Encourage Utilisation and Expansion of Elderly Befriender Services to Reduce Elderly Suicide Rates
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns the enhancement of elderly befriender services and suicide prevention measures, as raised by Mr Saktiandi Supaat and Ms Joan Pereira regarding CareLine usage, Silver Generation Office (SGO) outreach, and support for religious organisations. Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung highlighted a multi-pronged strategy involving upstream prevention and crisis intervention through the Institute of Mental Health Helpline and 50 community outreach teams. He stated that CareLine supported 10,000 seniors by May 2021, while the Agency for Integrated Care provides training and materials to faith-based organisations to address mental health risks. To combat social isolation, SGO and Eldercare Centres conduct frequent outreach, following a protocol to build trust with caregivers and establish emergency contacts if assistance is declined. The Ministry continues to collaborate with partners like Samaritans of Singapore to provide counseling resources and strengthen community capabilities for supporting the mental well-being of seniors.
Transcript
49 Mr Saktiandi Supaat asked the Minister for Health (a) how many elderly persons have benefited from CareLine since its rollout and what is being done to raise awareness and encourage its usage; (b) whether more resources will be given to befriender services and suicide prevention groups; (c) whether the Silver Generation Office can increase the number of house visits to seniors living alone; and (d) what is the protocol when the senior declines assistance.
50 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Health with elderly suicides on the rise, whether the Ministry can provide resources to religious organisations to help address this issue.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: MOH adopts a multi-pronged approach, comprising upstream prevention, supportive care as well as crisis intervention for those at-risk of mental health difficulties. Under this approach, there are several channels of help:
The Institute of Mental Health (IMH)'s Mental Health Helpline, available to the public 24 hours daily, provides counseling for those suffering from psychological and psychiatric problems.
Within the community, Family Service Centres (FSCs) provide case management and counselling support to low-income and vulnerable individuals and families, to help them deal with financial and other difficulties.
In addition, there are dedicated programmes for the young and old. IMH’s Community Health Assessment Team (CHAT) conducts outreach and mental health assessments for young people between 16 and 30 years old. In 2020, CHAT has performed more than 760 mental health assessments and close to 200 webCHAT sessions.
The Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) has been working with community partners to provide persons at risk of mental health conditions or dementia, with related information and link them to community resources. As of end 2020, we have set up 50 community outreach teams and reached out to more than 54,000 people in the community. AIC also supports and conducts e-training courses and provides relevant materials for community partners, including faith-based organisations.
Various initiatives are also in place to pre-empt social isolation, which is often associated with higher rates of depression and higher suicide risks. For example, befrienders based in Eldercare Centres (ECs) make regular home visits and check-in calls to seniors needing support.
The Silver Generation Office (SGO) complements this, by conducting targeted and frequent outreach to frail seniors and seniors who are living alone. If seniors decline assistance, SGOs will continue to build trust with the senior’s caregivers or community partners and establish at least one emergency contact whom the senior can approach in times of need.
CareLine, a 24/7 social support hotline, provides tele-befriending as well as emergency response services to seniors in distress. As of May 2021, CareLine has supported around 10,000 vulnerable seniors and has been collaborating with SGO and the ECs. Seniors may also contact other support hotlines such as The Seniors Helpline operated by Sage Counselling Centre, and Samaritans of Singapore Hotline, which provide counselling and suicide prevention resources.
MOH will continue to work closely with our partners to develop community resources and build their capabilities to better support the mental health and well-being of the population.