My letter on the above matter is
published in MediaCorp’s Today newspaper today, Monday 16th December
2013.
Our
doctors are seeing more elderly citizens who suffered a fall in their homes,
which has contributed in some ways to the crunch in hospitals and
rehabilitation centres.
Elderly
folk with mobility problems and who are alone when their children go to work are
at greater risk of falls. Although many people consider their homes safe, most
accidents occur at home.
Generally,
most of our senior citizens would prefer to be with their family than to spend
their twilight years in nursing homes. There has thus been discussion on how to
support them.
As
several public housing blocks are being fitted with closed-circuit television
(CCTV) cameras near the lifts to improve security for residents, I suggest that
the Government also subsidise the installation of CCTV cameras in homes of
elderly citizens if the families concerned are agreeable to this enhanced
safety measure.
A
sensor could be placed near the CCTV cameras, and the video and audio feed
could be transmitted to the family members’ mobile phones or other gadgets.
If
the elderly relative falls, an SOS signal or alert message could be immediately
sent to them.
A
home monitoring system will thus allow us to use technology to help us help
ourselves.
Raymond
Anthony Fernando
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