Measures to Track Social Isolation and Improvements in Quality of Life and Healthspan

Mr Cai Yinzhou asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health regarding Age Well SG (a) what measures are used to track improvements in quality of life and healthspan; (b) how social isolation is measured; and (c) what objective targets or benchmarks are used to assess progress in reducing social isolation and enhancing overall well-being among seniors.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: It is not straightforward to track the impact of national preventive health programmes like Age Well SG. Operationally, we can monitor attendance and outreach numbers. Long term, the Ministry of Health monitors indicators such as frailty prevalence, chronic disease prevalence and health-adjusted life expectancy. In time, we also expect academics to conduct research on the impact of these projects.