Measures to Assist Rising Number of Seniors Living Only with Spouse Should One or Both Fall Ill without Available Help
Ministry of HealthSpeakers
Summary
This question concerns Ms Ng Ling Ling’s inquiry regarding support measures for seniors living only with their spouse who face sudden health deterioration and lack caregiving resources or domestic help. Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong highlighted outreach efforts by the Silver Generation Office, befriending services, and the 24/7 CareLine to refer seniors to home or centre-based care services. He detailed available services such as day care, rehabilitation, home-based nursing, meal delivery, and the Integrated Home and Day Care programme, which can receive up to 80% in subsidies. Financial aid also includes the $200 monthly Home Caregiving Grant for permanent disability and the Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund to help offset costs for assistive devices. To access these programs or medical escort and transport services, Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong advised seniors to contact the Agency for Integrated Care via their hotline or AIC Link.
Transcript
10 Ms Ng Ling Ling asked the Minister for Health given the rise in number of seniors living only with their spouse, should one or both of their health suddenly deteriorate and they are unable to look after each other or afford a foreign domestic worker, what are the programmes they can tap on both if they are staying in HDB flats or private landed homes.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: The Ministry of Health works with our partners to put in place various programmes and services to enable seniors with different care needs to age well in the community, regardless of their housing type.
To ensure that seniors remain connected with the community, the Silver Generation Office, eldercare centres, and befriending services regularly reach out to seniors to check on their wellbeing. Seniors can also subscribe to CareLine, a 24/7 telephone service, for personal care support. These outreach channels will help to identify and refer seniors with care needs to appropriate care services.
These care services include home-based care and centre-based care. For instance, seniors can engage in activities such as exercises, music therapy and handicraft sessions at day care, or attend centre-based rehabilitation sessions. Transport services to and from these centres are also available. Homebound seniors can also receive home-based medical, nursing and personal care services or have meals delivered to them if needed. Seniors with significant mobility difficulties can also access medical escort and transport services to help them with their medical appointments. They may also enrol in the Integrated Home and Day Care programme, which offers a combination of home and centre-based care services. Eligible seniors may receive up to 80% subsidies for these home and centre-based services.
The Government also has other programmes to support care in the community. For example, the Home Caregiving Grant (HCG) provides a monthly $200 cash grant to eligible individuals with permanent moderate disability to defray the cost of care-giving. Eligible seniors can also apply for the Seniors' Mobility and Enabling Fund to offset the cost of assistive devices and home healthcare items.
Seniors who require services or caregiving support may call the Agency for Integrated Care's (AIC) hotline or approach a nearby AIC Link for further assistance.