Dr Tan is a geriatrician by training. She has been involved in direct patient care across the entire continuum including acute hospitals as well as in the intermediate and long term care sector. She has also been active in the development of geriatric medicine services where she headed Geriatric Medicine units in both Changi General Hospital and Singapore General Hospital where she worked closely with the Orthopaedic Department to set up a holistic programme for the care of older persons admitted to the Orthopaedic Unit .
As a policy maker, she was with the Ministry of Health, Singapore and held concurrent appointments in the Epidemiology and Disease Control, Integrated Health Services and Health Finance Divisions. She served as Deputy Director (Elderly and Disability Policy), Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports and worked on the Prime Minster Office (Ageing) portfolio.
Session:
Compassion & Care, 8 October 2022, 1030 - 1230hrsSupporting Caregivers Across the Continuum of Care
"We are united by our common purpose to put 'Patients. At the Heart of All We Do.' Our institutions may span from primary to acute care but the fundamental principle to place patients at the heart of all initiatives remains. We aim to ensure that they remain well-supported as they journey from one care setting to another." (Singhealth)
This is indeed the purpose and challenge we face especially in the face of an ageing population with high prevalence of chronic disease. Singapore is one of the fastest-aging populations due to increased life expectancy and lowered fertility. Lifestyle changes increase the burden of chronic diseases and disability. A recent study1 conducted indicated that by 2050, 1 in 6 elders in Singapore will have at least one ADL disability and 1 in 3 elders will have at least one IADL disability, an increase from 1 in 12 elders and 1 in 5 elders respectively in 2014. The highest prevalence of functional disability will be in those aged 85 years and above. Lifetime hospitalization spending of elders aged 55 and above is US$24,400 (30.2%) higher among people with functional disability compared to those without disability.
The profile of the Singaporean population has also changed with many more seniors living alone, or with an equally elderly spouse. The number of young vis a vis older person (old age support rato) is also shrinking both at a national level and families. The family can no longer be the first and only source of care. Caregiver support has become critical even as we learn from the valuable lessons of Covid and pivot to prevention and community care. Patients are People first, not just in the hospital but in the community.
Partnerships are key. Not only with patients (People), families but also with providers. It is not possible for any organisation to be the main provider across the entire continuum of care. Each of us -doctor, nurse, therapist, social worker, working in a public hospital, private or VWO, has a role to play based on our strengths and expertise in this partnership to put "Patients. At the Heart of All we do". (355 words)
1The long-term impact of functional disability on hospitalization spending in SingaporeChen et al The Journal of the Economics of Ageing Volume 14, 2019, 100193
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