Health screening for the elderly--the Singapore Senior Citizens' Health Care Centres' experience 1986-1989: an overview.
A systematic health screening programme for the elderly aged 55 years and above was implemented in the first Senior Citizens' Health Care Centre (SCHCC) in 1986. This programme was expanded to two more SCHCCs by 1989. The first 1,224 clients aged 55 years and above, who attended this programme in the first three SCHCCs were studied in this paper. The characteristics of the elderly who voluntarily attended the SCHCCs for health screening were studied with respect to their referrals, socio demographic status, whether they had regular physician care, the existing medical problems and the new medical problems picked up at health screening. Of those screened, 49.6% were referred for the programme by relatives and self, and 28.2% by community centres, thus, showing that community and family supported the programme. Only 7.2% of referrals to the screening programme came from general practitioners and 4% from polyclinic doctors. It is interesting to note that 40% of clients had no regular physician care. About two thirds (57.2%) had one or more existing chronic medical conditions or disability at the time of screening. The majority with existing conditions had hypertension (24.8%) and diabetes (15.5%). Other existing conditions were ischaemic heart disease (6.2%), cataract (3.9%) and asthma (3.6%). The pick-up rate of medical conditions among the clients at the time of health screening was 38.6% for the whole group. This showed a rising trend from the younger to the older age groups being 29.4% in the age group 55 to 64, to 45.8% in the age group 65 to 74, and 51.4% in the age group 75 years and above (p less than 0.001). Some of the topical issues related to a health screening programme for the elderly have been discussed.
Health Service for the Elderly, Ministry of Health, Singapore.
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D000368:Aged; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011314:Preventive Health Services; D012846:Singapore