All 12,000 staff in Singapore at DBS and POSB are undergoing an online course that will allow them to better identify, help and protect customers with dementia.

The Agency for Integrated Care's dementia awareness e-learning course has been taken by 90 per cent of the bank's customer-facing staff since it was launched last week.

The course, conducted by the agency which comes under the Ministry of Health and connects people to Community Care services, teaches staff to better notice the signs of dementia, and helps them learn how to protect customers with dementia from financial exploitation.

"With Singapore being one of the fastest-ageing countries in the world, we recognise that it is our shared social responsibility to support our seniors by ensuring our staff understand how to handle age-related health issues," said Ms Yeo Wenxian, head of DBS and POSB branch banking.

Therefore, this course will train DBS and POSB staff to spot signs and symptoms of dementia in people who appear to be forgetful and have difficulty recalling the right word or name and may not be able to distinguish time, place and space.

Similarly, staff will be taught to look out for people who might appear socially withdrawn with changes in mood, and who may appear unkempt - as some people with dementia might have difficulty dressing themselves.

Staff will also be trained to communicate patiently, clearly and simply when encountering a customer with dementia. They will seek to reassure the customer that they are there to help, and to use visual cues to get their message across.

"It's also important to ask for their identification such as identification stickers, ez-link card, NRIC and next-of-kin contact details, especially in cases that require the bank staff's assistance to contact a family member or guardian to take them home," said Ms Yeo.

Dementia is estimated to affect 103,000 people in Singapore by 2030, and this e-learning course will add to existing initiatives that DBS and POSB have put in place.

For instance, since 2016, frontline staff at the bank have been attending training workshops on how to communicate with persons showing signs of dementia. These workshops are conducted by speakers from the "Forget Us Not" initiative - a nationwide effort by the Lien Foundation, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and the Alzheimer's Disease Association that aims to raise awareness of people living with dementia and their needs.

Ms Kina Neo, branch service manager at the DBS South Bridge branch, has been putting the skills she learnt during the course to good use.

"As dementia does not affect only the elderly, learning how to spot dementia symptoms has proved to be a useful skill, especially among younger customers where signs may not be immediately obvious," Ms Neo said.

"I've also found the course's guidance quite insightful, such as showing greater empathy when communicating with customers who may have dementia by engaging them in casual conversation and speaking to them slowly and clearly," she added.