DANISH band Michael Learns to Rock is the first international act to perform at Dementia Singapore’s fundraising concert, which aims to raise awareness about the mental health condition.

The organisation hopes that the event – to be held at Tampines Hub on Sep 9 – will promote greater inclusiveness and be an activity for people with dementia and their caregivers to enjoy, as well as other Singaporeans. 

Jason Foo, chief executive of Dementia Singapore, said: “Getting a well-known international act to help spread the message of support for Singapore’s fast-growing community of persons living with dementia goes a long way in helping to break down the stigma associated with the condition, which often stems from a lack of awareness and even a discomfort with addressing the issue.”

Bernard Lim, director of advocacy and communications at Dementia Singapore, noted that raising awareness about the condition is vital as one in 10 people over the age of 60 in Singapore currently have dementia. 

“Aside from dementia being a hidden disability because it is a hard-to-recognise condition, dementia is far from being a subject the general population is well-versed in,” said Lim. 

“Through outreach events like these, we hope to increase dementia awareness and continue to educate the communities.”

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Michael Learns to Rock – whose hits include Paint My Love and Sleeping Child – is a suitable band to help raise funds for Dementia Singapore because many of their fans are in their 40s and 50s, the age groups that are seeing a rise in young onset dementia cases, noted Foo.

The concert is being held in the heartlands instead of traditional concert venues to make it more inclusive, in line with its aim.

On the same day, Dementia Singapore will also feature Totsu-totsu Dance – Like Art, Like Care, a dance therapy programme originating from Japan that will engage people with dementia, their families and caregivers. 

There will be stalls set up where visitors can learn more about dementia and the resources that are available to help this group of people. 

Raising awareness

The carnival is open to members of Dementia Singapore’s Cara app, an initiative to provide support and assistance to people with dementia. The app can be downloaded free, and the public can also sign up for it at the entrance.

App sign-ups will help to raise awareness about dementia and enable larger events such as these to become “hotspots for advocacy”, added Lim. 

He noted: “Dementia Singapore has renewed its commitment to focus its efforts on reaching out to communities in the heartlands, where we believe many elders and their families need to be engaged.” 

The carnival and concert at Tampines are the first planned events under its Back to the Heartlands outreach campaigns. Other similarly themed programmes at key communities are in the pipeline, with the support of government agency partners such as the Agency for Integrated Care.

Since September is World Alzheimer’s Month, Dementia Singapore has also planned its #ShineForDementia initiative, slated for World Alzheimer’s Day on Sep 21. The facades of seven prominent landmarks around Singapore will be lit up in purple from sundown as a sign of solidarity – purple is associated with Alzheimer’s and other types of dementia.

Tickets for the concert have sold out, and all proceeds will go to Dementia Singapore. However, the organisation is encouraging donations to support people with dementia and caregivers via https://dementia.org.sg/donate/