Fellowship of Christian Care Professionals (FCCP) Talk

 

Singapore has been steadily experiencing a growth proportion of elderly people. In 2012, the then Minister of State for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Halimah Yacob said at an aging forum that the number of elderly people living alone in Singapore is expected to rise significantly over the coming two decades from 35,000 to 83,000 by 2030  (Mysinchew.com, 2012). This has several important service implications as these elderly will require more health and social services.

 With the increase in our senior population comes the need to better understand how aging affects mental health. As people grow older, conditions such as dementia, depression and stroke can disturb the ability to function or cope. It can be hard to detect these conditions in particular for caregivers. When change in mood occurs, caregivers often attribute sadness or irritability to recent life changes. As a result, problems can be overlooked by professionals and family members.

 In this talk, Dr Ng Li-Ling will give us an understanding of the needs of the elderly particularly their psychological and emotional need in the context of counselling. In addition, she will also provide an overview of Geriatric Psychiatry and the development of its services in Singapore.

Dr Ng Li-Ling, MBBs, MMed(Psyhc), FAMS, is a Senior Consultant Psychiatrist currently practicing at the Department of Psychological Medicine, Changi General Hospital, Singapore. She received specialist training in the field of Psychogeriatrics in the United Kingdom in 1991.  Since 1993, she has been the Vice-President of the Singapore Alzheimer’s Disease Association and has had significant experience in the management of people with dementia and their families.  In addition, Dr Ng is actively involved in the planning of services for the elderly with mental illnesses and is a strong advocate for the greater awareness of the special needs of this sub-group.

 

To register, please apply via gcfsing@gcf.org.sg or call Simon at 6338 6283.