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Tech that detects falls to be offered to all HDB households after pilot at Queenstown Health District It is just one of many tools and systems being tested at the district, before deciding which can be implemented or installed in housing estates islandwide to improve residents’ quality of life. SINGAPORE: Technology that detects when a person has fallen at home and notify their family members will soon be offered to all Housing and Development Board (HDB) households. The pilot for the project was conducted for two months in Queenstown, the site of Singapore’s first Health District co-developed with the National University Health System (NUHS). It is just one of many tools and systems being tested at the district for potential use in housing estates to improve residents’ quality of life. HOW THE TECH WORKS Sensors are able to detect a resident's fall. If the resident does not get up within one minute, an alarm will sound to alert others nearby. Another, more advanced device uses Lidar, which scans for movements with light detection and ranging, and can sense and record the moment a person standing upright suddenly falls onto the ground. Those living alone can pre-set the device to send instant notifications to caregivers via a mobile app, along with the recording, when such incidents are detected. The systems were tested in the Health District from November 2022 to February 2023, and HDB aims to offer such technology to all its households across the nation later this year. “Through residents’ feedback, tech providers were able to refine the solutions … We are now stabilising the system and if all goes well, we will see how to progressively introduce this,” Dr Johnny Wong, Deputy CEO (Building) at HDB, told CNA’s Singapore Tonight on Tuesday (Feb 13). SAFETY MODIFICATIONS FOR SENIORS Apart from detection, HDB is also fine-tuning efforts to prevent falls. In Queenstown, close to 5,000 households have been modified to become safer, especially for seniors. This includes installing grab bars, non-slip tiles and ramps. Such built-in facilities will also be a staple at the district's upcoming assisted living apartments. The model could then be applied elsewhere across Singapore. In common areas, fitness and community amenities are also set to be installed so that residents can socialise and stay active. “We are piloting a social and wellness hub, which houses an active ageing centre. And we are piloting the very first ActiveSG gym within housing development, in collaboration with SportSG,” said Dr Chong Fook Loong, HDB’s group director of research and planning. “Along the way, we want to test every intervention – on what works, what doesn't work, and what we need to improve further, as part and parcel of this journey to create a healthy town.” SELECTING INTERVENTIONS Researchers from the National University of Singapore (NUS) source for, test, develop and evaluate such interventions for households in Queenstown. Professor Dean Ho, head of the biomedical engineering department at the NUS College of Design and Engineering, said that over 200 technologies were rigorously tested and evaluated before being narrowed down to the essentials. “We want to make sure we help understand what the residents are going through and deploy the best interventions that can help them,” he said. “We have to ensure that it's the right technology, it's cutting edge, it’s accessible and it’s validated. And ultimately, it can be truly adopted at scale.” One such tool, for example, helps a user to unscrew a bottle using one hand. It is designed to help those who have lost muscle strength, such as stroke survivors. Physiotherapy through gaming is another ongoing project, including a button-pressing console that tests a user’s reaction. It aims to provide light exercise for those with stiff shoulders. Other technologies that help residents monitor their health, such as vital signs and chronic conditions, are also being tested. “We have residents whose mobility is a challenge. We want to have digitally enabled solutions which perhaps can be done right from a mobile phone, that can monitor stress, respiratory rate. Then we can start to pinpoint residents that perhaps need some extra attention,” said Prof Ho. Such technologies will be trialled in the district in the coming months. SHARED CARE CONCEPT The district is also piloting a shared care team concept with social services agencies such as Lions Befrienders to provide social care for seniors. Volunteers visit residents with a listening ear and check on their well-being and needs. For one such resident, 82-year-old Yin Chee Keong, such visits are precious moments. “I feel lucky and I'm very touched. Because I do feel lonely at times. At night when I'm about to sleep, when I don't have someone to talk to,” he told CNA. Mr Yin gets weekly checkups on his vital signs and overall physical health at a Lions Befrienders community health post located right at his block. Such sites, helmed by NUHS healthcare teams, are typically set up in active ageing centres in neighbourhoods so that residents do not have to travel too far. Healthcare professionals visit once a week, while social workers based at the centres follow up with residents. Nurses and volunteers share updates on each resident’s physical, mental and social well-being as part of a personalised care plan to help them stay healthy. “Shared care is our way of working more closely with social partners to ensure that we consider a more holistic picture of their health needs,” said Ms Antoinette Goh, a nurse clinician at the NUHS Regional Health System. “For example, the care team decides that it will be good for a resident to start measuring blood pressure, but the resident doesn't know how to do it, or needs a bit more nudging. The social team can then remind them or provide some guidance on the ground.” Healthcare professionals and social workers said preventive care is the best way to ensure the seniors’ well-being. “When we do preventive work upfront … the going to hospitals, nursing costs, medical costs are going to be reduced once we go upstream and ensure that people stay as healthy as possible,” said Ms Karen Wee, executive director of Lions Befrienders. QUEENSTOWN HEALTH DISTRICT The Health District @ Queenstown is the nation’s first that supports residents’ well-being across their life stages through tools such as better design and community programmes. The initiative by HDB, NUHS, NUS and their partners aims to build a living environment that supports residents’ physical, social, and mental well-being, and help them lead more active and fulfilling lives. “We have four key objectives. One, we want to provide healthy living for all ages through good urban designs and use of technology. Second, to provide productive longevity, where people can continue to work, volunteer, co-create, and lifelong learning,” said Dr Wong. “Third, we want to promote intergenerational bonding. With good community support, one can live longer and have a better mental state. Lastly, we want all our residents to be able to live independently and age in place for as long as they can, in HDB towns.” https://www.channelnewsasia.com/singapore/queenstown-health-district-tech-seniors-detects-falls-health-hdb-4126056 getting ready for an ageing population.

