Pensieve-AI test, which comprises four drawing tasks including a clock, can be done by seniors themselves with little or no help in 3½ minutes. The current test can take up to 30 minutes to complete, depending on the patient's literacy skills, and needs trained staff to administer. 'It was in June 2020 when we started to discuss and develop the app. A year later, in June 2021, we started our study on whether the AI would be able to detect pre-dementia. We recruited nearly 1,800 seniors aged 65 and above for the study,' Dr Liew said. Pensieve-AI may become available at community sites, in the form of tablets. It cannot be downloaded to smartphones, to prevent people from learning to draw the images by rote. 'Mild cognitive impairment, or more commonly referred to as pre-dementia, is often missed because it can be mistaken as part of normal ageing. But pre-dementia can show up as more frequent memory lapses, trouble finding the right words, or increasing difficulty managing day-to-day tasks,' he said. This is worrying for the authorities, as the number of people living with dementia will rise as Singapore's population ages. By 2030, about 80,000 of the almost one million seniors in Singapore are projected to have dementia. One participant of the Pensieve-AI study was Madam Tan Yew Tee, 84, who was found to have early dementia after she was tested using the app. 'My mother has a penchant for bringing home brochures and it was a blessing that she brought the one on Pensieve-AI back from the (active ageing centre) which she was attending,' said her daughter and caregiver Nancy Hoon, 59. 'That was how we found out her condition. Otherwise, I would have thought she was getting older and her forgetfulness and memory lapse were all part of ageing. She kept asking me what day it was every five minutes. It was exasperating. (It was) only after I found out that she has early dementia that I became more understanding towards her,' she said. Today, Madam Tan continues to go to an active ageing centre and her daughter also schedules activities for her to engage in with other seniors, such as arts and craft. 'The socialisation seems to have helped stave (off) the condition. She seems happier and is no longer the woman who sat and daydreamed in front of the television every day,' Ms Hoon said. - The Straits Times/ANN
Straits Times
3 days ago
- Health
- Straits Times
AI-powered app accurately identifies pre-dementia seniors, to be available in 2026
Madam Tan Yew Tee (centre) with daughter and caregiver Nancy Hoon (right) and Dr Liew Tau Ming. She was one of the participants in the nationwide study. SINGAPORE - A new locally developed digital application powered by artificial intelligence (AI) takes less than five minutes to identify seniors with early memory problems or pre-dementia, with an accuracy rate of up to 93 per cent. Patients can use Pensieve-AI to draw pictures on a tablet with a stylus and the app's AI will check different areas of thinking and memory before analysing the drawings for signs of pre-dementia. It will soon replace current screening tools doctors use to assess for dementia, which include using pen and paper to draw a clock and recalling three random unrelated words, such as banana, sunrise and chair. A nationwide study of the app completed in September 2024 found that it achieved an accuracy of 93 per cent in detecting pre-dementia, a result that is as good as current gold standard of detailed cognitive testing. The results were published in the scientific journal Nature Communications at the end of March . Pensieve-AI was developed by the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and the Government Technology Agency of Singapore (GovTech) , and it will be rolled out islandwide in 2026. Dr Liew Tau Ming, a senior consultant in the department of psychiatry at SGH, said the Pensieve-AI test, which comprises four drawing tasks including a clock, can be done by seniors themselves with little or no help in 3½ minutes. Top stories Swipe. Select. Stay informed. Singapore Subsidies and grants for some 20,000 people miscalculated due to processing issue: MOH Singapore 2 workers stranded on gondola dangling outside Raffles City Tower rescued by SCDF Business Why Singapore and its businesses stand to lose with US tariffs on the region Singapore NTU introduces compulsory cadaver dissection classes for medical students from 2026 Business $1.1 billion allocated to three fund managers to boost Singapore stock market: MAS Singapore Jail for man who conspired with another to bribe MOH agency employee with $18k Paris trip Singapore Jail, caning for man who held metal rod to cashier's neck in failed robbery attempt The current test can take up to 30 minutes to complete, depending on the patient's literacy skills, and it needs trained staff to administer. 'It was in June 2020 when we started to discus and develop the app. A year later, in June 2021, we started our study on whether the AI would be able to detect pre-dementia. We recruited nearly 1,800 seniors aged 65 and above for the study,' Dr Liew said. Pensieve-AI is available on tablets located at places such as Active Ageing Centres (AACs). It cannot be downloaded to smartphones, to prevent people from learning to draw the images by rote. 'Mild cognitive impairment, or more commonly referred to as pre-dementia, is often missed because it can be mistaken as part of normal ageing. But pre-dementia can show up as more frequent memory lapses, trouble finding the right words, or increasing difficulty managing day-to-day tasks,' he said. This is worrying for the authorities as the number of people living with dementia will rise as Singapore's population ages. By 2030, about 80,000 of the almost one million seniors in Singapore are projected to have dementia. Seniors can take the Pensieve-AI test themselves with little or no help. It comprises four drawing tasks and can be completed in less than five minutes. ST PHOTO: HESTER TAN One participant of the Pensieve-AI study was Madam Tan Yew Tee, 84, who was found to have early dementia after she was tested using the app. 'My mother has a penchant for bringing home brochures and it was a blessing that she brought the one on Pensieve-AI back from the AAC which she was attending,' said her daughter and caregiver Nancy Hoon, 59. 'That was how we found out her condition. Otherwise, I would have thought she was getting older and her forgetfulness and memory lapse were all part of ageing. She kept asking me what day it was every five minutes. It was exasperating. Only after I found out that she has early dementia that I became more understanding towards her,' she said. Today, Madam Tan continues to go to an AAC and her daughter also schedules for her activities to engage in with other seniors, such as arts and craft . 'The socialisation seems to have helped stave (off) the condition. She seems happier and is no longer the woman who sat and daydreamed in front of the television every day,' Ms Hoon said.
New Paper
4 days ago
- New Paper
Woman, 27, and cabby sent to hospital after three-vehicle crash in City Hall
A 27-year-old woman and a 67-year-old male cab driver were taken to hospital after a van, taxi and car were involved in a pile-up in the City Hall area on July 17. The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) were informed of the accident at the junction of North Bridge Road and Stamford Road at about 12.15pm. The cab driver and the woman, who was a passenger in the car, were taken to the Singapore General Hospital while they were conscious, said the police. A 60-year-old female car driver is assisting with police investigations, which are under way. In dashcam footage of the accident posted on Facebook, a silver car can be seen hitting head first a stationary ComfortDelGro taxi, sending it crashing into a van in front of it. Photos of the aftermath of the accident show the silver car with a heavily damaged bonnet while the taxi has a damaged bonnet and rear. Editor's note: In an earlier version of this story, we reported that a 7-year-old girl was taken to the hospital after the accident. The police has since clarified that it was a 27-year-old woman instead.
CNA
4 days ago
- CNA
Cement truck overturns in Chinatown; driver taken to hospital
SINGAPORE: A man was taken to hospital after the cement truck he was driving overturned along a road in Chinatown on Saturday (Jul 19). The police and the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF) said they were alerted to the accident at 5pm. The cement truck had "self-skidded" along Eu Tong Sen Street towards Hill Street, said the police. The 52-year-old driver, who was conscious, was sent to Singapore General Hospital. The man is also assisting with investigations, which are ongoing, said the police. In May, more than 80 heavy vehicle drivers were handed summonses for various traffic offences, including speeding, using mobile devices while driving or failing to display speed limiter labels visibly.
