Integration of care to better support the elderly in Singapore
| In response to an ageing population, the Singaporean health system has transformed the way it delivers healthcare to the elderly with a multidisciplinary, person-centric approach and joining up care services.48 Primary care services have been extended with networks between hospitals and local primary care providers (including dental and allied health professionals) to provide family-oriented care. Social support has been improved for the elderly through formalised networks linking government agencies, health providers and community groups.48 A key lesson is the importance of effective collaboration in the Ministry of Health for education and training, healthcare finance reforms, robust health information systems, responsiveness to emergent behaviours and the ability to self-organise and adapt to unexpected situations.49,50 Challenges include scale up of successful pilot models, enhancing jobs and skills, and maintaining affordability.51 |