Assisting More Seniors to Make Lasting Power of Attorney

9 Ms Joan Pereira asked the Minister for Social and Family Development whether the Ministry will consider sending a letter in the four official languages to all seniors aged 60 years and above to encourage them to make a Lasting Power of Attorney and also to inform them the steps they need to take to make one.

10 Mr Liang Eng Hwa asked the Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what is the current number of Singaporeans who have registered a Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA) since the establishment of the Office of the Public Guardian; (b) whether there are plans to assist more Singaporeans to register for a LPA through the new digital process, especially the seniors; and (c) whether there can be more non-digital ways made available to help seniors sign up.

The Minister for Social and Family Development (Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M): Mr Speaker, may I have your permission to answer Question Nos 9 and 10 on today's Order Paper together, please?

Mr Speaker: Please do.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: Mr Speaker, my response will also cover the matters raised in the questions by Ms Denise Phua¹ and Ms Ng Ling Ling, which are scheduled for a subsequent Sitting. I would invite Members to seek clarifications, if need be. If the questions have been addressed, it may not be necessary for them to proceed with the questions for future Sittings.

We have stepped up efforts to increase awareness and take up of Lasting Powers of Attorney (LPA) over the years. First, we waived the $75 application fee for filing an LPA. We have seen a significant increase in LPA registrations since its introduction. In 2013, around 2,200 Singaporeans registered an LPA. In 2021, over 32,000 did so. Nearly 95% of the 153,000 Singaporeans who have registered their LPAs, benefited from the fee waiver.

Second, we will be launching a new Office of Public Guardian Online, or OPGO, e-service on 14 November 2022, so that it is even easier to make an LPA. In designing the e-service, we paid extra attention to seniors and those less comfortable with technology. Hence, the application form will be an easy questionnaire that guides the user in creating his or her LPA. Instructions are in plain English and are also available in the other official languages. Additionally, users can view step-by-step instructional videos in the four official languages and Quick Reference Guides to help them navigate the e-service. We have tested the service with older users, who reported they were confident to use it.

The Office of the Public Guardian is also working with partners to provide help at convenient locations. Residents who prefer in-person assistance can approach ServiceSG Centres, Citizen Connect Centres and the Office of the Public Guardian. Officers there will be able to help them with the online LPA application. Staff at other community touchpoints – such as Senior Activity Centres, restructured hospitals and nursing homes – will also be able to provide advice to residents.

Finally, we will be stepping up efforts to help Singaporeans appreciate the importance of pre-planning. The Office of the Public Guardian and the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) will run a publicity and outreach campaign from 2023 to 2025 to encourage Singaporeans, especially those aged 50 and above, to make their LPAs and Advance Care Plans. The outreach will involve Silver Generation Ambassadors. We are happy to work with Members to promote this to their residents. We will consider how a letter-mailing exercise can be carried out in a cost-effective way, perhaps riding on other regular mail correspondence that the Government already sends to residents.

Family members will also be vital channels of outreach. Whether as a spouse, child or grandchild, we should encourage our loved ones to make their LPAs early, so that they are better prepared should they lose their mental capacity one day.

Mr Speaker: Ms Joan Pereira.

Ms Joan Pereira (Tanjong Pagar): Thank you, Mr Speaker. I have one supplementary question for the Minister. Single and lonely elderly sometimes find it very difficult to identify suitable donees. Can MSF help our elderly by matching them with perhaps a pre-screened list of potential donees? If there is not such a list of persons, can MSF maybe consider doing so?

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: We thank the Member for the suggestion. We will study this suggestion and we welcome other suggestions. As we operate the OPGO from the middle of November, we will have to study how the public reacts to it, especially our seniors, and then accommodate, adjust, so that as many of them as possible will be enrolled in the LPA.

Mr Speaker: Ms Ng Ling Ling.

Ms Ng Ling Ling (Ang Mo Kio): I thank the Minister for the answer. I have two follow-up questions. One is, does the Ministry track the adoption of LPA, those who apply, by age group above 60, maybe in 10-year bands? Because I think the older they are the more this is important for them. I am very heartened to hear the high absolute number growth, but I am not sure what it is from the baseline. So, do we track the percentage of our population above 60 years old by 10-year bands on their adoption of LPA?

The second question is, for those that may have more difficulties getting an LPA, will the Ministry consider an opt-out scheme where appropriate donees are given to them and if they opt out, then they cannot be a part of LPA?

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: For internal, specific purposes, we do track who are on, who have been enrolled, so that we can see by trend, at what age they enrol. I think it is noteworthy that while we want those who are above 50 as our target to be on LPA, I think all of us should be on LPA as soon as possible. And even for our children to be on LPA and not think that it is something we can postpone until usually too late.

On the other question, it is the same as what Ms Joan Pereira has asked. We will study all the suggestions that Members have and, of course, the experience we have on the ground, incorporate them, adjust our process and procedures as we move.

Mr Speaker: Ms Hany Soh.

Ms Hany Soh (Marsiling-Yew Tee): Thank you, Speaker. I have two questions. The first is in relation to the fee waiver. I wish to clarify with the Minister whether there are plans to waive the fees, because currently, Singaporeans are eligible for the fee waiver until 31 March 2023. That has been the trend for the past few years of several rounds of extension of the waiver. I wish to understand whether the Ministry intends to consider extending the waiver indefinitely.

The second question is in relation to stepping up on the outreach. The Silver Generation Ambassadors have been a good touchpoint in interacting with our seniors. So, whether OPG intends to train our Silver Generation Ambassadors, so that as part of the outreach, one of the key topics that the Ambassadors can consider to do, is to broach this topic in relation to the importance of doing an LPA.

Mr Masagos Zulkifli B M M: The fees that we impose are just to recover cost. We have extended the waiver to make the fee not become a barrier to taking up an LPA. But I do not think, though, that the fee is the only reason why people do not take up an LPA. There are cultural reasons. There is also the sense that we can postpone this as late as possible, and therefore, we do have to do more, particularly to raise awareness, the importance of having the LPA in place as soon as we can.

But, having said that, we will certainly study to extend the fee waiver, if necessary, and also to facilitate the take-up of LPA.

Secondly, I do agree with the Member that we will be training the SGAs and all our connect points where seniors are likely to come or to seek help, so that they can be assisted to understand what the LPA is, why it is important and what the cultural and also, sometimes, religious worries and concerns that need to be addressed, so that they can overcome them and then take up the LPA as soon as they can.