ELDEX Asia announces new partnerships

ELDEX Asia has announced a suite of new strategic partnerships that culminates towards an ecosystem for the growing silver industry. To support upskilling of the workforce in the sector, SkillsFuture Singapore (SSG) is participating for the first time, as a Skills Partner, together with training partners, such as HMI Institute of Health Sciences (www.hmi-ihs.com), and Tsao Foundation (www.tsaofoundation.org), to showcase the training programmes available. SSG will also feature the recently launched Skills Frameworks (SFws) for Healthcare and Social Service that provide key information on career pathways, and the skills and competencies required for various job roles in the sector. In addition, Nanyang Polytechnic’s (NYP) School of Health & Social Sciences is also curating a feature area — Therapeutic Living Spaces at ELDEX Asia. Together with ten of its partners[1] and space transformation specialist, IM Space Pte Ltd, the feature area will showcase how smart technology when incorporated into living spaces can make them aged-proofed, especially for dementia care.

Dr Michael Fung, Deputy Chief Executive (Industry) of SSG said, “We have developed the Skills Frameworks for Healthcare and Social Service sectors to help build a skilled workforce that is essential to supporting a fast growing healthcare sector. Current and future healthcare and social service professionals can tap on these frameworks to identify and acquire the necessary and emerging technical skills and competencies required. SkillsFuture Singapore is also working closely with our training partners and key industry stakeholders to ensure that courses and training programmes remain relevant to changing business needs.”

Dr Bryan Chua, Director of Nanyang Polytechnic’s School of Health & Social Sciences, shared, “It is important for the elderly to live in an environment that is therapeutic, engaging and safe. Through ELDEX Asia, NYP continues to showcase its expertise in understanding what works best for the elderly. For example, we are able to recommend best practices in designing more inclusive living spaces. We also encourage healthcare professionals and lifelong learners to join our education and training programmes to better understand how to care for our ageing population holistically.”

Read more: Food and Nutrition for the Silver Market

In line with identifying new technologies and solutions to do more with less in labour-tight Singapore, the organisers of ELDEX Asia have teamed up with the Japan Science Technology Agency (JST) to curate a Japan pavilion comprising companies with new technologies. “ELDEX Asia’s vision and value proposition fits squarely with platforms sought by JST to incept more Japanese technology companies into Southeast Asia,” observed Ms Emi Kaneko, Director, JST Singapore Office. “We are excited to work closely with the organisers to raise greater awareness of how Japanese companies can enable productivity in providing care for seniors. Japan and Singapore share similar demographic trends of an ageing population and low fertility rates. Through ELDEX Asia, there can be greater bilateral exchange among businesses to explore future collaboration.”

Mr Joseph Yeo, Event Director, ELDEX Asia, shared, “We are grateful for the strong support from our various partners, in particular JST. Japan will be the inaugural country of honour at ELDEX Asia. There are many best practices that we can emulate from Japan, and other countries with greater experience in managing ageing population. Furthermore, to facilitate more social enterprises participating at ELDEX Asia, we are grateful that the Singapore Centre for Social Enterprise (raiSE) is sponsoring a pavilion for its members, such as Generation Connects, Health Partners, HMI Health Institute, and Caregiver Asia. We are also appreciative of SATS for sponsoring the ELDEX Asia medical conference, and Enterprise Singapore for its strong support of the Food for Elders pavilion as part of its Food Innovate Programme. ELDEX Asia aims to create a forum to catalyse businesses to either pivot towards or enter into the rapidly burgeoning silver industry.”

Mr Kerry Mok, Executive Vice President, Food Solutions, SATS, said, “Combining our culinary expertise with innovation, SATS enables more people to eat well by providing healthy, nutritious and great-tasting meals for the communities we serve, including the elderly.”

Yeo continued, “ELDEX Asia also aims to engage other like-minded stakeholders to engender an ecosystem for eldercare. We welcome the support of Society for WINGS – a social service agency that aims to empower older women to age and live well, Singapore Nurses Association (SNA), and Alzheimer’s Disease Association. We are delighted that with SNA’s support, all registered nurses attending the medical conference on 8 November will receive up to four CPE points. Dr Kanwaljit Soin, Founding President of WINGS, will be officiating at the opening ceremony of ELDEX Asia. We are also pleased to share that six out of 43 winners[2] at the Brands For Good (BFG) awards, which honours companies for their sustainability achievements, announced recently, are ELDEX Asia exhibitors. There are strong philosophical and ethical underpinnings between BFG and ELDEX Asia, as both organisations aim to do good for our customers. This is why we decided to partner with BFG. We also collaborate with Care Envision to identify new and interesting products and solutions launched outside Singapore. We will continue to be open and welcome potential partners, including charities, to deliver an inclusive and integrated approach for eldercare.”

Ms Marieke Bink, Chief Executive Officer, Cycling Without Age Singapore, concluded, “We are thrilled that ELDEX Asia has decided to adopt CWA Singapore as its charity. Like ELDEX Asia, we believe in ensuring that any gaps in eldercare are suitably plugged. Providing seniors with the opportunity to venture beyond their usual confines into the community, with the help of volunteers that engage in meaningful conversations and story-telling, has proven to be highly effective in reducing isolation and loneliness in seniors. Apart from trishaw rides, CWA Singapore offers training programmes on ageing simulation and communication, longevity and caregiver wellness as part of its holistic approach to building an ecosystem of empathy for seniors. As CWA’s first chapter outside Europe, we are excited to be part of the social and economic fabric that ELDEX Asia is striving to weave.”

ELDEX Asia, or Eldercare Exhibition & Conference Asia 2019 takes place on 8-10 November 2019 at Hall 405/406 Suntec Singapore Convention and Exhibition Centre.

[1] NYP’s partners include: Apps@Connect Pte Ltd; Ascension International Pte Ltd; AWWA; Bekind Solutions Pte Ltd (agegracefully.com); HOMAGE; iDOC Clinic Pte Ltd; Jaga-Me Pte Ltd; KYDZ International Pte Ltd; myHealth Sentinel Pte Ltd; and Samsung Asia Pte Ltd — Hanman International Pte Ltd.

[2] The six winners exhibiting at ELDEX Asia are DNR Wheels Pte Ltd; Econflo Systems Pte Ltd; Financial Alliance Pte Ltd; iHear Pte Ltd; Radiance Medical System Pte Ltd’s principal Aeon Analytics; and Silver Fleet Pte Ltd.