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Introduction
In the heart of Southeast Asia lies a city-state known for its progress and innovation – Singapore. But before the early 1990s, a quiet struggle unfolded. There was little to no formal support for persons living with dementia. Back then, dementia was often misunderstood, hidden away in silence. Yet change was on the horizon. From government agencies to grassroots volunteers, a growing network of support began to take root, laying the foundation for what would become Singapore’s evolving dementia care landscape.
There are currently about 100,000 people living with dementia and this number is expected to increase to about 152,000 in 2030 as reported by the Ministry of Health. Currently, there are many support programmes and services available for those living with this condition. However, many of these support programmes and services available for those living with dementia are unsuitable for persons with Young Onset Dementia (65 years old and below). This is a concern as there has been a growth in Young Onset Dementia (YOD) diagnosis in Singapore. Recognizing this gap and the need for greater awareness and understanding, Singapore focused on ensuring that resources and information on dementia became accessible. These efforts are crucial in addressing the challenges ahead and raising awareness.
To fully appreciate how far we’ve come, it’s important to reflect on the key turning points and tireless champions who have shaped this journey. This is the story of how Singapore has come together to build a society that uplifts, empowers, and supports those living with dementia.
Laying the Foundations
In 1988, a series of missing persons reports in The Straits Times caught the attention of Dr Ang Peng Chye, a practicing psychiatrist at that time. At first glance, the cases appeared to be isolated incidents of elder neglect or abandonment, but Dr Ang saw a deeper pattern and a growing challenge. Driven by concern, he assembled a small task force under the Singapore Council of Social Services (SCSS), now known as the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). What they uncovered was striking across nursing homes and general practitioners. There was a profound lack of understanding about dementia; what it was, how it was diagnosed, and, most importantly, how care was given.
With these early insights, the team moved quickly. In 1989, they established the New Horizon Centre in Toa Payoh, the first dementia day care centre in Singapore, which paved the way for centre-based care for persons living with dementia to provide respite to caregivers. A year later, they founded the Alzheimer’s Disease Association, known today as Dementia Singapore Their mission was simple, yet impactful: to uplift, support, and empower families and individuals affected by dementia.
Image Caption: Dr Ang Pye Chye at ADA Staff and Volunteer Day
Around the same time, another milestone emerged. Professor Kua Ee Heok, a leading psychiatrist from the National University of Singapore, was invited by the World Health Organisation (WHO) to join the Global study of dementia. This opportunity led to a landmark achievement. In November 1993, Singapore became home to Asia’s very first memory clinic, marking a pivotal step forward in both research and care.
By 1997, the clinic introduced the Elderly Cognitive Assessment Questionnaire (ECAQ), Singapore’s first dementia screening tool tailored for use by general practitioners. Thoughtfully localised, the ECAQ included familiar imagery like traditional local snacks to make the process more intuitive for seniors. It was a simple idea to bring dementia detection closer to everyday life.
The 1990s continued to pave the way for specialised care. In 1992, St. Andrew’s Community Hospital opened as the first hospital to offer subsidised, intermediate care for the elderly, including those living with dementia. Then, in 1999, Apex Harmony Lodge was established as the only purpose-built dementia residential care facility in Singapore. It is a place designed not just for treatment, but for dignity by creating a resort-like experience for persons living with dementia at all stages.
Together, these early efforts laid the groundwork for what would become a nationwide movement, one rooted in knowledge and compassion. This made room for the next wave in building dementia awareness and capability in Singapore.
Growth of Dementia Capability and Safeguards in Singapore
As Singapore entered the new millennium, the foundation laid for dementia awareness in the previous decade began to grow into a more structured and coordinated approach. The focus shifted from awareness to training professionals, family caregivers, and domestic helpers to meet the complex needs of those living with dementia.
In 2005, Singapore began offering training courses for healthcare and social service professionals at ADA, leading up to the official launch of its first dedicated dementia training center, the ADA Resource and Training Centre (ARTC), in 2013, with funding from the Singapore Ireland Fund. Today, the center is known as Dementia Singapore Academy. The current training provides essential skills to care professionals, family caregivers, foreign domestic workers, and community members, enabling them to support individuals living with dementia in a meaningful and informed way.
