Personal alert button on trial for Tampines seniors

Certain seniors living in Tampines are experiencing having their own personal alert button, as the Government ramps up efforts to protect the elderly who live alone and who might be more prone to falls or in need of assistance.

This trial will be extended nationwide to the homes of seniors living in 53 one-room rental blocks across the island, said Senior Minister of State for Health Amy Khor in Parliament yesterday.

She was responding to Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar GRC) on whether the authorities can deploy more wearable devices for the elderly that raise an alarm in case of a fall, which are especially needed by those who live alone.

This trial is part of the Smart Nation Sensor Platform initiative, which aims to build a nationwide network of sensors and Web cameras that collect and analyse various sorts of data.

When the system is triggered, an alert is sent to either a senior activity centre or CareLine, which then assesses the kind of assistance required.

Dr Khor also highlighted that there are "actually many commercial(ly available) wearable devices and products that can help detect falls and then, of course, trigger an alarm for assistance."

But she added that careful analysis is needed to determine if such devices could be used on a much larger scale, taking into account Singapore's rapidly ageing population and the increasing numbers of seniors living alone.

Dr Khor emphasised that the best strategy is to proactively prevent these falls by mitigating the risk factors involved.

Fall prevention is accomplished through awareness programmes and by getting seniors to exercise regularly, take care of their nutrition and declutter their homes, Dr Khor said.

It is important that seniors continue to stay active and engaged even while keeping safe at home during the Covid-19 outbreak, Dr Khor added.

"Health Promotion Board, for instance, has got a series of workout sessions that they have put on their YouTube channel.

"And, in fact, these have garnered about 61,000 views to date."

The Government has also worked with MediaCorp to launch the second season of Learning Together With Me, which includes talks as well as exercise programmes to help seniors remain active and healthy.

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 06, 2020, with the headline Personal alert button on trial for Tampines seniors. Subscribe