Project Carer Matters 2 (PCM2)

GERI's Role: GERI leads the implementation research for this project to identify barriers and facilitators that could influence programme implementation.

Lead: Dr Tan Woan Shin (Deputy Director, Research and Scientist, GERI)

Age Well SG strand: Strengthen support for seniors with care needs in the community

Principal Investigator: Dr Chan Ee Yuee (Deputy Director of Nursing, and Head of the Nursing Implementation, Translation and Research Office, Tan Tock Seng Hospital)

Gap: Singapore’s ageing population has placed an increasing burden on caregivers to assist with the daily needs of older persons. However, caregivers often lack support (informational, emotional, social, and financial), respite, and access to appropriate facilities to cope with caregiving, resulting in caregivers suffering from poor physical and mental well-being. This leads to adverse outcomes in the form of hospitalisation or institutionalisation.

Planned Solution: The PCM2 project aims to support patients and caregivers through a three-pronged approach including

1. activating patients, caregivers, and families to empower better self-management;

2. creating a safer home environment that enables dignified and holistic ageing-in-place; and

3. forging deeper connections between the caregivers and the community.

GERI’s research will identify facilitators and barriers for successful programme implementation, as well as examine caregivers’ perceptions of the intervention and how PCM2 has helped improve patient-caregiver outcomes.

Anticipated Impact: The project aims to create an ecosystem to support caregivers and reduce their feelings of burden, reduce caregiving time and work productivity loss through provision of resource information, and care provision in the home. GERI’s research in identifying barriers, facilitators and other operational/contextual factors will support successful programme roll-out. Findings from a Delphi study and the protocol paper for the qualitative systematic review conducted by GERI have been published, which another planned publication on findings from the systematic review.

Funding: National Innovation Challenge on Active and Confident Ageing Grant Call on Frailty

Duration: Jun 2022 to May 2027