From CNA: http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/sin...1236698/1/.html SAF uses technology to counter lower birth rate & ageing population By Imelda Saad | Posted: 12 November 2012 1429 hrs SINGAPORE: The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has been affected by Singapore's declining birth rates and ageing population. National Service (NS) enlistees are drawn from eligible male Singapore citizens and permanent residents. In a reply to Parliament, Defence Minister Ng Eng Hen said in the 1990s, about 15,000 NS men were enlisted into the SAF each year. From the year 2000, Singapore experienced higher numbers as children given birth by cohorts of baby-boomers came of enlistment age, including those born in the 1988 Dragon year. As a result, SAF enlistments increased and reached a peak of about 21,000 in 2011. But going forward, due to an ageing population and declining fertility trends, SAF enlistments are expected to gradually taper and revert to levels in the 1990s, of about 15,000 each year. But even with these enlistment numbers, Dr Ng said Singapore's long-term projections till 2040 indicate that the SAF will still be able to mobilise about 300,000 soldiers from regulars, full time national servicemen (NSFs) and operationally ready NS men (ORNS), if needed. Dr Ng added the SAF has taken into account its manpower requirements over the long term through its transformation towards a 3rd-generation SAF. That is, through advances in technology and with more effective systems and platforms, which require fewer men to operate. Dr Ng said: "Beyond investing in technologically advanced platforms, we also leverage technology to network our platforms together to provide us greater synergy in training and operations. "So one example is the recently inaugurated community for command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence. Another important factor driving up the overall capability and productivity of the SAF lies in the rising quality of our servicemen." "As a whole, the higher quality of our NS men combined with the advanced platforms and effective use of technology to network our systems, will ensure that the SAF continues to be an effective military force and a strong deterrent against any aggression," he added. - CNA/xq

ST Forum Jun 9, 2011 Spare a thought for the ageing singles NATIONAL Development Minister Khaw Boon Wan identified young couples, divorcees with kids and low- income families as the groups needing most help with housing ('Khaw: Three groups need housing help'; May 27). The ageing Singaporean singles are being sidelined yet again. It does not matter if we are aged 45 or going on 55 - we are expected to live with our aged parents. When married couples on dual incomes are having affordability issues buying directly from the Housing Board, the Government has again failed to recognise our plight amid the high prices in the HDB resale market. Even though having a home of our own increases our marriageability prospects, we are not permitted to buy direct from HDB in pro-family Singapore. The standard HDB bureaucratic reply is that there are already adequate measures and schemes in place to address the needs of ageing singles. Even when we cannot yet find someone to be our marriage partner, HDB expects us to be able to live together with another single person in a jointly purchased HDB flat. Are we to wait till our advanced years to be categorised as 'single, aged, poor' before we make it to the top of the list for housing help? Chua Kim Chuan

dunno if gotta aircon or not??? A FAMILIAR sight in military camps and training grounds here, the Land Rover Defender will be making way for a new generation of sports-utility vehicles, the Ford Everest. The Ministry of Defence has placed an order for 870 Thai-made Fords as part of a programme to renew its ageing fleet of some 3,000 Land Rovers. The recently sealed deal with Sime Darby's Regent Motors - the Ford agent here - is said to be worth around $85 million, with an option for 500 more vehicles. The Straits Times understands that more than 50 Everests - painted in the army's camouflage green - have already been delivered. The purchase comes after plans to launch a novel scheme - to have civilians co-own and drive military SUVs during peacetime - was shelved. The Everest is Ford's made-in-Asia, made-for-Asia product, based on the Ranger pickup truck. It is assembled in Thailand, Malaysia, India, Vietnam and the Philippines. In civilian form, it is marketed as a seven-seater SUV. Regent Motor had wanted to add it to its passenger car range two years ago, but decided against it as it felt Singaporeans might want a more refined vehicle. But the robust SUV is expected to be a hit with the military. Mr Lee Nian Tjoe, editor of Torque, a motoring magazine published by Singapore Press Holdings, said: 'The Land Rover Defender may be cool, but from a practical point of view, the Ford Everest is better.' Mr Lee, an avid off-roader, said being an Asian car, the Everest is 'easier and cheaper to maintain'. The SUV is also more user-friendly for our soldiers. It has a three-litre diesel engine mated to a five-speed automatic transmission. It can be driven as a four-wheel or two-wheel drive - hence saving fuel when it is not required to negotiate rugged terrain. Most of the Land Rover Defenders here are 2.5-litre diesel manuals with permanent four-wheel drive. The purchase represents Mindef's first major move away from Land Rover. Mindef spokesman Colonel Darius Lim said: 'After an extensive evaluation, the Ford Everest was selected...to replace the ageing Land Rovers, some of which have been in service for more than 20 years.' Besides meeting 'operational requirements'. he said the Everests were 'more cost-effective than the Land Rovers'.