Careline app, a hotline app developed by the Temasek Foundation, provides elderly citizens with a listening ear.
This app is an upgrade on Careline, a hotline launched by the Changi General Hospital in 2016. This a 24-hour telephone befriender service for elderly citizens has been extremely helpful thus far.
The elderly can use this service to call for help or to just talk to someone. It also provides greater accessibility to the telecare services for the elderly.
The Department of Statistics Singapore forecasts that the number of elderly Singaporeans living alone will rise from 83,000 in 2030 from the 47,000 in 2016.
Fatima Mustafa, Director of Programmes at Temasek Foundation said, “Seniors who live alone might face emergencies like a fall or illness, and they may not know who to call to ask for help.”
“The idea here is to ensure that these seniors are able to call in anytime, on issues that they may face. Changi General Hospital will be able to refer them to the appropriate services; or get the appropriate services into their homes in a timely manner,” she said.
About 120 smartphones with Careline pre-installed have been distributed so far. Around 1,000 seniors are expected to receive such phones by the end of the year.
Apart from the telecare service, the app comes with a GPS function which allows Careline staff to locate the seniors who require medical or any other assistance.
Other tech healthcare services
In an earlier OpenGov article, we reported similar measures that the Agency for Integrated Care is taking. It has built on its services by increasing the accessibility of information on its care services to the elderly and their caregivers.
It had set up services such as the Singapore Silver Pages portal, E-Care locator and the Singapore Silver Line, a national elderly care helpline.
The E-Care locator works by finding a service provider, according to the user’s needs, at the most convenient location for them. It also allows users to get referrals for subsidised care, speak with a medical social worker, doctor or social worker. They will then be informed of once their application has been successful.
AIC has also partnered with the Regional Health Systems (RHS) and set up the AICare Link at four restructured hospitals. This platform allows caregivers in the hospitals to speak directly with Care Consultants and gain access to information on care services, assistance schemes, and grants.
With Singapore’s aging population on the rise, healthcare organisations are constantly finding new tech ways to help the elderly in Singapore to have a quick and seamless access to their healthcare services.