Caregiving For Elderly And Persons With Disabilities Take Centrestage At First-Ever Enabling Week

The Centre for Enabled Living (CEL) launched the inaugural Enabling Week last Thursday, bringing together close to 500 industry experts, eldercare and disability service providers, caregivers and members of the community in dialogue on caregiving imperatives. This first-of-its-kind event offers participants the opportunity to hear from thought leaders in both eldercare and disability services, share best practices and drive the development of the industry.

Enabling Week is a cornerstone of CEL’s vision to build an inclusive society where persons needing care have access and opportunities to live life with dignity. The event was launched by guest-of-honour and Minister for Community Development, Youth and Sports, Dr Vivian Balakrishnan, and serves as a platform for generating greater awareness of the needs and challenges of a rapidly ageing population and changing demographics in Singapore. Recognising the critical role of caregivers in enabling the elderly and persons with disabilities to lead quality and independent living in the community, the three-day programme is themed “Continuum of Care in the Community: Building Capabilities, Fostering Empowerment”.

Ms. Lee Kwai Sem, Chief Executive, CEL, said: “As the demand for eldercare and disability services increases, Singapore requires a multi-faceted support network that addresses the care recipient’s needs across the community care continuum. CEL was thus set up as a first-stop centre to coordinate these services, as well as to encourage dialogue and inspire greater ownership in enabled living. Given that caregivers, both professional and informal, have an important part to play in each phase of the care continuum, it is appropriate that the inaugural Enabling Week focuses on the different aspects of caregiving so as to recognise caregivers for their contributions and empower them through knowledge sharing and capability enhancement.”

At the event, CEL also announced the launch of an essay competition for junior college students to share their thoughts on the theme “my role in enabling persons with disabilities and the aged to lead independent and dignified lives”. Each school will have till 19 January 2010 to submit its best student entry. The top three winning entries will be awarded $1,000 worth of book vouchers and a trophy for literary excellence.

The three recipients of this year’s Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Scholarship for Persons with Disabilities also received their awards from the Minister today. The scholarship acknowledges outstanding students for their achievements despite their physical disabilities. Recipients will each receive $11,000 in scholarship funding annually throughout their undergraduate programme.

Enabling Week’09, which comprises a solutions-focused industry conference and series of workshops and talks, is being held at M Hotel from 5 to 7 November 2009. An international panel of speakers and experts will address topics such as community models for seniors, best practices in managing transitions and life changes, disability classification and behavioural management, and overcoming the challenges of caregiving.

More details on the Enabling Week programme and speakers can be found at www.cel.sg/ew2009.

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