This marked the beginning of a broader shift from professionalised care to community empowerment. It is not just about building expertise within clinics and institutions, but extending knowledge into homes, neighbourhoods, and families.
To reinforce this, the Caregiver Training Grant (CTG) was introduced by Ministry of Health to enable families to access affordable, personalised training to care for their loved ones with conditions including dementia. For many, this support was not just financial, it was an emotional reassurance that they were not alone.
This began the shift of not just empowering care professionals and social workers in being effective, but also equipping caregivers and members of the public with the skills needed to create a safe and inclusive environment for persons living with dementia.
In 2008, dementia advocacy reached a new height in public discourse. That year, The Straits Times published a six-page special feature to commemorate World Alzheimer’s Month, signalling that dementia was no longer a taboo topic, but a national priority that required support from the whole community.
As awareness grew, so did the need for legal safeguards.
In 2010, Singapore passed the Mental Capacity Act (MCA), a watershed moment in upholding the rights and dignity of individuals with cognitive impairment. For the first time, adults could appoint future decision makers, ensuring their wishes would be respected even if they lost their mental capacity later in life. This was done through the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), a legal tool that helps families plan.
For these protections to be truly inclusive, equity had to be built into the system.
Financial assistance schemes like the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund and the Pioneer Generation Package were subsequently introduced. These ensured access to assistive devices, medical care, and daily support that were not limited by socioeconomic status. More importantly, these initiatives helped make ageing with dignity not just an ideal, but a reality.
To support these initiatives, many parts of society came together in building a dementia-inclusive Singapore.
Expanding Advocacy and Community Engagement
Nationwide Campaigns
By the mid-2010s, dementia advocacy in Singapore had evolved from clinical care and legislation into something deeper: a movement rooted in the community.
It began in the heartlands, where the everyday met the extraordinary. In Yishun, Khoo Teck Puat Hospital launched a powerful ground-up campaign with Alzheimer’s Disease Association now known as Dementia Singapore called “Forget Us Not” funded by Lien Foundation. The title was more than a campaign slogan. It was a call to action extended to the nation to recognise the invisible struggles of those living with dementia and to respond with empathy.
At the same time, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) drove the Dementia-Friendly Singapore (DFSG) Initiative in collaboration with community partners and corporates.
The vision was clear: to build a society where persons living with dementia are understood, accepted, and supported not just in healthcare settings, but in everyday life.
In 2017, this vision was translated into a real-world impact. Singapore’s first 24/7 Dementia Go-To Point (GTP) was launched at Sree Narayan Mission Nursing Home in Yishun. These GTPs are safe return points (community touchpoints) where members of the public can bring individuals who appear lost or confused to a safe place where trained staff can offer help.
In 2021, CARA was launched as a free dementia membership programme by Dementia Singapore, supported by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS) and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). Accessible through a mobile application, it offers a single platform for members to connect to services and resources relevant to dementia care, including key safety features such as Safe Return and Report Missing Person.
CARA does not require a formal dementia diagnosis, enabling access to support and resources early in the caregiving journey, while also providing rewards and benefits from partner organisations.
Among its features, the Dementia Go-to Point Locator helps members of the public identify nearby safe return points in the community, where persons with dementia can be guided to receive timely assistance.
Advocacy was also coming from within starting from the very people living with dementia themselves.
In the early 2020s, a new chapter began amidst the isolation of the COVID-19 pandemic. Individuals with dementia began stepping into the spotlight, using their voices to educate and uplift families and friends.
One of them was George Chong, one of Singapore’s earliest dementia advocates, who was diagnosed with Young Onset Alzheimer’s Disease in 2017. Through initiatives like the Voices for Hope (VFH) programme, persons living with dementia and their caregivers were equipped to share their journeys, reduce stigma, and build peer support networks.
