A new online platform has been rolled out to boost community efforts to spot and support people with mental disorders.
Called Project eMHFA(S) – or e-Learning Mental Health First Aid, Singapore – the portal aims to make it easier for people to pick up skills such as detecting signs of mental illness.
The pilot aims to equip 900 leaders and members of community groups, such as unions and voluntary welfare organisations, with this knowledge over three years.
Deputy Prime Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam officially launched the project by Changi General Hospital and Temasek Foundation Cares on 20 May 2017 at a mental wellness fair in Bukit Merah. Philanthropic organisation Temasek Foundation Cares, which organised the fair, has committed $578,000 to the programme.
Mr Tharman gave three reasons of why the project is an important one:
- “Mental illness is rarely talked about, so it is crucial that the programme helps people to be more open about it;
- The earlier we spot the problem, the easier it is for the person to avoid the situation from getting worse, and the easier it is for them to enjoy their lives as they grow older; and
- The programme will help train volunteers on the ground, which can be used to also strengthen the community bonds, as the society gets older.”
By 2030, there will be 900,000 Singaporeans will be aged 65 or older, and this number means that the number of dementia patients will be on the rise.
eMHFA(S) enables participants to learn at their convenience, as the bulk of learning will be done online. This means that more people can be trained in a shorter time.
Tanjong Pagar GRC MP Joan Pereira said in a speech at the fair that 20 grassroots volunteers from her Henderson-Dawson ward have been trained under the pilot. She cited a hawker selling nasi lemak who has volunteered to be trained, “as he often comes across residents who are mentally challenged and wants to help them“.
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Source: The Straits Times, 21 May 2017