Dementia Singapore's Competitive Edge: Age-inclusive Practices for Retention and Productivity

Business Case

The social service sector is often characterised by emotionally demanding work and constraints in matching private-sector pay, making recruitment and retention challenging for non-profit organisations such as Dementia Singapore.  

Despite this, Dementia Singapore has achieved high employee satisfaction, below-industry attrition, and year-on-year improvements in productivity per staff. One key contributing factor is its strong emphasis on age-inclusive workplace practices, which enable the organisation to harness the creativity of younger staff and the experience of their older employees, thereby strengthening workforce stability and supporting the delivery of holistic, high-quality care across its services. 

These practices reflect Dementia Singapore’s belief that building a dementia-inclusive society begins with inclusivity within its own workforce. 

Featured Age-Inclusive Practices

• Fair recruitment and selection 
• Early extension of retirement and re-employment ages
• Job redesign and training
• Flexible career pathways 

Implementation

Dementia Singapore has adopted the following strategies to retain valued, experienced staff while maximising morale and competencies. 

Broadening the Talent Pool: Fair Hiring & Early Extension of Retirement and Re-employment Ages

Dementia Singapore adopts a merit-based approach to recruitment, where age is not considered at any stage of the hiring process. Candidates are assessed based on skills, knowledge and experience. Job vacancies are advertised on both digital platforms and physical newspapers to reach a wider pool of job seekers, including those with no or limited access to online channels. Its workforce profile is testament to these practices, with 60 per cent above 40 years old, of which 20 per cent are above 60 years old. 

The organisation was also an early adopter in raising retirement and re-employment ages. In 2021, they raised the ages to 65 and 70 respectively, even though these requirements will be legislated only by 2030. Employees under the re-employment scheme, who make up 6 per cent of its workforce, continue to enjoy the same salaries, positions or benefits, and are engaged on the same terms and conditions as regular staff. This has helped Dementia Singapore retain competencies, preserve institutional knowledge and ensure continuity of care. For instance, its oldest employee is an 80-year-old staff member who has been with the company for 15 years. 

To provide greater flexibility, a part-time re-employment initiative was also introduced in the same year for senior employees who are unable to commit to a full-time position. Currently, three staff are on this scheme, with a flexible work arrangement schedule of a two- or three-day work week, for example. 

These retirement and re-employment schemes are clearly outlined as policy in Dementia Singapore’s Employee Handbook, reinforcing the organisation’s commitment to age-inclusivity. 

Ensuring the Right Fit through Job Redesign and Training 

Even as Dementia Singapore seeks to retain older employees, it recognises that job roles must be sustainable, safe and suitable for employees of different age groups. Ensuring a good fit between job demands and employees’ capabilities enables them to continue contributing effectively without compromising their well-being.

Jobs have been redesigned with staff well-being in mind while maintaining service quality. For example, at day care centres, team-based lifting of patients is practised to reduce physical strain when supporting persons living with dementia who have mobility needs. Staff also receive training from occupational therapists on safe lifting techniques and are provided with protective back belts to reduce the risk of back injury when lifting clients.

These workplace and job redesign efforts have enabled employees, including older staff, to perform frontline roles safely while extending the age at which they are able to do so.

Beyond job redesign, Dementia Singapore promotes lifelong learning through a comprehensive training framework, which includes Core Competency, Digital and Dementia Training Roadmaps. This is complemented by an inclusive approach to ensure employees are equipped with the skills and knowledge required for their roles. For instance, a blended learning approach that combines e-learning and in-person training helps staff with different learning preferences to participate and learn effectively.

Such training opportunities have supported the professional development of older employees such as Ms V. Vasanthy, 63. In 2017, she joined Dementia Singapore as a nursing aide at age 55 and was promoted to senior nursing aide in 2024. She received specialised dementia care training and learnt about dementia care models and negotiation techniques, enabling her to acquire new knowledge and skills for her career.

Flexible Career Pathways to Support Different Career Aspirations

As employees’ aspirations may evolve across age groups and career stages, Dementia Singapore supports staff in gaining insights and reaching their full potential. 

The organisation offers structured career pathways that allow employees of all ages to pursue either the management or healthcare specialist tracks. These pathways support both upward and lateral career progression, enabling employees to build on their strengths and experience over time.

Training is guided by Individual Career Development Plans. Supervisors engage employees in one-to-one discussions to understand their career aspirations and jointly develop personalised career roadmaps that align employee goals with suitable training and development opportunities. 

Successful examples include an HR professional who became a centre manager, and a social worker who transitioned to lead Dementia Singapore’s training academy. 

Career development opportunities, including leadership pathways, extend to older employees. Among seven high-potential employees identified for external leadership development programmes in 2024, three are above 50 years old. Five out of 14 employees promoted in 2024 are also above 50 years old. 

Outcomes

The implementation of age-inclusive workplace practices has yielded positive results over the period from 2020 to 2024, including:

• 13 percentage-point increase in employee satisfaction scores
• 4 percentage-point decrease in attrition rate
• 18 per cent increase in productivity per staff
• 42 per cent increase in productivity for number of clients impacted

“For organisations embarking on age-inclusive practices, they have to embrace the philosophy that happy staff leads to happy clients. Senior leadership commitment, to me, is the most important thing, because it has to start from people at the top who believe in this.

For instance, our leaders actively role model age-inclusive behaviours by embedding them into policies and day-to-day practices. We also reinforce age inclusivity through leadership KPIs on staff wellbeing and development, as well as regular engagement sessions such as Townhalls, Coffee with CEO and Fireside Chats.” – Ms Tracy Kwan, Chief Human Resources Officer, Dementia Singapore

Dementia Singapore won the Tripartite Alliance Award for Age Inclusive Practices in 2025. They also received the Fair and Progressive Employment Practices Award, the Work-Life Excellence Award, and the prestigious Pinnacle Award in the same year.