At Dementia Singapore, we are passionate to acquire new knowledge, and learn about new trends and findings in the field of dementia and person-centred care. We therefore believe that research can help to understand the existing gaps in the field and identify solutions to solve these gaps.
Research Collaborations
We welcome collaborations with local and overseas institutions and researchers, as long as they produce generalisable knowledge to:
- Improve the quality of person-centred care practices, services or programmes in dementia care;
- Improve the well-being and quality of life of persons living with dementia & those who care for them; or
- Develop innovative practices, services and/or programmes for persons living with dementia and family caregivers.
Research proposals should also be based on novelty to improve or add information to previous research findings.
Note: As Dementia Singapore does not provide diagnostic services for dementia nor prescribe pharmacological treatment, we are not inclined to participate in any clinical trials. (Dementia Singapore follows the Health Sciences Authority's definition of clinical trials.)
Contact Us
If you are interested in collaborating with Dementia Singapore for a research study, please contact our Research Unit to discuss the possible research collaborations.
Get In TouchIt is important for all researchers to note that upon Dementia Singapore's agreement to collaborate in a research project, and in order to safeguard the best interests of our clients, these research projects will be subjected to review by the Dementia Singapore Ethics Review Panel after obtaining ethics approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB).
Presentations & Publications
In 2006, Dementia Singapore (as Alzheimer's Disease Association, ADA) collaborated with Alzheimer's Australia Western Australia (AAWA) to embark on a Well Being Profiling (WBP) project. In the process of using the WBP tool to evaluate care from the perspectives of persons living with dementia at day care centres, it guides and enhances person-centred care delivery and practices of the centres, and in turn improve the well-being of persons with dementia.
Download the following report to find out more about the WBP project:
Report: "Well-being Programming for People with Dementia in Day Care Centres in Singapore and Australia: Guiding and Evaluating Person-Centred Practice"
In Singapore, the Ministry of Health (MOH) develops and regularly reviews the Clinical Practice Guidelines for the various fields in the healthcare sector, to ensure that care within the sector is constantly advancing. Dementia Singapore (as ADA) has commented on and endorsed the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia, and the updated version of the guidelines is published on MOH website on 10 July 2013.
Download the Clinical Practice Guidelines for Dementia (PDF).
While arts-based activities do not cure dementia, an increasing number of research has reflected the physiological and psychological benefits these non-pharmacological interventions bring to persons with dementia.
Arts and Dementia
From May 2018 to June 2019, a research project was conducted to investigate the impact of six Arts & Dementia programmes offered by Dementia Singapore on persons living with dementia, their family caregivers and society attitudes towards dementia. The findings of the research emphasised that implementing non-pharmacological arts-based programmes for those with dementia have proven positive outcomes, along with a progressive shift of societal attitudes towards dementia.
Download the following resources to find out about the results of the research:
- Press Release: ADA releases research report on "Impact of the Arts & Dementia Programme"
- Executive Summary: "Impact of the Arts & Dementia Programme"
- Infographics: "Impact of the Arts & Dementia Programme"
For more information, visit the Arts and Dementia programme page.
For other related journals on arts and dementia:
- Abstract: "Changing perceptions towards dementia: How does involvement in the arts alongside persons with dementia promote positive attitudes?"
- Abstract: The impact of the Arts and Dementia Program on short-term well-being in older persons with dementia from Singapore
Creative Dance
In 2017, a group of practitioners and researchers from Changi General Hospital and Community Cultural Development, Singapore, conducted a study to evaluate the use of creative dance intervention for persons living with mild to moderate dementia, living in the community. Findings of the study supported the wide range of benefits creative dance interventions can bring to persons with dementia and their caregivers.
Click the following link to learn about the findings of the research:
Abstract: "Person-centred creative dance intervention for persons with dementia living in the community in Singapore."
Dementia-friendly communities are important in supporting persons with dementia to continue living well, the way they want to, as part of their communities, despite their diagnosis.
Towards a Dementia Friendly Singapore
As a lead-up to the Dementia Singapore's 25th Anniversary Symposium, Dementia Singapore (as ADA) brought together a wide spectrum of people in the community including people with dementia and family caregivers to exchange ideas, provide suggestions and to explore ways to make Singapore a dementia-friendly community. Focus group discussions were conducted across eight groups from June to August 2015.
Download the following report to learn the findings of the focus group discussions:
Focus Group Discussions Report: "Towards A Dementia-Friendly Singapore"
Inclusive Dementia Friendly Community (iDFC) in Kebun Baru
In 2019-2020, Dementia Singapore (as ADA) also worked closely with on-ground community partners and grassroots leaders to build a DFC in Kebun Baru. This was done by first and foremost conducting in-depth research and ground-sensing survey of the Kebun Baru residents, in partnership with NUS.
Download the following report to find out more about the results and recommendations the research is proposing:
Building an inclusive Dementia Friendly Community (iDFC) in Kebun Baru
The physical environment can affect persons living with dementia in many ways. Various aspects of the environment, such as its sound level, lighting, ambiance, etc., are important in enhancing the well-being of persons with dementia. A dementia-inclusive environment is dementia-friendly, and enables participation, safety and inclusion. It can even help to reduce some behaviours of concern exhibited by persons with dementia.
Elderly- & Dementia-Inclusive Environment
From 2018 to 2020, Dementia Singapore (as ADA) collaborated with a team from Nanyang Polytechnic to develop a guidebook, which details a list of principles and recommendations for both lay persons and professionals to design therapeutic internal environment (apartment) and external environment (residential estate), that facilitate good quality of life in persons with dementia and elderly, and enable them to remain in their own homes for as long as possible.
Download the following guidebook to read on about the recommendations:
Guidebook: "Elderly- & Dementia-Inclusive Environment"
Family caregivers remain the main persons providing care, having to face much emotional, practical and economic strain in the process. A local research was carried out in 2008 by Dementia Singapore (as ADA), in an attempt to have a better understanding of the caregivers in terms of their needs and how they are coping with the task of caregiving.
Download the following resources to find out about the results of the research:
Executive Summary: "Profiling the Dementia Family Carer in Singapore"
Report: "Profiling the Dementia Family Carer in Singapore"
The first national survey studying stigma against dementia in Singapore was released in April 2019 in collaboration with the Singapore Management University. With more than 5,600 people in Singapore surveyed including persons living with dementia, caregivers and the general public, results revealed that nearly 3 in 4 persons with dementia feel rejection and loneliness, and more than half feel that others act as though they are less competent due to their condition, citing stigma as the reason.
With technological advancements, online delivery methods for dementia education are increasingly adopted. Currently, the use of Web-based virtual reality (VR) is understudied. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of locally developed Web-based VR in improving dementia attitudes, knowledge and empathy as compared to video clips in the context of virtual dementia education in Singapore.
Read the full paper on Web-Based VR Training (Emerald Insight).