Coordinating Befrienders' Outreach to the Elderly and Scaling Up Use of Technology to Monitor Seniors' Well-being

22 Assoc Prof Terence Ho asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health whether the Ministry can support the efforts of social service agencies’ senior befrienders by (i) coordinating their outreach to complement that of the Silver Generation ambassadors and (ii) scaling up the deployment of technology in homes to help family members or befrienders monitor the well-being of vulnerable seniors living alone.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: Under Age Well SG, the Silver Generation Office (SGO) and various social service agencies work closely together to support vulnerable seniors. SGO's role is to outreach to all seniors, identify seniors with needs, and connect them to community resources, such as befriending and buddying services at Active Ageing Centres. Befrienders from these social service agencies will then maintain regular contact with seniors, with those accepting the befriending service contacted at least monthly.

The Housing and Development Board has been progressively extending the wireless Alert Alarm System to seniors staying in public rental blocks, to allow them to call for help during emergencies. The Ministry of Health is also implementing the enhanced Home Personal Care service islandwide from April 2026, where eligible seniors can subscribe to a technology-enabled fall and incident monitoring and response service.