St Luke’s ElderCare’s (SLEC) 25ᵗʰ Anniversary: SLEC Announces $30 Million Community Transformation Fund, for Greater I.M.P.A.C.T for Elders

St Luke’s ElderCare (SLEC), one of the largest community care providers, aims to raise $30 million over the next five years, to enhance its impact and realise its vision of “Transforming Community Care”.

These plans were announced at SLEC’s 25ᵗʰ Anniversary Gala Dinner, held this evening at Pan Pacific Singapore, with President Tharman Shanmugaratnam as the Guest of Honour. The Gala Dinner was themed “Priceless” and attended by over 500 guests – including elders, partners, donors, volunteers and members of SLEC’s founding team and past management.

Transformative efforts are needed to meet the increasing needs of Singapore’s ageing population. In just two years’ time, by 2026, Singapore will be a “super-aged” society with over 1 in 5 Singaporeans aged 65 and above. By 2030, this figure will become 1 in 4, comprising about one million elders.

President Tharman Shanmugaratnam, the Guest of Honour at SLEC’s 25ᵗʰ Anniversary Gala Dinner, said: “St Luke’s ElderCare shows the way in community care, which is an essential pillar in how we support Singaporeans as they live longer and healthier lives. It is a model of how community organisations can collaborate with government, healthcare providers, corporations and academic institutions to provide quality care, near the home.”

We currently serve over 15,000 elders across 31 locations. The $30 million SLEC Community Transformation Fund (CTF) will be used to support initiatives in six “IMPACT” areas, benefitting more than 45,000 elders in the next five years. This is triple the number of elders we serve today.

a. Innovate: To improve accessibility and quality of care for elders, and boost operational efficiency and productivity, we will adopt innovative and advanced technology and research approaches, including:

• Cutting-edge robotics rehabilitation equipment to help elders regain and maximise their abilities to perform activities of daily living independently. We have invested over $1.5 million in advanced robotics equipment, enabling us to facilitate about 2,100 sessions each month. This is present at three of our centres (Bukit Batok Central, Northshore in Punggol, Salem in Yishun) currently and we want to bring this to more centres in the future.
• Revamp of our 12 Active Ageing Centres (Care) to become thematic Specialty Hubs for Active and Purposeful Engagement (SHAPE). These hubs will each have a specialty – from aquatics and cycling to culinary arts, creative arts (e.g. painting and pottery) and performing arts – to cater to the diverse interests of our active agers.
• Refreshed designs of our centres, from five currently (in Bukit Batok Central, Bukit Timah, Changkat, Telok Blangah and Whampoa), with at least six more to come, to offer spaces that are both functional and aesthetically pleasing, creating a senior-friendly and welcoming environment.
• Continual refining of our award-winning, demand-responsive transport management system. This is for efficient route-planning, scheduling, and ensuring safety of about 2,000 elders across about 40 vehicles which make over 350 trips a day, while reducing waste and carbon emissions.

b. Mentor: We will build the leadership capabilities of our staff, equipping them to effectively lead their teams in delivering better care outcomes for our elders. This will also attract young people to enter the community care sector. We will also work with experts from institutes of higher learning (IHLs) to mentor and drive evidence-based research, fostering innovation in our care models. Our research projects with IHLs include:

• A research study with Singapore University of Social Sciences on the efficacy of immersive virtual reality (VR) reminiscence therapy for improving the quality of life of elders. This is the first such local study; conventional reminiscence therapy intervention uses 2D photos or videos.
• A research project with Singapore Institute of Technology to develop texture-modified, nutritious, visually appealing and tasty meals for elders with swallowing difficulties.

c. Programme: We will develop new programmes while scaling up existing ones for our elders, aligning with our GRACE model of care – graceful living, respect, autonomy, choice and empowerment. This model emphasises personalised approaches, which is particularly important as the demographic profile of Singapore’s elders changes – they are more highly educated and more affluent than earlier cohorts, with varying needs and preferences. Their caregivers are also more sophisticated and desirous of quality care. Our programmes incorporate:

• Visual and performing arts modalities such as ceramics, digital illustration, creative movement and drama to engage elders,
• Music with reminiscence and therapeutic components to engage elders with dementia,
• Thematic dining experiences to address elders’ nutritional and psycho-social needs, and
• Inter-generational activities to build connections and foster positive relationships between elders and children/ youth.

d. Advocate: We will advocate for better community care through thought leadership and knowledge sharing. We want to be a significant contributor to the community care ecosystem in Singapore. We do this through mainstream media, social media, partners’ fora and conferences, and engagements with policymakers and stakeholders in the healthcare and community care sector.

