The Ministry of Health has announced major plans to strengthen care for Singapore’s ageing population, with a stronger emphasis on shifting services into the community. This includes expanding hospital and nursing home capacity, while ensuring that seniors have access to support closer to home.
But care must go beyond physical health. Asst Prof Su Aw discusses the importance of addressing both the mental and physical wellbeing of older adults, and what this means for training healthcare providers, delivering community-based care and creating safe spaces and programmes that support seniors’ mental health and social connections.