Number of Home Caregiving Grant Applicants and Top Conditions Cared for by Applicants

10 Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin asked the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health (a) what is the cumulative number of applicants for the Home Caregiving Grant (HCG) to date; (b) what are the top three conditions cared for by HCG applicants; and (c) what is the number of applicants broken down by age group of (i) 30 to 39, (ii) 40 to 49, (iii) 50 to 59, (iv) 60 to 69, and (v) 70 years and above.

The Minister of State for Health (Ms Rahayu Mahzam) (for the Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Minister for Health): Mr Speaker, since the Home Caregiving Grant (HCG) was introduced in 2019, there have been over 94,000 applicants for the HCG cumulatively. Of which, 74% were aged 70 and above, 15% were aged 60 to 69, 5% were aged 50 to 59, 2% were aged 40 to 49, and 1% were aged 30 to 39, at the point of application.

The Ministry of Health does not collect information on the specific conditions of HCG applicants.

Mr Speaker: Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin (Ang Mo Kio): Thank you, Speaker, and I thank the Minister of State for her response. In an ageing estate, such as Ang Mo Kio, the HCG is very much appreciated. And while primarily designed for seniors, my understanding is that it is also designed to recognise other forms of caregivers. And so, I have two supplementary questions.

The first, for those with autism and intellectual disabilities, can the Minister of State clarify whether the individual must also separately meet the Activity of Daily Living (ADL) criteria? If so, would the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) consider decoupling this? As the care recipients also have some level of independence and we want to encourage them to maintain these ADLs; the caregivers would greatly appreciate the support.

Secondly, while caregiving needs may present differently across physical health and mental health conditions, the intensity and impact on caregivers are equally significant. So, could I check whether the Government can extend the HCG to care recipients who are facing diagnosed mental health conditions and, if necessary, to introduce the appropriate criteria similar to ADLs for this qualification?

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: I thank the Member for the question and also acknowledge her interest in advocating for the caregivers of those with different needs.

I would want to explain that the HCG is actually designed to help defray caregiving costs and expenses for those with greater needs and that is why it is actually means-tested. The recipients are those who are unable to perform the ADLs.

That is how it is structured, because we see ADLs as being a key function and essential portion of our daily living.

So, HCG itself is a specific scheme for caregivers. When the Member asked the question about the caregivers of those with autism or intellectual disability, as well as those with mental health conditions, actually, if they meet the criteria of not being able to perform the ADLs, they will satisfy the requirement of HCG. And then, of course, there is the means testing.

I understand and appreciate where the Member is coming from, because there are clearly other concerns with those who are caring for individuals with special needs. There are many different other schemes that are in place to address many different concerns. In particular, with regard to those with special needs, there are existing efforts that we are looking at and reviewing, and trying to understand and appreciate better how we can support them.

So, it may not just be from the HCG. I want to assure the Member that, at the moment, yes, HCG has certain requirements. It is meant and intended to help those with the most or greater needs with regard to ADLs. I do see and appreciate the concerns she has with regard to those with other types of caregiving challenges. And we are looking at some of those to see how we can fill in the gaps.

In the meantime, if there are some specific concerns, she can raise the issues and then, we can see what are the existing infrastructure or support that is already existing that we can channel to the residents who are in need.

Mr Speaker: Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin, a short supplementary question, please.

Ms Nadia Ahmad Samdin: Thank you, Speaker, and I really appreciate the Minister of State's assurance. I recognise, especially for those with special needs, there may be alternative schemes, for example, through SG Enable. However, for the care recipients who are facing mental health conditions, could the Minister of State clarify what sort of testing? Because for the mental health condition and the doctor issues a total permanent disability, is there an equivalent sort of testing which can be offered to assess ADL, in order for them to qualify for this scheme? Because my understanding on the ground is that this is a little harder to do; and for mental health conditions, there is not as many schemes available.

Ms Rahayu Mahzam: Let me clarify, Mr Speaker. The description of what the ADLs are, is quite clear. So, if, let us say, the care recipient is not able to perform those daily activities permanently and the doctor certifies that he or she is not able to do so, then they would be eligible to apply for this. So, it is not a separate assessment.

I note the Member's concerns that it is not so clear cut. In those cases, perhaps that could be surfaced to us and we will see where we could streamline that a bit better. But there are quite clear descriptions as to what the ADLs are.