As the nation celebrates its 60th birthday, Singaporeans are stepping up to support caregivers and isolated seniors through innovative apps and community outreach.
One example is CareCompass, a free app developed by a team of tech professionals and a student, including 28-year-old product manager Joshua Gei. Motivated by his own experience caring for his grandfather, Gei and his team built the app to help dementia caregivers easily access information on care services, subsidies, and nearby daycare centres. It was one of five winning ideas from the 2024 Build for Good Hackathon, organised by Open Government Products and the Singapore Government Partnerships Office, receiving $20,000 in development support.
CareCompass, which launched in November 2024, offers features like subsidy comparisons, service reviews, and postcode-based search tools. The team consulted caregivers and agencies like the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) and Dementia Singapore to improve the app’s usability.
Another hackathon project, Heartbeat, is set to launch by mid-2025. This app allows seniors living alone to check in daily, notifying caregivers if they don’t respond or report feeling unwell. The team behind it received $5,000 from a Starter Fund and is collaborating with local grassroots groups to roll it out.
These tech solutions are complemented by grassroots efforts. Property agent Elsa Yeo, 49, her husband Epson Ng, and their son Edus all volunteer as Silver Generation Ambassadors. The initiative, led by the Silver Generation Office, connects over 7,000 volunteers with seniors to check on their well-being and link them to government services.
Elsa’s motivation comes from her background as a clinic assistant and her encounters with inspiring seniors. Her husband, taking a career break from the IT industry, was moved by her stories and now volunteers weekly alongside her. Their 19-year-old son, Edus, recently completed training to join them and has already started helping seniors with digital tasks.
Together, these efforts reflect a growing spirit of care and innovation in Singapore’s approach to aging and caregiving.
