COVID-19 Impact on Home Visits and Interventions by IMH Community Health Team and Community Dementia Services

112 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Minister for Health how have home visits and interventions by the IMH Community Health Team and community dementia services been affected as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and ensuing safety precautions.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: During the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, we continued to make available our community mental health and dementia services, with added precautionary measures. Intervention and counselling are conducted through telephone or video consultations as far as possible for patients who are assessed to be suitable. For interventions that cannot be delivered effectively online or for patients who are not suitable to receive intervention remotely, service personnel meet patients at community sites or their homes, with safe management measures (SMM) in place.

While certain high-risk activities such as group activities, mask-off activities and door-to-door outreach services have been curtailed, in-person service is allowed to support patients with severe conditions, inadequate family support and intensive care needs, such as those at risk of injury or who are at high risk of relapse of their psychiatric conditions.

Patients may also seek support through helplines such as the Samaritans of Singapore (SOS) 24-hour crisis hotline, Institute of Mental Health’s Mental Health Helpline and the Senior Helpline operated by SAGE Counselling Centre.