The Ministry of Health (MOH) recently announced the shelving of plans for Jade Circle, a pioneering model of care for dementia patients that proposes to house them in single or twin rooms. All subsidised beds and nursing homes in Singapore currently have six- to eight-bed dormitories for patients, and the only instance for a subsidised patient to be housed in a single room would be for infection-control purposes.
However, the need for personal space such as the need for individual rooms and a conducive environment is beneficial for dementia patients, says Associate Professor Gerald Koh from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health.
“In clinical practice, dementia patients with agitation and aggressive behaviours are often suppressed with anti-psychotic medications, which are associated with increased risk of falls and fractures, strokes, cardiovascular events and even sudden cardiac death. Conducive living spaces may reduce the need for potentially harmful anti-psychotic medications and form part of what is considered appropriate care of residents with dementia,” says A/Prof Koh.
But beyond people with dementia, as Singapore’s population ages, A/Prof Koh adds that “nursing homes in Singapore should adapt to the more sophisticated requirements of increasingly well-educated seniors by looking beyond our current medical and institution-based model, and towards a holistic and humanistic approach grounded in residents’ emotional and socio-psychological needs”.
Media Coverage:
- The Straits Times, 5 January 2016
- The Middle Ground, 5 January 2016