Speaker: Professor Jay Luxenberg, Chief Medical Officer of On Lok, Inc., USA and Clinical Professor in Department of Medicine, University of California, USA

In the early 1970s, the Chinese-American community of San Francisco identified a perception that placement in a nursing home was a death sentence for frail elderly persons. A community group started by exploring building a Chinese language nursing home, but soon learned that actually elderly people much preferred staying in their own homes. What followed next was a series of innovations that led to the development of a new model of care that has now become a government benefit and has been replicated in over 140 sites around the US. It has also influenced senior care around the world. The original program, called On Lok, has expanded beyond the Chinese American community to serve nursing home eligible seniors from many different cultures. Lessons learned will be shared to identify elements that might improve long term care options in Singapore.