• We will continue to organise and scale up the annual SLEC CommCare Symposium, which helps healthcare professionals stay abreast of advancements in community care and the general public gain practical caregiving knowledge. This year’s edition, attended by over 500 participants focused on wound care for healthcare professionals and dementia care and spirituality for the general public.
• We will also continue to host local and international visitors at our LifeLabTM@SLEC in the SIM Global Education building, which showcases the challenges and opportunities of ageing through an experiential learning environment. We want to challenge the young and able-bodied to understand the challenges of the elders.
• Our management team also shares with Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) students about various topics including digital transformation, innovation, eldercare services and sector leadership. Our CEO, Adjunct Associate Professor (Dr) Kenny Tan, conducts the “Management of Eldercare Services” module, as part of the Master’s degree course in Gerontology at SUSS.

e. Connect: Collaboration is a key strategic thrust for SLEC to transform community care. The mission to care for the elders in Singapore is too big for SLEC alone. We need the whole ecosystem of community care partners. Funding support is needed to establish and cultivate connections with industry partners, community organisations, corporations, and academic institutions to create a more integrated and supportive community for our elders. We have formed consortiums and signed Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with like-minded partners such as:

• Fei Yue Community Services, to co-run an Active Ageing Centre in Bukit Batok East, to be opened in 2025.
• New Life Community Services, to co-run an integrated facility that houses both an Active Ageing Centre (Care) and a residence (nursing home) in Jelapang, to be opened in 2026.
• REACH Community Services, to co-run a Senior Care Centre in Senja Valley and Active Ageing Centre (Care) in Teck Whye Vista. They officially opened in July 2024 and October 2024 respectively. · SingHealth, to enhance care coordination and transitions between acute and community care. The partnership includes joint training initiatives, health promotion programming, collaborative research, and quality improvement efforts to improve patient outcomes.
• Institute of Technical Education, Nanyang Polytechnic, Nanyang Technological University, National University of Singapore, Singapore Institute of Technology, Singapore University of Social Sciences, Temasek Polytechnic, for collaborative initiatives in training, resource development and job placement opportunities.

f. Train: In tandem with the ramping up of services and centres, education is another key strategic thrust for SLEC. We will continually train and upskill professionals in the sector and SLEC, volunteers and caregivers through our SLEC CommCare Academy, which is accredited by SkillsFuture Singapore and one of nine learning institutes in the Agency for Integrated Care’s Learning Network. To date, the Academy has trained close to 3,200 healthcare professionals since its inception in 2022. Funding is essential to support the academy in

• facilitating new staff’s career transitions into the care economy,
• equipping senior staff to adapt to new roles,
• giving professional development opportunities to be future-ready leaders, and
• appointing academic and adjunct fellows.

Professor Ho Yew Kee, Chairman, Board of Directors, SLEC, said: “SLEC’s experience and expertise in eldercare positions us well to embark on our next phase of growth to make an even greater impact on Singapore and the lives of Singaporeans. We have CHRIST’s values of Compassion, Holistic Excellence, Respect, Integrity, Stewardship and Teamwork as the anchors for our next lap of growth. SLEC is willing and able to break new ground to uplift our elders, elevate the care sector, and transform community care.”

We invite Singaporeans to partner us in realising our vision of “Transforming Community Care”. Individuals and corporates can also contribute to the CTF by visiting: https://priceless.slec.org.sg/donate. Donations are eligible for 250% tax deduction and matched dollar-for-dollar through the Community Silver Trust by the Government.