ADDITIONAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES
General practitioners’ ( GPs ) perspectives on late-life depression were examined in a soon-to-be-published study by the Division of Family Medicine at the National University of Singapore. The general practitioners identified trust and rapport between doctor and patient as the pillars for identifying and treating mental suffering in older people.
However, some older people might not visit the doctor on a regular basis, which restricts follow-ups and goodwill.
Mental health services may be a part of Singapore’s Healthier SG regional preventive care program over the next two years. & nbsp, Currently, 17 out of every 24 polyclinics provide mental health services; however, by 2030, all new polylinics will do so.
This is a good place to start if you want to provide older people and their Doctors with the healthy environment they need to discuss mental health.
Education, compensation, and support for main medical providers at the same level as treatment for physical illnesses like diabetes or colon cancer are hopefully the next steps in the management of seniors’ mental needs.
The consumer may also be able to recognize signs of mental anguish in their older family, friends, and neighbors with the aid of educational initiatives. These may let caregivers and seniors know where to go for assistance and what evidence-based treatment options are available, such as community activities, counseling, psychotherapy, and drugs, some of which can also help with physical symptoms like insomnia.
One in four Singaporeans will become 65 years of age or older by 2030, and Singapore’s life expectancy is expected to rise. Supporting older people with mental health issues is crucial, even though this is evidence of better health care and cutting-edge technology.
Seniors are more likely to feel appreciated and glad the more we involve them in our life and help them overcome their difficulties. Our nation did flourish as a result of this.
Jared Ng oversees connections at the National University of Singapore’s Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk. At the Institute for the Public Understanding of Risk and as an assistant professor at the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, Shou Yiyun is the Lead Scientist in the Health and Lifestyle area. Anna Szuecs is a Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine, Division of Family Medicine.