Information and Assistance Needs and Expectations of Senior Residents in a Nursing Home in Singapore: Semi-structured Interviews With Senior Residents and Staff

Year 2022, , 59 - 78, 31.12.2022

Intan Azura Mokhtar

https://doi.org/10.51819/jaltc.2022.1180679

Abstract

Singapore, a young multi-racial and multi-religious city-state in Southeast Asia, is facing a demographic challenge—that of a rapidly falling birth rate and an increasingly aging population. By 2030, Singapore is expected to be a “super-aged” society, where more than 21% of its population will be 65 years of age or older, as defined by the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). Hence, the urban landscape in Singapore is also set to evolve. We expect to see more acute care hospitals, community hospitals, nursing homes, senior care centers, and senior activity spaces. As infrastructure and spaces for older persons, or seniors, become an increasingly more significant part of the built environment in Singapore, there is a need to explore how the design of the physical environment can improve the well-being of seniors and that staff, caregivers, family members as well as the larger community. In this paper, a brief look into nursing homes in Singapore is done, followed by the data and findings of a small-scale study involving semi-structured interviews that were carried out to explore the needs and expectations of senior residents in a nursing home in Singapore. In essence, this study found significant outcomes concerning the needs and expectations of nursing home residents, such as the desire for sustained social interaction, the preference for human-based assistance (rather than technology-based aid), and the penchant for independence (such as for food choices or having a variety of preferred daily activities) by seniors in their everyday lives. These inputs can be insightful and instrumental for the effective and user-centered design of new nursing homes in this rapidly aging city-state or other locales with similar demographics and settings.

Keywords

Aging, Nursing Home, Older Persons, Singapore, Patient-Centric Design, User-Centric Design, User Expectations, User Needs

Supporting Institution

Singapore Institute of Technology

Project Number

R-MOE-A402-G015

Thanks

This study was funded by the Singapore Institute of Technology Seed Grant, R-MOE-A402-G015.

