Awareness Program for Mental Health of the Elderly in Singapore

Running: PRESS RELEASE AND SOCIAL MEDIA POST
PRESS RELEASE AND SOCIAL MEDIA POST
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PRESS RELEASE AND SOCIAL MEDIA POST
Press Release
[May 1, 2019]
AWARENESS PROGRAM FOR MENTAL HEALTH OF THE ELDERLY IN
SINGAPORE
Ministry of Health, Singapore, The Ministry of Health in collaboration with Health promotion
Board Singapore, are going to arrange a one-year campaign with an aim to generate awareness on
mental health issues that elderly people in Singapore face. The campaign is going to be organized on
May 1, 2019 at Convention Hall 3 at Suntec City.
The government of Singapore is going to take this initiative, observing the increasing rate of mental
illness like depression, dementia, among the elderly people in Singapore. According to the data
published by the government journal, due to the rise in the number of people suffering from depression,
the rate of suicide has been increased drastically during several years.
The campaign Free “Your Mind from The Chain” aims to educate the mass about the roots of such
mental diseases through panel discussions and highlight the duties of the younger generation as well as
the society towards mentally challenged elders. This program will also inform the mass about medical
assistances that will be given by the government of Singapore to mentally ill people, specially elders.
Program structure
Dr Raymond Chow, the Minister of Health, will launch the function. The campaign will consist of
panel discussion by Dr Mabel Tay, the eminent gerontologist, the counselors David Tong, Richard Lee
on the topics like importance of social interaction, dementia, healthy living, early diagnosis of ageing-
related illness to avoid hospitalization and poor health. In order to make the mass aware of the
psychology of the aged persons, this program will also arrange for a quiz on ageing-related diseases.

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PRESS RELEASE AND SOCIAL MEDIA POST
The quiz will start at 3 pm on the day of the campaign launch. Mr Edward Choo, will host the quiz.
We all are aware of his fame for the TV show, “Singapore's next top model”. The number of seats that
can be allotted to the participants are limited to 40. Hence, people who intend to participate in the quiz
need to register their names within April 1. The prizes for the owners of the quiz will include– air tickets
to South Korea and smartphones sponsored by Samsung Inc. Goodie bags for first 300 visitors.
Ministry of Health and Health Promotion Board of Singapore and Its Initiatives:
Health Promotion Board of Singapore was established in the year 2001, it was run by the
Ministry of Health, Singapore. This government organization aims to promote healthy living in Singapore
After analyzing the increasing rate of deterioration of mental health of most of the elderly people in
Singapore and the drastic rise in the suicide rate, this organization has come forward to enlighten the mass
about the social impacts of the mentally retarded adults.
Being the communications executive at the Ministry of Health, I cordially invite-8TV, antv,
Global TV, Indosiar. MediaCorp Channel 5, MediaCorp TV Channel 8, News Asia International, Metro
TV, MNC TV, to be present in this campaign launch program. The prime objective of the program will
not be fulfilled without the presence of media houses. Media plays an effective role to enlighten and
educate the mass. Hence, the presence of the news channels will convey the noble initiatives of the
government to find out the roots of the mental illness in the elderly people, to the mass. Again, the
sensitivity as well as the cooperation of the news channels to the mentally ill people, will form a positive
image of the media houses of Singapore in the minds of its citizens, which will in turn enhance their TRP.
Hence, I welcome the popular media houses of Singapore to broadcast the campaign launch programs
through their traditional as well as digital media outlets.