Dementia Resources
With dementia cases on the rise, we at Ageless Online wants to provide caregivers with as much resources as possible to help them care for their loved ones with dementia. The information below is only a start and more information will be added as we go along. We are currently adding more details to each of the entries:
BOOKS (SINGAPORE) RELATED TO DEMENTIA:
• Grandmother’s Garden and Other Stories
• Voices from the Heart – Living with Dementia (a dementia resource book)
• Burden No More
** For overseas books that are related on dementia for caregivers such as activities for elderly, and understanding dementia, you can source them from KYDZ International.
CAREGIVING HELP (includes home-care services) – caregiving assistance at home and outside:
• Active Global Caregivers (live-in, specialised caregivers)
• Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) (provides a list of dementia day care centres)
• All Saints Home (has a dementia ward in its home in Jurong East)
• Alzheimer’s Disease Association (has dementia day care – New Horizon Centres at Bukit Batok, Jurong Point, Tampines and Toa Payoh which offer an early dementia programme for those at an early stage of dementia + Family of Wisdom programme at two locations. It also has an Elder Sitter service which engages those with dementia at home and gives respite to caregivers, call 6377 0700)
• Caregiver Asia (ad-hoc services such as exercise and games companion, etc)
• Coddle (to handle medical chaperone and befriending. For ADL cases, those will need to be evaluated)
• Comfort Keepers (provides in-home care such as meal preparation, light housekeeping, etc)
• Montessori for Dementia Care (offers group or individualised activities) (Montessori approach – www.alzheimers.net/2014-05-27/montessori-method-dementia/)
• NTUC Health (formerly NTUC Eldercare) (offers mentally-stimulating activities for seniors with dementia)
• Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (provides an Elder Sitter service, call 6690 0110 or e-mail: ipal@thkmc.org.sg)
• PAP Community Foundation (senior care centre – day care services for those suffering from dementia and frail elderly)
• St Joseph’s Home (Dusk to Dawn programme – evening and overnight respite service within a nursing home)
CAREGIVER SUPPORT GROUPS – bringing together those caring for dementia patients:
• Alzheimer’s Disease Association (Mandarin, Malay and English)
• Caregivers Alliance (Caregiver Support Centre at Institute of Mental Health (IMH) is manned by mental health professionals and caregiver support specialists, who will reach out to caregivers, provide information, and offer referral and counselling services for the caregivers)
• Caregiving Welfare Association
• Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (Dementia Support Group)
• National Neuroscience Institute (Dementia Support Group – CARe Programme (Cognitive Assessment & Rehabilitation) – they offer talks on effective communication, managing caregiver stress and coming up with meaningful activities)
CAREGIVER TRAINING/INFORMATION:
• AWWA (Caregiving Life Skills Training Series + Caregiver’s Handbook)
• Aaxonn (conducts home- and classroom-based caregiver training for family caregivers and foreign domestic workers caring for elderly, two courses on related to dementia include Caring for Persons with Dementia and Dementia Problem Solving and Communication Techniques)
• Caregivers Alliance (free training in English and Chinese)
• Centre For Seniors (offers a three-hour training programme called “Caring for Persons with Dementia” – touches on understanding dementia, recognising signs and symptoms, dementia and communications, and engaging the person with dementia, S$30 per person (minimum class 10 pax), contact: Ms Lo Choe Har, 6478 5014, chuehar.lo@cfs.org.sg)
• Montessori for Dementia Care (offers family caregiver training as well as domestic helper training)
CAREGIVING SUPPORT SERVICES:
• Alzheimer’s Disease Association (helpline – 6377 0700, Mondays to Fridays, 9am – 6pm)
• AWWA (caregivers infoline – 6511 5318, Mondays to Fridays, 9am – 6pm)
• Caregiving Welfare Association (offers online counselling services)
• O’Joy Care Services (offers counselling services)
• PatientsEngage (offers a patient/caregiver support online platform)
• Project We Forgot (offers an online support group particularly for youths)
• Samaritans of Singapore (1800-221-4444)
• Silver Caregivers Co-operative (offers discounts for health screenings for caregivers, caregiver training, as well as a mentor-mentee programme)
COMPANY/ORGANISATION TRAINING TO BUILD ELDER-FRIENDLY COMMUNITIES:
• Forget Us Not (training on dementia by KTPH) (e-mail to: info@forgetusnot.sg)
• NTUC Learning Hub and Centre For Seniors (offers a one-day programme) (call 6266 5482 or e-mail to: lhub-bd@ntuclearninghub.com)
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT & AWARENESS:
• Forget Us Not (sign up to be a Dementia Friend) (on the website you can download the Forget Us Not Dementia handbook and a booklet “Understanding Dementia” by KTPH, and see a number of videos)
• Dementia-Friendly Communities (DFC) (an initiative by MOH and AIC, which also has Go-To Points + resource toolkits for eldercare providers and those with dementia and their caregivers)
COUNSELLING SERVICES FOR CAREGIVERS:
DIAGNOSING DEMENTIA – to assess those with memory problems:
FINANCIAL HELP – easing burden of care:
• Caregivers Training Grant (provides S$200 for caregivers to attend training courses each year to better equip them with the necessary skills and know-how in caring for their loved ones)
• Foreign Domestic Worker Grant and Levy Concession (grant – provides S$120 each month to families who employ foreign domestic help to care for seniors at home, levy – for these families has also been reduced from S$120 to S$60 per month since May 2015)
• Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund (subsidies for transport to eldercare centres, day hospices and dialysis centres, and subsidies to offset the cost of purchasing assistive aids and home healthcare items)
HELPLINES:
• Singapore Silver Line (by AIC) (to get connected to eldercare and caregiver support services in Singapore) – 1800 650 6060 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 8.30pm) & Saturday, 8.30am to 4pm) (AIC also has AICare Links located at the five hospitals and at its office at Maxwell Road where care consultants advise caregivers and their loved ones from finding care at home and caregiver support to assistance initiatives and grants)
• Dementia Helpline (by ADA) (for caregivers who are caring for persons living with dementia) – 1800 223 1123 (Monday to Friday, 8.30am to 5pm & Saturday, 8.30am to 1pm)
• Health Promotion Board Dementia Infoline (for caegivers who are caring for persons living with dementia) – 6377 0700 (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm)
IDENTIFICATION CARD:
• Alzheimer’s Disease Association (Safe Return Card – an identification card to protect and help persons with dementia)
• AIC ICE(D) (a sticker identification affixed on an EZ-Link Card or other items that seniors are likely to carry, contains next-of-kin + contact)
INFORMATION ON DEMENTIA:
PRODUCTS FOR THOSE WITH DEMENTIA:
• Hua Hee matching/snap game
• KYDZ International (Silver Age products like sewing blocks and yesterdays book)
• MatchLink (cognitive-stimulating game for dementia rehabilitation)
• Silver Activities (meaningful games and activities)
LOCAL WEBSITES ON DEMENTIA:
• Project We Forgot (focuses on bringing awareness of Alzheimer’s to the youths)