SINGAPORE: The last domestic helper who cared for Mr Christopher Tan’s wheelchair-bound 76-year-old mother packed her bags and took off without a word in the early hours one day in 2021, leaving her all alone in the small apartment. “(My mum) needs help to go to the toilet, to shower (and) to cha
SINGAPORE: The last domestic helper who cared for Mr Christopher Tan’s wheelchair-bound 76-year-old mother packed her bags and took off without a word in the early hours one day in 2021, leaving her all alone in the small apartment.
For caregivers like Mr Tan, searching for the right care arrangement for their elderly parents can be a long and stressful process, especially when their needs fall in the middle of being able to live independently and having to be constantly looked after in a nursing home. Mr Tan is among an estimated more than 210,000 caregivers in Singapore – many of whom have had to compromise their careers, finances and sometimes their own health to look after their aged loved ones.
Many of these seniors may also not qualify to stay in nursing homes, which typically have a waitlist and accept only those who are physically or mentally impaired, unable to be cared for at home and have exhausted all other care options. Earlier this year, in announcing the 2023 Action Plan for Successful Ageing, the Ministry of Health said that come 2030, around 100,000 seniors will require help with at least one daily living activity, while about 83,000 seniors will live alone.
This is especially so for those whose family members cannot care for them, who live alone or with their elderly spouse, said Ms Chia. Red Crowns Senior Living, another local care provider that started offering assisted living services in April 2021, came under the microscope when MOM announced last month that it wasRed Crowns, whose operating model involves renting Housing and Development Board flats and condominiums for use as assisted living facilities, is currently serving 130 elderly clients in 33 homes across Singapore.
The fees charged by Red Crowns and St Bernadette include meals. They also provide social activities for the residents. The development will comprise 200 assisted living apartment units, a nursing home with 100 beds, a wellness clubhouse and a geriatric care centre. Outside of privately run facilities where residents pay a monthly fee, HDB has also launched two assisted living public housing projects in Bukit Batok and Queenstown called Community Care Apartments in the last two years, with another one in Bedok slated for launch later this year.
Responding to TODAY’s queries, URA and MOH said that the Parry Avenue assisted living development will complement the Community Care Apartments and other private sector-led initiatives by providing more options that cater to different preferences, lifestyles and housing needs. That year, the government had announced that it was studying potential sites for assisted living developments in the public and private residential markets.
Industry insiders and experts cited manpower, land costs and regulatory ambiguity as some factors why assisted living has not taken off in Singapore earlier. Ms Chia agrees, adding that the authorities should have specific regulations for assisted living facilities to provide guidance for providers and protection for residents.
She also noted that the long-term care sector is very heavily dependent on foreign workers and that it is challenging to attract local healthcare workers to work in community settings. Indeed, seniors and their loved ones interviewed by TODAY also cited concerns about the affordability of assisted living services, especially in the long run.
Nevertheless, Mr Tay, who has walking difficulties, said that he eventually chose to stay there as he could still afford the price and it suits his needs. MOH also provides subsidies for residential long-term care services like nursing homes, which covers anywhere from 20 per cent to 75 per cent of the total cost, depending on the applicant's monthly per capita household income.
She added that the proximity of day care centres is also an important consideration for seniors and their next of kin. “You have no freedom of movement , every time you want to go out you must ask for permission,” said Mr Tan, the caregiver. “You're putting two vulnerable groups together, because this helper is also coming from a different culture. The expectation of how seniors are is also different from what Singaporean seniors exhibit,” said Dr Wee.
She said that Homage delivers more than 1 million hourly care sessions annually, adding that a lot of its clients are families who need respite care when their helpers are away or having rest days. “These services support seniors with a range of care needs, from those who need some help with activities of daily living, to those who are home-bound. We will continue to monitor demand and add more capacity where needed,” said the spokesperson.
Similarly, the first purpose-built private assisted living development at Parry Avenue will add to the range of options that cater to different preferences, lifestyles and housing needs of seniors. Mr Tommy Tan of Hovi Care, which provides various eldercare services, said that it would be a “mammoth task” to meet the growing demand for nursing homes and day care centres given the ageing population projection.
To encourage private operators to set up assisted living facilities, they will have to be convinced that they can make money and sustain their business model in the long term, said Dr Tan. In their statement announcing the tender for the Parry Ave site, HDB and URA had said that the concept proposal submitted by Pre 20 “demonstrates a comprehensive care model that provides residents of the proposed development with a continuum of care to enable them to age in place”.
Unlike case managers at eldercare centres who only provide assistance to their own clients, a community manager would assist all seniors at a block, she said. On what more could be done at a grassroots level for caregivers, Ms Pereira shared that her Henderson-Dawson ward has partnered with non-profit organisation Caregivers Alliance to hold caregiver-to-caregiver training.
SUSS’ Dr Tan said that technology for smart living, such as voice-activated electrical devices, or motion sensors, can help to alert caregivers if a senior is immobilised.
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