One of these changemakers was Emily Ong, who was diagnosed with MCI and founded the “La Kopi Peer Support Group” in 2021. She played an active role in numerous national and international conferences, advocating for greater inclusivity for those living with dementia. Initially meeting virtually due to pandemic restrictions, the group became an essential source of connection for individuals with young-onset or mild dementia, as well as their families.
In a time of lockdowns and social distancing, these virtual gatherings became lifeline proof that even when physically apart, a community as such could still grow.
These stories, told in their own words, signaled a powerful shift from care being given to persons with dementia to action being taken by them.
Source: Giffy Dementia-Friendly Singapore (DFSG) Mascot, Agency for Integrated Care.
Source: Voices For Hope Alumni on a Cruise in July 2024, Dementia Singapore.
The first national survey with over 5,600 participants across Singapore was conducted in 2019. The aim was to understand how stigma around dementia affects people in Singapore and promote greater understanding and acceptance for persons living with dementia and caregivers. The survey identified key areas of concern such as rejection, loneliness, and shame. This led to a concentrated effort in enhancing support for persons living with dementia and their caregivers within the community.
Growth of Community and Ageing in Place Initiative
As Singapore moves toward becoming a super-aged society, one guiding principle began to take hold: seniors, including those living with dementia, should be able to age in place; not in isolation or institutions, but in the familiarity of their own homes and in communities that understand and support them.
This idea, while once aspirational, soon became a national priority. Taking shape in the following ways:
Led by the Ministries of Health, National Development, and Transport, the Age Well SG programme was launched to bring this vision to life. It was a coordinated effort to transform the urban environment into a supportive ecosystem for the ageing—one that enables safety, independence, and dignity.
New active ageing infrastructures began to emerge:
- Therapeutic gardens designed to soothe and engage the senses.
- Fitness trails tailored to seniors’ abilities.
- Wayfinding aids and dementia-friendly signages were installed to help improve navigation.
The shift toward ageing in place also extended beyond the built environment. Community networks, neighbours, volunteers, and support groups played a vital role in helping seniors remain anchored in their neighborhoods. These local care systems provided daily reassurance to both persons with dementia and their caregivers.
To create an inclusive Dementia-Friendly Community (iDFC) in Kebun Baru (KB), a group of students from NUS Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Centre partnered with Dementia Singapore (formerly known as Alzheimer’s Disease Association) to conduct a ground-sensing study to:
- Understand KB residents’ knowledge of and attitudes toward dementia;
• Uncover what a DFC means to them; and
• Explore what can be done to make KB dementia friendly.
From late 2019 to March 2020, a collaborative project between Dementia Singapore, grassroots leaders, and community partners was conducted in the community of Kebun Baru, Ang Mo Kio. One of the initiatives in this project was the Wayfinding Project, which aimed to make wayfinding, that is, navigation of physical surroundings, easier for persons living with dementia in this community.
Discussions were held with two persons living with young-onset dementia, participants from Dementia Singapore’s Voices for Hope programme for persons living with dementia and their caregivers, and Mr Henry Kwek (Member of Parliament and Advisor for Kebun Baru Constituency). Following this, murals of familiar retro items were painted on strategically located walls at void decks of HDB blocks in two Residents’ Committees. In effect, these murals can function as landmarks that differentiate buildings and corridors from each other, making it easier for person living with dementia to orientate themselves while moving through this vicinity.
The National Gallery of Singapore (NGS) collaborated with Dementia Singapore to host the first-ever art exhibition specifically dedicated to individuals living with dementia. Before NGS launched the Art With You program, the 2013 Arts and Dementia project had already inspired cultural heritage centers, artists, and art facilitators to create participatory arts programs in community spaces. This initiative provided opportunities for people with dementia and their caregivers to engage in meaningful social activities outside of institutional care settings.
Image: An Art with You guided tour in session. (Photo: National Gallery Singapore)
Building a Dementia-Friendly Future in Yio Chu Kang
In 2019, a pioneering collaboration between the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC), the Centre for Liveable Cities (CLC), and the Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD) launched the Dementia Friendly Neighbourhood (DFN) study. This initiative introduced infrastructure prototypes across three precincts in Yio Chu Kang, aimed at creating environments that better support people living with dementia.
