A one-stop resource for caregivers to a caregiver befriending programme are solutions recently launched.

 

About one in two caregivers are at risk of high caregiver burden and about one in three are at risk of depression and poor quality of life, according to research done by Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), a hospital under the National Healthcare Group (NHG) Health. Caregivers juggle multiple roles and are plunged into caregiving roles. They share many common pain points including lack of time and knowledge, high costs of caregiving, difficulty navigating online resources and poor caregiver well-being.

The situation is further exacerbated by an ageing population and a shrinking family size with fewer caregivers taking on the caregiving load. According to the Ministry of Health, it is estimated that there are more than 210,000 full-time caregivers in Singapore. How can caregivers be supported in the transition from hospital to home and further along the caregiving journey?

 

The beginning

TTSH has come up with several solutions to address the challenges of caregivers and to give them support. It launched its Project Carer Matters 2, an iteration from its initial initiative which was launched back in 2020 during Covid. During that time, it was the first nurse-led hospital-to-home network in Singapore to screen, identify and provide targeted interventions for at-risk family caregivers of more than 500, and improve their knowledge, stress levels and confidence in care.

The latest Project Carer Matters takes it into a new level with the addition of technology as well as befriending, and besides TTSH, it has a wider catchment of caregivers including those with loved ones in Woodlands Hospital, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital and NHG Population Health (these include residents from Central and North Singapore). This latest initiative is being funded through a National Medical Research Council grant and as of presstime, no further details on the amount could be given.

Said Dr Chan Ee Yuee, deputy director of nursing and lead of Project Carer Matters, TTSH, “We need the whole kampung beyond the hospital and those within their [loved ones’] circle and bring everyone together.” She shared that there is a need to rethink the care model, and put the loved one and the caregiver at the centre.

 

What’s in 2.0?

So what consists of Project Carer Matters 2? As patients are discharged from the hospital, caregivers are introduced to a one-stop resource for caregivers called CarePal. Found within the NHG Health app, caregivers can find information about financial assistance, day care options, emergency contacts, daily care guides, exercise and movement guides, future planning resources, essential service contacts and support hotlines. Caregivers can also build their loved ones’ care profile for tailored resources, assess their own well-being and estimate their total caregiving costs through the caregiving calculator. Carepal is not just for caregivers with patients in NHG Health but is also available to the public. As of presstime, more than 500 have accessed CarePal since its launch several weeks ago.

As patients settle in their homes, Project Carer Matters is working with technology healthcare company CoNEX Healthcare and community partners including Montfort Care and NTUC Health on a fall detection and response system. Included is a smart fall detection camera with immediate alerts and live view through the use of thermal imaging. The system is manned 24/7 by a command centre who will then alert the caregiver if a fall is detected. According to TTSH, there are currently four to five caregivers from TTSH and community partners who are testing the system, with it still being available to more caregivers with loved ones from TTSH for six months.

Another feature of Project Carer Matters is the caregiver befriending programme  where TTSH is working with non-profit organisation Home Nursing Foundation. The programme matches an experienced caregiver with a newer caregiver to provide personal peer support. These caregivers are matched based on several factors including caregiving background, location and interests.

Refinements to the features of Project Carer Matters will continue, shared TTSH. According to George Frederick Glass Jr, senior nurse researcher at TTSH, there will be further follow-ups with caregivers to assess the impact of CarePal. They are also trying to translate the videos on CarePal to different languages so they are accessible to domestic helpers, who also care for loved ones. And with the fall detection and response system, after the funding period, TTSH is exploring an affordable monthly subscription for caregivers.

 

** To access CarePal, download the NHG Health app on the App Store or Google Play Store. Log in with SingPass or continue as a guest. Tap ‘More’ at the bottom menu and select CarePal under ‘My Programmes’.