Tracking and Publishing Number of Seniors who Die Alone in Their Homes
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns whether the Government will track and publish data on seniors who die alone at home, as raised by Mr Fadli Fawzi. Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung stated that such data is not tracked, as focus is placed on upstream outreach via the Silver Generation Office to identify at-risk seniors and refer them to Active Ageing Centres. He highlighted the importance of community support from neighbors and grassroots organizations alongside the Housing and Development Board’s rollout of wireless alert alarm systems in rental blocks. Furthermore, Minister for Health Ong Ye Kung noted that the enhanced home personal care service provides a 24/7 monitoring system for fall detection and timely support. These initiatives aim to proactively reach vulnerable seniors and utilize technology to ensure their safety and well-being.
Transcript
36 Mr Fadli Fawzi asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) whether the Government will start to track and publish the number of seniors who die alone in their homes, with their passing only detected days later; and (b) if not, why not.
Mr Ong Ye Kung: Mr Speaker, my response will also address Written Question 29 raised by Dr Neo Kok Beng in today's Order Paper. [Please refer to "Small Home Robots to Monitor Well-being of Seniors Living Alone Following Undetected Senior Death Cases", Official Report, 7 July 2026, Vol 96, Issue 32, Written Answers to Questions section.]
We do not track or publish data on seniors who pass away alone at home and are only detected later.
Our focus is upstream – to reach out to as many seniors as we can and provide support to those who are vulnerable, such as referring them to Active Ageing Centres. The Silver Generation Office (SGO) under the Agency for Integrated Care conducts such outreach and identify seniors at-risk systematically. Neighbours, community groups and Grassroots organisations can also play a part and keep a lookout for these seniors and provide support.
The Government has also been leveraging technology to support seniors living alone. For example, the Housing and Development Board has been progressively extending the wireless alert alarm system to seniors staying in public rental blocks, so that they can call for help during emergencies. The Ministry of Health rolled out the enhanced home personal care service islandwide since April 2026. Under this service, eligible seniors may opt to subscribe to a 24/7 monitoring and response system that detects falls and provide timely support.