On December 2, 2023, Senior Minister Lee Hsien Loong (then Prime Minister) and Mr. Yip Hon Weng, Adviser to YCK Grassroots Organisations (GROs), officially unveiled the DFN study and prototypes. This event marked a significant step forward in Singapore’s effort to build more inclusive communities that cater to the needs of individuals with dementia and their families.
These efforts highlight the community’s dedication to creating an environment where persons with dementia can thrive.
Singapore’s dementia journey was about continuity preserving the rhythm of life while enhancing the support structures that surround them. At its core was a simple but powerful belief: the best place to grow old, for most people, is home.
Innovation as the Future of Dementia Care
In recent years, Artificial Intelligence (AI) has emerged as a powerful tool in the early detection of cognitive decline. Two groundbreaking examples highlight this shift toward more proactive dementia care.
One is Pensieve-AI, a locally developed app that identifies early memory problems or pre-dementia in seniors in under five minutes, with an accuracy rate of up to 93%. Using a tablet and stylus, patients complete drawing tasks, which the app analyzes for signs of cognitive issues. This AI tool is set to replace traditional screening methods like drawing a clock or recalling random words. In a nationwide study completed in September 2024, Pensieve-AI demonstrated 93% accuracy, matching the gold standard of cognitive testing. Developed by Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and GovTech, it is scheduled for rollout in 2026.
Another innovation is ReCOGnAIze, an AI-powered screening tool created by Gray Matter Solutions, a spin-off from Nanyang Technological University (NTU), in collaboration with the Osler Health Group. Unlike traditional paper-based tests or lengthy interviews, ReCOGnAIze uses neuroscientific games to detect Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), which can increase the risk of dementia. The process is quick—taking no more than 15 minutes—and offers a non-invasive, engaging way to identify early signs of cognitive decline.
Both technologies reflect a broader shift from reactive care to proactive prevention, aiming to intervene earlier, provide better support, and help individuals maintain their independence for as long as possible.
At Jurong Community Hospital, a programme called PortrAIts: Small Things that Matter combines AI and art therapy to help persons with dementia express their memories visually. One patient used AI to recreate a vivid scene from his childhood, a moment long buried, now reimagined through digital art.
These creative breakthroughs are not just novel; they are deeply restorative. They give voice to experiences that dementia tries to erase. By merging art and technology, persons living with dementia are empowered, fostering autonomy and enhancing their quality of life in ways unimagined.
Meanwhile, in residential care, robots are redefining caregiving experience.
At Peacehaven Jade Circle, a next-generation dementia care facility developed by The Salvation Army, the Lien Foundation, and the Khoo Chwee Neo Foundation, residents are offered choices daily from joining group activities to enjoying breakfast on their own terms. The environment is person-centered, but supported by smart technology including Dexie, a dementia-specific humanoid robot designed to engage, stimulate, and comfort.
This blend of warmth and technology does not replace caregivers, it helps them by ensuring care is consistent, respectful, and personalised. However, it must be used appropriately to reap the best possible benefits as persons living with dementia do require an empathetic and human touch in their care.
Yishun Community Hospital’s dementia ward features a bus shelter, offering patients comfort, familiarity, and a sense of home. Inspired by gerontology training, staff use the shelter to ease anxiety, spark memories, and encourage physical activity showcasing a forward-thinking approach to dementia care in Singapore.
Each of these innovations, whether in clinics, hospitals, or homes, points to a future where dementia care is not just efficient, but empathetic; where technology does not overshadow human experience but amplifies its most compassionate parts.
What began decades ago as scattered seeds sowed by doctors, caregivers, and concerned communities has grown into a vibrant and evolving ecosystem of support. Along the way, Singapore has nurtured a dementia care landscape rooted in compassion, strengthened by science, and shaped by community.
While the path ahead remains challenging, the ground has been prepared. New seeds are still being sown through innovative therapies, inclusive design, and voices of lived experience. With continual care, these seeds will grow into a future where persons living with dementia and family caregivers are not only supported but truly seen and valued.
Tell us how we can improve?
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