About DOT
SingHealth’s Delivery on Target, or DOT, was launched on 20 August 2005 to start a network linking public, private and community health providers to deliver a more integrated and community-based chronic care. Focusing on treating diabetes, hypertension, and / or hyperlipidaemia to recommended clinical targets, it links industry and community disease management support to the private General Practitioners (GPs) and their patients.


Lecture on Rehabilitation Care at the premise
of Ren-Ci - Code 4 Home Care Office

Why DOT Eldercare Skills Programme?
The pace of ageing in Singapore is one of the fastest in the world. SingHealth aims to make the ageing process a positive experience – one of a longer life enhanced by opportunities for improved health, participation and security (WHO 2002).

As such, one of our initiatives is to form strategic alliances with healthcare providers in the community as the bulk of aged care can and should occur outside the institutions. For this to take place, our community partners need to be empowered with the necessary knowledge, skills and resources to provide quality aged care in the community. This forms the basis for us to conduct the DOT Eldercare. The demand for primary prevention, screening and health maintenance is expected to increase, as our future seniors are likely to be healthier and more educated. As GPs are in close proximity to seniors because they operate within the community, they are best positioned to provide a holistic approach to primary prevention, health maintenance and screening of diseases. The role of GPs as the main providers of family medicine and care for the senior is expected to enlarge over time and their ability to care for a wide range of medical problems within the community would correspondingly need to increase.

About DOT Eldercare Skills Programme
The DOT Eldercare Skills Programme aims to increase the awareness of primary care providers to the various types of healthcare and social services, as well as financial support, that are available for the elderly and their carers.

Conducted over 4 distinct workshops, the sessions aim to achieve the following learning objectives for the GPs:
• Perform a basic assessment for a frail older person to identify his/her needs
• Recognise common complications associated with physical Skills Programme and mental
  disability and institute-appropriate preventive and therapeutic measures
• Have basic skills in managing older persons with impaired feeding, continence, mobility and 
  skin integrity
• Know the services available for older persons with care needs

Facilitated by a team of experts, the scope of discussion includes

Continuing Care
• Home assessments
• Improving Patient’s Quality of
  Life
• An Age-Friendly Practice
• Case Presentation and 
  Discussion

Managing Communication Challenges
• Visual deficits
• Hearing impairment
• Speech problems

Medication Management
• Polypharmacy
• Patient compliance

Post-Discharge Care
• Post-Discharge Assessment
• Managing Common Post-
  discharge Problems
• Understanding and
  Coordinating Support
  Services for Patients and
  Caregivers
• Case Presentation and
  Discussion

Wound Care Management
• Promoting wound healing
• Preventing pressure sores
• Wound care products

Nutrition Management
• Nutrition needs  
  assessment
• Swallowing assessment
• Managing dysphagia
• Tube feeding

Rehabilitative Care
• What is Rehabilitation?
• Common Problems with
  Rehabilitation
• Sourcing for Rehabilitation
  for My Patients
• Care Presentation and 
  Discussion

Mobility Management
• Mobilising and transferring
  safely
• Common mobility aids and
  appliances

Incontinence Management
• Understanding
  incontinence
• Incontinence aids
• Managing urinary
  catheters
• Managing constipation

End of Life Care
• Understanding Palliative
  Care
• Advanced Care Planning
• Care Presentation and
  Discussion

Respiratory Management
• Managing pneumonia
• Trancheostomy
• Respiratory aids

Managing End of Life
• Symptom management
• Ethics
• Certifying death

The next step would be to continue to build on this awareness through introduction to key community players, develop a decision support infrastructure for formal and informal care providers and establishing an ecosystem for aged care to take place in the community.

Contact Information
If you would like to register for the next DOT Eldercare Skills Programme, please email your particulars (Name, MCR Number, Clinic Name and Contact Number) to:

Miss Pang Huey Ling
Health Management Programme Manager
Quality Management, SingHealth Corporate Office
Email: pang.huey.ling@singhealth.com.sg