Speech by President Halimah Yacob at the official launch of Dementia Singapore

This month is World Alzheimer’s Month. It is therefore my pleasure to launch Dementia Singapore today.

According to the Wellbeing of the Singapore Elderly study conducted by the Institute of Mental Health in 2013, it is estimated that one in 10 seniors aged 60 and above have dementia. With our ageing population, this can only mean that the number of people living with dementia is expected to rise over time. Hence, it is imperative to plan ahead to improve our capability and capacity for dementia care, and introduce quality programmes to meet the growing demand. At the same time, we need to create a dementia-friendly society.

You may ask – what is a dementia-friendly society? A dementia-friendly society is one where people living with dementia are understood, respected, supported, and can move around safely with ease in the communities they reside in.

They can lead independent and meaningful lives.We do so by adopting a multipronged approach of developing dementia care for the population. On the one hand, we need to reduce stigma and increase awareness of dementia. On the other, we need to improve care and support in the community, not just for those living with the condition but also their caregivers.

I am glad that we have made some progress in this direction. For example, this year, the Health Promotion Board launched a campaign on vascular dementia, one of the more common types of dementia, to create awareness and encourage the public to seek help early if they detect related signs and symptoms. Risk factors for vascular dementia include obesity and smoking, as well as chronic conditions such as high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, and diabetes. We can all take active steps to reduce our risk of vascular dementia by adopting healthy living habits such as having a balanced diet, regular physical activity, not smoking, and attending relevant health screening to facilitate early detection and management of chronic conditions.

MOH and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) have also worked with our community care partners, including the Alzheimer’s Disease Association (ADA), to establish 50 community outreach teams and 21 community intervention teams to provide intervention to persons with, or at-risk of, dementia as well as their caregivers. As of December last year, these teams have reached out to over 380,000 people. MOH has also set up six dementia shared care teams to build the capabilities of primary and community care providers, including nursing homes, in dementia care management.

For the larger community, Dementia-Friendly Communities have been rolled out in 14 areas to support people living with dementia and their caregivers. In these communities, people will learn more about dementia. Persons with dementia and their caregivers will feel included and supported to continue living well at home. This will also give caregivers greater peace of mind, as they know that the community is safe for their loved ones to reside in. Through this effort, we hope to build a society that supports people living with dementia and their caregiver in their everyday lives.

Today, I am pleased to announce that the ADA has completed its transition to the new ‘Dementia Singapore’. With this transformation, Dementia Singapore will expand its focus from Alzheimer’s Disease to other dementia-related conditions. This includes the launch of four dementia initiatives, which will be rolled out over the course of the year. These include a one-stop Dementia Resource Portal, a Dementia Membership Programme, a Dementia-Inclusive Business Toolkit, and a Dementia-Inclusive Assisted Living concept. These initiatives are good first steps, and I urge Dementia Singapore to further assess the needs of the dementia community here and work with the Government to boost our capabilities to build a dementia-friendly society.

As Singapore continues our fight against the COVID-19 pandemic, we must make sure that no group is left behind. People living with dementia and their caregivers would undoubtedly have faced more challenges than others during this period, such as increased social isolation and loneliness. Hence, I urge everyone to practise empathy and do our part to reach out to people living with dementia, such as lending a helping hand to seniors who are in need. With everyone’s support, I am confident that we are a step closer to becoming a dementia-friendly society.

Congratulations Dementia Singapore.

Thank you.