Nanyang Polytechnic drives Singapore’s community nursing expertise with new Centre for Connected Care
Published on 22 May 2018

Singapore, May 22, 2018 – Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) is unveiling its new NYP-StarHub Centre for Connected Care

As its name suggests, it harnesses technology and telemedicine advances to pave the way for new and innovative ways to deliver nursing care to homes. The primary targets are the elderly and people living with dementia.


Both registered and student nurses will use the Centre to get training in best practices to transit patients from acute care in hospitals to long-term care at home. Community nursing has been identified as a major growth area as one in four Singaporeans will be aged 65 years old and above by 2030. Then, one in 10 of our population aged 60 and above is also expected to develop dementia. Singapore’s first and largest nursing school, NYP’s School of Health Sciences (SHS), is therefore investing in the pedagogy and facility to ensure that graduates can keep up with the future demands of nursing.


An estimated 1,000 nurses will be trained at the Centre annually. Also in the plans is for nursing experts to use this Centre for innovation and experimentation on new methodologies.


The Centre’s design and features are based on a 15-month research project on the needs of families caring for persons with dementia. Dr Wan-Koo May Yeok, Assistant Director of NYP’s School of Health Sciences, who led the study explained that a key finding was that persons with dementia want to live with dignity, while their caregivers felt a great responsibility and need to constantly keep an eye on them. So unobtrusive surveillance systems, for instance, helped ease the tensions of constant questioning and worry.


NYP will work with 10 partners at the Centre. They range from companies that design toys and activities for the elderly to those that provide digital infrastructure and smart technology.


Among them is StarHub, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding with NYP at the opening of the Centre today. The telco will ensure digital connectivity of the Centre and share its expertise in data analytics and other advanced technologies to facilitate the development of smart healthcare solutions.


Dr Chong Yoke Sin, Chief, Enterprise Business Group, StarHub, said: “In light of our rapidly greying population and the shortage of manpower in the long-term care sector, technology plays an increasingly important role in the provision of quality care in facilities and at home. As a telco, we are well-placed to advance connected care to better the lives of people, and NYP’s drive to harness advanced technologies in their curriculum and research resonates with us. Leveraging our expertise in artificial intelligence, data analytics, Internet of Things, robotics and surveillance, we look forward to equipping and empowering healthcare professionals and caregivers as well as furthering smart community and home-based care solutions.”


Ms Bella Tan, Director, NYP’s School of Health Sciences (Nursing), said: “Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Health Sciences is Singapore’s most established nursing school, both for registered and student nurses. It is vital that our students are ready to hit the road running when they start work and keep up with new healthcare technologies. The NYP-StarHub Centre for Connected Care will play a key role. It ensures that health and social care professionals in Singapore are ready for the reality of caring for an ageing population and for persons with dementia.”


Mr Jason Foo, Chief Executive Officer, Alzheimer’s Disease Association, said: This is a commendable initiative by Nanyang Polytechnic to support the dignified living of people with dementia and their family caregivers. Research has shown that we can slow down the progression of dementia when those with the condition continue to live in an environment that is therapeutic, engaging and safe for them. NYP's design of an ecosystem where health and social care can be integrated will be a boon for everyone – persons with dementia, their families and professional caregivers.”


Those who wish to visit the NYP-StarHub Centre for Connected Care can attend the upcoming NYP Early Admissions Exercise (EAE) Parents’ Seminar on 26 May 2018, Saturday, from 9am to 1pm for a guided tour. Sign up at www.nyp.edu.sg/EAE for this special seminar and a guided tour of the Centre.

 

About Nanyang Polytechnic

Established as an institution of higher learning in 1992, Nanyang Polytechnic’s (NYP) seven academic schools offer quality education and training through more than 40 full-time diploma courses. NYP also has a full suite of continuing education (CET) options for lifelong learning, ranging from specialist and advanced diplomas, to SkillsFuture modules and courses. NYP’s Asian Culinary Institute and the Singapore Institute of Retail Studies are CET institutes set up in partnership with SkillsFuture Singapore to champion and transform Singapore’s F&B and retail sectors respectively.


Through its strong network of industry connections, NYP empowers learners for work and life through relevant curricula and deep capabilities. NYP strives to be the innovative polytechnic, creating a nexus of future-ready learners, ready to take on new challenges and contribute to growth and sustainability.   Nanyang Polytechnic is a recipient of Singapore’s top organisational and business excellence awards: the Singapore Quality Award, the Innovation Excellence Award and the People Excellence Award.

Annex

Partners involved in Nanyang Polytechnic’s Centre for Connected Care

S/N

Partner

Involvement

1

Alzheimer's Disease Association

NYP and the Alzheimer’s Disease Association will co-develop dementia-related curriculum and courses, and the Association will offer internship opportunities to NYP students.

2

Allscripts

Allscripts will support the training of students with its provision of electronic medical record software.

3

Jaga-Me Pte Ltd

Jaga-Me will expose NYP staff and students to mobile home health services through its provision of e-documentation training applications.

4

KYDZ International

KYDZ International will provide all the dementia-friendly toys and games housed in the Centre for Connected Care. 

5

MyHealth Sentinel Pte Ltd

MyHealth Sentinel will provide the Centre for Connected Care with mobile blue-tooth wireless monitoring devices, gateway, and the Telemetrix+ Cloud Platform.

6

oTTo Waste Systems (S) Pte Ltd

oTTo will design, customise and provide the Centre for Connected care with dementia-friendly waste bins for both general and recycled waste.

7

Philips 

Philips will take on an advisory role in NYP’s development of a telehealth module to equip its nurses with future-ready remote patient monitoring skills.

8

Samsung Asia Pte Ltd

Samsung will provide the Centre for Connected Care with smart sensors and Internet of Things offerings.

9

SmartCity Solutions Pte Ltd

SmartCity Solutions will provide the Centre for Connected Care with waste bin sensors.

10

StarHub

StarHub will equip the Centre for Connected Care with artificial intelligence, data analytics, Internet of Things, robotics, smart connectivity and smart surveillance capabilities.

Projects by Nanyang Polytechnic School of Engineering (SEG) in the Centre for Connected Care

S/N

Project

Description

1

SEG Telepresence Robot

The SEG telepresence robot is designed to help nurses make their rounds in the hospital wards, and monitor patients at all times. It enables nurses to be remotely present by acting as a pair of mobile eyes and ears. The telepresence robot can patrol the homes of elderly who live alone and enable them to communicate with their family and friends.

2

Portable Electronic Mind Game for Person with Dementia

The portable electronic mind game is specially designed to stimulate the minds of persons with dementia and slow down the progression of the condition. With few rules to follow, the game has various levels of difficulty catered for persons at different stages of dementia.

3

Hybrid Walking Stick and Easy-Rest

Easy-Rest is designed to provide support and offer rest to the elderly at any time. It incorporates a detachable foldable seat into a conventional quadrupled walking stick.

Designed to increase the stability of a conventional single rod walking stick, the Hybrid Walking Stick does so by transforming from a single point support to multiple point support with a simple sliding action.