Customised tablet helps charity look out for seniors

A customised tablet can potentially save a senior's life.

Every morning, the user needs only to press a button on the tablet to signal that he is well.

If he does not do so after a specified duration and does not respond to calls, the Lions Befrienders charity will alert his next of kin or neighbour, or send a staff member to check on him.

The i-ok@LB system, which is available in the form of a tablet, is the brainchild of the Lions Befrienders, which serves seniors through befriending, active ageing centres and home personal care services, among other services.

Its chairman, Mr Anthony Tay, does not want any of the seniors it serves to die an undignified death - dying alone without anyone discovering the body until much later.

Executive director Karen Wee said: "The motivation behind this system is to address seniors' fear of dying an undignified death or that no one comes to their rescue when they need help.

"We want to let them know that we are there with them."

The charity plans to give at least 2,000 to 3,000 tablets to the seniors it serves from next month. These elderly beneficiaries live in highly subsidised rental flats and most of them live alone.

The customised tablet costs about $400 and the i-ok@LB system was developed by WeesWares at a highly discounted rate for the charity, said Ms Wee.

The project's sponsors include the Infocomm Media Development Authority and Temasek Trust.

The problem of undignified deaths is becoming more pressing in a rapidly ageing society as a growing number of seniors live alone.

Last year, 21.6 per cent of "household reference" people aged 65 and older lived alone, up from 17.4 per cent in 2010.

The Population Trends 2021 report defines a "household reference" person as the oldest member of the family, the main income earner, the home's owner-occupier, the person who manages the household affairs or the person who gives information pertaining to other family members.

The report is published by the Department of Statistics.

On Sunday, a 63-year-old man was found dead in his Toa Payoh flat after his neighbours detected a foul stench emanating from the unit. In September, a 74-year-old woman was found dead in her Bedok North flat when concerned neighbours opened her unlocked door after not seeing her for some time.

With the i-ok@LB system, the tablet serves multiple functions besides its key function of checking if the senior is well.

For instance, it can remind the senior to take his medicine.

Through the tablet, Lions Befrienders staff can also send messages to the seniors or conduct video calls with them, and seniors can have teleconsultation with a doctor.

And for those who are not literate, the tablet will read out the messages in a language or dialect of their choice.

The idea of the i-ok@LB system to keep tabs on seniors came about after the circuit breaker period from April to June last year, during which non-essential activities came to a halt.

During the circuit breaker, the centres that the charity runs for seniors were closed and staff and volunteers could not visit vulnerable seniors in their homes to check on them unless they needed urgent help.

More than 30 senior citizens took part in the tablet's trial earlier this year, and most said that they found it useful.

For example, befriender executive Chua Hsiu Mei was alerted one day when a frail man in his 70s did not press the button on his tablet.

She went to his flat and found that he had fallen at home. The fall was not serious and he later saw a doctor.

Mr Keith Tan, an innovation executive at Lions Befrienders, said: "They (senior citizens) said they feel safer as someone is monitoring them. Many of them don't fear death... But they are all afraid that no one discovers their body after they die."