Helping seniors age well
Published: 24 Sep 2019
The Mind Science Centre (MSC) – a research centre under the NUS Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine’s Department of Psychological Medicine and NUHS – will be conducting a new study to gather more information on the elderly who live in the western part of Singapore, to help them develop mental resilience and other resources needed to age well.
The Community Health and Intergenerational (CHI) study will recruit 1,000 people aged 60 years and above and is expected to be completed by next year. The study will assess the subjects’ health, sleep, quality of life, attitudes and values, as well as social connectedness.
The principal investigator of this CHI study, Associate Professor Rathi Mahendran from NUS Medicine said, “There has not been an ageing study in Singapore that is as comprehensive as this.”
“This study will be a broader investigation on issues affecting the elderly and the interventions that can be developed.” – Assoc Prof Rathi Mahendran
Carried out by a team of multidisciplinary experts in fields such as psychiatry, dentistry, cardiology, orthopaedics, pharmacy and anthropology, the CHI study aims to provide data necessary to identify groups at risk of medical problems, cognitive decline, social isolation and mental illness. This will allow subsequent interventions to be introduced to delay or reverse cognitive decline, and improve other psychological aspects related to quality of life, depression and social connectedness.
Assoc Prof Mahendran added, “We know that drugs cannot help reverse cognitive decline, so we hope to offer the elderly more options and activities that are stimulating to delay or reverse cognitive decline.”
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