Singapore Government Press Release

Media Relations Division, Ministry of Information, Communications and the Arts,

MITA Building, 140 Hill Street, 2nd Storey, Singapore 179369

Tel: 6837-9666

Assoc Professor Ho Peng Kee

Senior Minister of State for Law and Home Affairs

Member of Parliament for Nee Soon East and

Honorary Advisor, Ling Kwang Home

Rev Dr K C Quek

Honorary President

Bible-Presbyterian Welfare Services

And Advisor, Ling Kwang Home

Rev Dr S H Quek

President

Bible-Presbyterian Welfare Services

Elder Kenneth Foong

Chairman, Ling Kwang Home

Distinguished Guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

I am most happy to be here with you this evening to celebrate the 20^th Anniversary of Ling Kwang Home and to officially open the second 4-storey extension to the Home.

Singapore’s population is ageing. By the year 2030, more than 800,000 of our population will be over 60 years of age. Over the past few years, Government has set the directions and implemented measures and projects to meet the needs of our elderly population. The Government has worked out a comprehensive national programme to ensure a high standard of care for the elderly with the co-operation and participation of the people sector and the various Volunteer Organisations and Welfare Services. While Government will be the main provider of acute hospital services and out-patient polyclinics, Volunteer Welfare Organisations must continue to be encouraged and supported to provide longer term nursing and elderly care to the community. In this regard, I commend the efforts of the Bible-Presbyterian Welfare Services in maintaining a distinguished record of providing health and nursing care to the needy in our community.

Our health care philosophy emphasizes the building of a healthy population through healthcare programmes and the promotion of healthy living.

In the case of the elderly, we take a two-prong approach.

First, health promotion and disease prevention to enable the elderly to remain healthy and active in the community. Second, provision of cost-effective health care when disease and disability set in.

Elderly people generally prefer to live with their family members and in a familiar environment. But in some cases, it is not possible or practicable for the elderly to be taken care of by their own families, and they have then to be admitted into a nursing home. This is the case particularly when the elderly need daily nursing care and assistance in activities of daily living, and they have no care-giver to look after them at home. Such an elderly person could be semi-ambulant, wheel-chair bound or bed-bound. Some of the elderly sick may have medical conditions, e.g. stroke, diabetes mellitus with complications, head or spinal injury, and require nursing care. They will require nursing home care, and a home like Ling Kwang Home for Senior Citizens fulfills the need by providing a safe and conducive place to care for such elderly.

Ling Kwang Home is not just an institution to look after the elderly but also a home away from home. At Ling Kwang Home, medical attention is given to the sick among the elderly and appropriate nursing care to the residents of the Home. However, not all elderly admitted into nursing homes need to stay for life. Families should be encouraged to make arrangements to bring the elderly home and care for them themselves.

Among the care-givers at Ling Kwang Home, there are many volunteers from different professions and disciplines to help provide the much needed care and attention to the residents as well as those who come for day care services.

This is a model of community care that has been proven to be successful and sustainable. For this purpose, Ling Kwang Home has been registered as an Approved Nursing Home Provider under the Ministry of Health’s Framework for Integrated Health Services for the Elderly.

As an Approved Provider, Ling Kwang Home will be expected to provide a higher standard of care. MOH has accordingly made available 8% additional funding to Ling Kwang Home, to buy services from hospitals or other healthcare providers, like geriatrician service, psychogeriatrician or orthopaedic surgeon’s service, as well as dietician, physiotherapy or podiatric services if necessary. Another service provided by Ling Kwang Home is assistance to residents, who can be discharged home, by helping them to integrate or by providing outpatient rehabilitation, home medical and home nursing care. Government will continue to support such community-based service providers.

The celebration of Ling Kwang Home’s 20^th anniversary celebrations and the opening of the new extension building marks a milestone in Ling Kwang Home’s mission to care for the elderly. The additional space and facilities made available through the 4-storey extension building will enable Ling Kwang Home to further upgrade its standard of care and ensure that the quality of service is continually enhanced. I commend the Bible-Presbyterian Welfare Services and the management of the Ling Kwang Home for playing an active role in the provision of care services to the community. I congratulate you for providing quality care to meet the total medical, social and spiritual needs of the elderly.

Congratulation. I now have great pleasure to declare open the Ling Kwang Home Extension Building.

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