title: Day Care Centers for Seniors in Singapore: Looking Back and Looking Ahead.
abstract: The burden of care for frail elderly persons on families and the society is ever real as our population ages. Given the dual-income nature of many working families, day care centers offer a strong alternative to nursing homes for families wishing to provide custodial care and meaningful engagement for seniors while continuing to uphold their filial duties. Recognizing this, several initiatives, such as SPICE (Singapore Programme for Integrated Care for the Elderly) and Weekend Respite Care, have been launched to enhance the services of Singapore's day care centers. This article traces the evolution of this process, distills current challenges, and offers policy recommendations to improve Singapore's day care services for seniors.
authors.affiliation: Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, London, UK.
authors.forename: Germaine
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore. Electronic address: yap.philip.lk@alexandrahealth.com.sg.
authors.forename: Philip
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Yap
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Gabriel H Z
authors.initials: GH
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.affiliation: Duke NUS Graduate Medical School, Singapore.
authors.forename: Heng Xiao
authors.initials: HX
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.affiliation: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, Singapore.
authors.forename: Ee Chye
authors.initials: EC
authors.lastname: Hua
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D003631:Day Care, Medical / Q000639:trends*; D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated; D016330:Frail Elderly; D006801:Humans; D008134:Long-Term Care; D009735:Nursing Homes; D012846:Singapore
keywords: Day care center; long-term care