The Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) will hand over senior-related social support services to the Ministry of Health (MOH) from April 2018 in a move to streamline care for the elderly. These services include managing senior activity centres, befriending and counselling assistance, and a seniors’ helpline.
“Social and healthcare needs are closely inter-related and both have an impact on the well-being of our seniors,” said Finance Minister Heng Swee Keat. Having senior care services come under the roof of a single ministry will “enable these services to be planned and delivered holistically“.
The changes will take place on 1 April 2018, with the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) coordinating all such services.
The Pioneer Generation Office – set up in 2014 to educate seniors on the Pioneer Generation Package – will be merged with this agency and renamed the Silver Generation Office.
Over the next five years, the Government will improve the delivery of social services to other groups in society. This includes working on better coordination between the various organisations, optimising the use of community resources and seeing how volunteers can play a part.
These changes will make for more efficient policy planning and execution, said Ms Janice Chia, founder of social enterprise and consultancy Ageing Asia. “For seniors and caregivers, it’s really about how they can access information, advice and assistance from one central point of contact as quickly as possible when the situation arises.”
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Source: The Straits Times, 20 February 2018