Enhancing Home Caregiving Assistance for Caregivers of Elderly with Dementia and Alzheimer’s Disease

29 Mr Christopher de Souza asked the Minister for Health whether more support can be given by increasing home caregiving assistance for caregivers of elderly with dementia and Alzheimer's disease.

Mr Ong Ye Kung: The Government has enhanced support in recent years for caregivers of seniors, including those with dementia. For example, the Home Caregiving Grant was enhanced in 2023 to provide more help with caregiving expenses. The Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) has also expanded the range of training courses for caregivers. We expanded dementia day care and home personal care services for custodial support, allowing caregivers to take breaks. This includes the Night Respite service which provides night-time care for seniors with dementia.

Specifically, for caregivers of seniors with dementia, since 2021, the Post-Diagnostic Support Community Outreach Teams have provided dementia-related resources to newly diagnosed seniors and their caregivers, equipping them with coping skills and linking them to other services. The Community Resource, Engagement & Support Team – (CREST)-Caregivers – provides self-care advice to dementia caregivers who have or are at risk of developing burnout and link them up with support networks.

We will continue to review support measures to meet the needs of caregivers of seniors with dementia.