Her Royal Highness Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn, Kingdom of Thailand

Distinguished guests

Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Evening

The senior members of the post war “baby boom” generation will be 65 years old in 2012. Over the next couple of decades, our societies will age. Governments, non-government organizations and the private sector will all have to come to terms with both the opportunities and challenges that will accompany this demographic tidal wave 

2.         In Singapore, the elderly are 8.7% of our total population, which translates to one senior citizen for every 12 people.  In 2030, one in five Singapore residents will be silver haired.  With higher life expectancy, we can expect to live up to an average of 85 years old, with the majority of us hopefully being healthy and ambulant.  Having said that, 64.2% of our elderly today suffer from common ailments such as high blood pressure, bone or joint problems, diabetes, vision and hearing impairment, etc.       

DISABILITY-FOCUSED ASSISTIVE AND REHABILITATIVE TECHNOLOGY (ART) IN SINGAPORE

3.         I am heartened to see emerging efforts to make life more comfortable for those who are physically hindered.  Two years back, NUS Mechanical Engineering won DigitAll Hope funding for its Augmented Reality Assistive Keyboard, allowing the disabled to communicate virtually and engage in daily chores without the need for mouse or keyboard.  Another winner, Ngee Ann Polytechnic, came up with GlovoLogy, an electronic Data Glove-cum-Pocket PC Phone which captures the hand signs of a hearing-impaired person and converts it into voice, and subsequently into text.

4.         Singapore intends to do its part in the emerging field of Assistive and Rehabilitative Technology (ART). We already have some examples of early success. Vivace Mobility, a locally designed wheelchair, has generated interest in Malaysia, Thailand and UK. NTU’s Pro-Balancer has also been commercialized to provide neuromuscular and vestibular training for rehabilitation patients to improve balancing ability.

5.         It is however pointless to have state-of-the-art technologies if they are beyond the reach of our average citizens.  Consequently, MCYS introduced the Assistive Technology Fund (ATF) in October 2003.  This Fund aims to provide persons who have disabilities with financial assistance to purchase assistive technology devices, to pursue mainstream education or to gain open employment.  We want to assist those with disabilities to live productive lives of their own.  ART, aided by a supportive policy and inclusive community, certainly expands this possibility tremendously. 

ELDERLY-FOCUSED ART IN SINGAPORE

6.         However, I feel that there is more potential for ART beyond its traditional focus to aid the disabled.  In our ageing society, we should harness the assistive potential of ART to benefit our senior citizens as well.  This is far from saying that all our elderly are frail and disabled.  On the contrary, they are very much able-bodied.  We want them to be fit.  We want them healthy and active, and use their retirement period to pursue hobbies, travel and enjoy life. 

7.         I am heartened that our youths agree with me on this.  Almost all our polytechnics have a dedicated design project catering specifically to the aged.  Earlier this month, I was attending Temasek Polytechnic’s launch of its year-long Design for the Aging project.  More than one hundred elderly-friendly designs that fall under the purview of assistive technology were compiled and exhibited.  How does elderly-friendly chopping board with attached tray to sieve the chopped food sound? Or slippers that light up when worn in the dark? Or keys that automatically light up near doorknobs, sparing one the need to fumble in darkness?  

8.         Creative, practical and certainly very relevant to our aged.  More importantly, it tells us that ART need not be high-tech, expensive and requiring complicated maintenance.  It could be something as simple as daily home care solutions that make the lives of our seniors more pleasant so that they can lead their lives independently.  

9.         We also need to familiarize our elderly with these devices.  At first glance, they might be reluctant to try these strange new devices. I applaud Alexandra Hospital for introducing Home for Independent Persons (HIP) and HomeCare Solutions Centre (HSC)—physical mock apartments equipped with elder-friendly aids and appliances.  These mock apartments allow the elderly to explore for themselves the various ART for their daily usage. 

10.       This is in line with our policy thrust of ageing-in-place where we encourage our elderly to age independently and in environments familiar to them.  Let us not make our elderly change their habits and lifestyles in their old age.  As far as possible, we should make our built environment more elderly friendly with the aid of ART. 

SILVER INDUSTRY IN SINGAPORE

11.       The enlarged global market for services targeting the elderly also provides many economic opportunities. Assistive and Rehabilitative Technologies will multiply these opportunities further. 

12.       To chart this new path, our private and public sectors need to work closely together.  Massachusetts Institute Technology (MIT) AgeLab has done this admirably, merging together research expertise, industry network and informed policy to become a leading player in ageing-related fields.

13.       In Singapore, a committee led by Mr Philip Yeo, Chairman of SPRING Singapore, was formed recently to spearhead our foray into this lucrative industry.  Philip and his team would play a leading role to excite the private sectors—both the SMEs and the big players in the industry—to provide products and services that would benefit the mature market.  I urge our researchers and businesses to answer this call so that we can all look forward to an exciting ride on the silver bandwagon. 

CONCLUSION—POSSIBLE SYNERGIES WITH ART IN THE REGION

14.       With ready infrastructure, information handling, and IT expertise, Singapore could look forward to be the centre for ART research in the region.  I am heartened to see that START Centre is leading this initiative to link both local and foreign companies to each other and to the research experts.  The many committed research centres in the region, such as ASTEC (Assistive Technology Centre) in Thailand, SEAMEO Innotech (Southeast Asian Ministers of Education Organization Regional Centre for Educational Innovation and Technology), NovitaTech and Ability Technology in Australia, among others, potentially open path towards productive collaborations. 

15.       Conferences like i-CREATe provide crucial platforms to bring these research centres together to explore possible synergies.   It also allows other stakeholders—the End users/caregivers, Practitioners, Policy Makers, Academicians/researchers, and Manufacturers/Suppliers—to exchange ideas and points of view during the three days conference workshops, seminars and exhibitions. 

16.       I understand also that i-CREATe is a sister conference to the Rehabilitation Engineering & Assistive Technology Society of North America (RESNA), an organization committed to improve the lives of the disabled through technology since 1979.  This way, i-CREATe provides learning and training opportunities for everyone interested in the potential of ART in aiding the lives of our loved ones.  I look forward to seeing more of such conferences in the future to prepare Singapore to become a leading ART research centre and a friendlier place for the elderly and the disabled.   

17.       I wish you a fruitful and productive conference.  Thank you and good evening. 

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