Navigating a New Reality

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The world is in the midst of the biggest health crisis in more than a century, with a novel coronavirus — unknown a year ago — infecting more than 42 million people worldwide and reaping a grim harvest of 1.1 million lives as of late October, 2020. Singapore was one of the earliest countries to be affected outside China, reporting its first case on January 23 and its first known infection in a nursing home on March 31.

This report provides a quick, contemporaneous account of the first six months of the COVID-19 crisis as seen through the eyes of some of Singapore’s long-term care (LTC) operators. It elaborates on the challenges faced — many of them inevitable — and lessons learnt as LTC operators worked round-the-clock in tandem with the government health and care agencies to safeguard and serve the seniors who live in nursing homes or use day center or formal homecare services. Crucially, the report also identifies emerging opportunities and local and global best practices from the care sector and other industries — especially with regard to technology — which are worth emulating to help make the sector stronger, more integrated and resilient in a postpandemic world.