References

• Agency for Integrated Care. (2022a). Introduction to Community Care Services. In https://www.aic.sg/care-services.
• Agency for Integrated Care. (2022b). Introduction to Nursing Homes. In https://www.aic.sg/care-services/nursing-home.
• Ball, M. M., Perkins, M. M., Whittington, F. J., Hollingsworth, C., King, S. V., & Combs, B. L. (2004). Independence in assisted living. Journal of Aging Studies, 18(4), 467-483. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaging.2004.06.002
• Eveland, J., & Tng, S. (2022). Rethinking the design of nursing homes. Skyline, 12.
• Fong, J. H., Mitchell, O. S., & Koh, B. S. (2015). Disaggregating activities of daily living limitations for predicting nursing home admission. Health Services Research, 50(2), 560-578. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.12235
• Government of Singapore. (2021). Population in Brief 2021. https://www.population.gov.sg/files/media-centre/publications/population-in-brief-2021.pdf
• Hartigan, I. (2007). A comparative review of the Katz ADL and the Barthel Index in assessing the activities of daily living of older people. International Journal of Older People Nursing, 2(3), 204-212. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1748-3743.2007.00074.x
• Havreng-Thery, C., Giner-Perot, J., Zawieja, P., Bertin-Hugault, F., Belmin, J., & Rothan-Tondeur, M. (2021). Expectations and Needs of Families in Nursing Homes: An Integrative Review. Medical Care Research and Review, 78(4), 311-325. https://doi.org/10.1177/1077558720907183
• Heng, J. (2022). For better aged care: The gaps in Singapore's nursing home market and alternative models of care for the elderly.
• Kemp, S. (2022). Digital 2022: Singapore. https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2022-singapore#:~:text=Singapore's%20internet%20penetration%20rate%20stood,percent)%20between%202021%20and%202022
• Khalik, S. (2021). Hospitals and clinics in S'pore desperate for nurses, offering 'finder's fee' to staff. https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/health/hospitals-and-clinics-in-spore-desperate-for-nurses-offering-finders-fee-to-staff
• Lim, E. S. (2009). Predictors of Nursing Home Admission: A Social Work Perspective. Australian Social Work, 62(1), 90-98. https://doi.org/10.1080/03124070802626901
• McCabe, M., Byers, J., Busija, L., Mellor, D., Bennett, M., & Beattie, E. (2021). How Important Are Choice, Autonomy, and Relationships in Predicting the Quality of Life of Nursing Home Residents? Journal of Applied Gerontology, 40(12), 1743-1750. https://doi.org/10.1177/0733464820983972
• Moyle, W., Fetherstonhaugh, D., Greben, M., Beattie, E., & AusQo, L. g. (2015). Influencers on quality of life as reported by people living with dementia in long-term care: a descriptive exploratory approach. BMC Geriatrics, 15(1), 50. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12877-015-0050-z
• National Population and Talent Division. (2022). Ageing Population. https://www.population.gov.sg/our-population/population-trends/ageing-population
• NTUC Income & Lien Foundation. (2016). Supporting Singaporeans' Aspirations For Aged Care. http://www.lienfoundation.org/sites/default/files/Media%20Release%20-%20Survey%20Reveals%20Singaporeans%E2%80%99%20Concerns%20and%20Aspirations%20of%20Aged%20Care.pdf
• Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). (2022). Ageing. https://www.oecd-ilibrary.org/sites/1ad1c42a-en/index.html?itemId=/content/component/1ad1c42a-en
• Perdana, A., & Mokhtar, I. A. (2022). Seniors' adoption of digital devices and virtual event platforms in Singapore during Covid-19. Technol Soc, 68, 101817. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techsoc.2021.101817
• Reuben, D. B., Siu, A. L., & Kimpau, S. (1992). The predictive validity of self-report and performance-based measures of function and health. Journal of Gerontology, 47(4), M106-110. https://doi.org/10.1093/geronj/47.4.m106
• Sen, K., Prybutok, G., & Prybutok, V. (2022). The use of digital technology for social wellbeing reduces social isolation in older adults: A systematic review. SSM Popul Health, 17, 101020. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.101020
• Singapore Ministry of Health. (2021a). Elderly Care. https://www.moh.gov.sg/hpp/all-healthcare-professionals/guidelines/GuidelineDetails/elderly-care
• Singapore Ministry of Health. (2021b). Number of Nursing Homes and Beds. https://www.moh.gov.sg/news-highlights/details/number-of-nursing-homes-and-beds
• Su, Z., Meyer, K., Li, Y., McDonnell, D., Joseph, N. M., Li, X., Du, Y., Advani, S., Cheshmehzangi, A., Ahmad, J., da Veiga, C. P., Chung, R. Y., Wang, J., & Hao, X. (2021). Technology-based interventions for nursing home residents: a systematic review protocol. BMJ Open, 11(12), e056142. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-056142
• Tay, L. H., Ang, E., & Hegney, D. (2012). Nurses' perceptions of the barriers in effective communication with inpatient cancer adults in Singapore. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 21(17-18), 2647-2658. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2702.2011.03977.x
• Tiong, W. W., Yap, P., Huat Koh, G. C., Phoon Fong, N., & Luo, N. (2013). Prevalence and risk factors of depression in the elderly nursing home residents in Singapore. Aging & Mental Health, 17(6), 724-731. https://doi.org/10.1080/13607863.2013.775638
• Wilson, R., Cochrane, D., Mihailidis, A., & Small, J. (2020). Mobile Apps to Support Caregiver-Resident Communication in Long-Term Care: Systematic Search and Content Analysis. JMIR Aging, 3(1), e17136. https://doi.org/10.2196/17136
• World Health Organization. (2022). Ageing and Health. https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/ageing-and-health#:~:text=By%202050%2C%20the%20world's%20population,2050%20to%20reach%20426%20million
• Wu, B. (2020). Social isolation and loneliness among older adults in the context of COVID-19: a global challenge. Glob Health Res Policy, 5(1), 27. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41256-020-00154-3
• Yap, L. K., Au, S. Y., Ang, Y. H., Kwan, K. Y., Ng, S. C., & Ee, C. H. (2003). Who are the residents of a nursing home in Singapore? Singapore Medical Journal, 44(2), 65-73. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/14503779
• Zhang, M., Zhao, H., & Meng, F. P. (2020). Elderspeak to Resident Dementia Patients Increases Resistiveness to Care in Health Care Profession. Inquiry, 57, 46958020948668. https://doi.org/10.1177/0046958020948668