S'poreans come together to build apps for caregivers, isolated seniors

As Singapore turns 60, it is also a time to celebrate the care that Singaporeans show for one another, connecting and contributing ideas towards a better society.

- Theresa Tan

Product manager Joshua Gei, 28, knows first-hand the panic and stress people face when a family member falls gravely ill.

After a major stroke left his 88-year-old grandfather bed-bound about five years ago, the family was thrust into a maze of unfamiliar caregiving responsibilities.

There was so much to do and figure out, and information on care services and subsidies was scattered across different websites, said Mr Gei.

Recognising this gap, he and four teammates – tech professionals and a student – created CareCompass, a free app to help caregivers of dementia patients find the information they need.

The idea was born in 2024 at the Build for Good Hackathon, organised by Open Government Products (OGP), a tech team in the Government that builds technology for public good.

The hackathon was organised by OGP in partnership with the Singapore Government Partnerships Office (SGPO), which was set up to strengthen the Government's partnerships and engagements with Singaporeans.

CareCompass was one of five winning teams from the 2024 Hackathon that were given the chance to be part of the Build for Good Accelerator programme to develop, pilot and launch their solutions with $20,000 in funding provided by OGP.

With CareCompass, users can tap information on care services, maid agencies, subsidies and support systems.

Users can find the nearest centre that provides daycare for seniors near their homes by keying in their postal code. Search results will show the subsidies at each centre, and users can post reviews of the centre.

The app, which went live in November, aims to ease the burden on caregivers, especially those who are just beginning their journey.

One unique feature of the 2024 hackathon is that SGPO facilitated consultations between participants and subject-matter experts across the Government to help teams better understand and tackle the issues they aimed to solve.