Speech by Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for Health, at Silver Caregivers Co-operative Limited (SCCL) Annual Caregivers Celebration Dinner, 2 March 2017

Ms Audrey Lee, Chairman of Silver Caregivers Co-operative Limited (SCCL)

Partners from the health and social sectors

Caregivers

Ladies and Gentlemen

1.         A very good evening to everyone. I am delighted to join you for the Silver Caregivers Co-operative Limited Annual Caregivers Celebration Dinner. This evening, we want to honour all our caregivers. They are a growing segment, increasing in tandem with our ageing population. They have sacrificed their careers, time and sometimes even their personal lives to ensure that their loved ones receive the best possible care.

Caregiving: Everyone’s Responsibility

2.         One of the caregivers with us tonight is Mr Yeo. Mr Yeo’s mother was diagnosed with dementia ten years ago, and had a series of falls with the most recent one resulting in a fracture. Due to her old age, Mr Yeo’s family decided not to subject their mother to an operation. To spend quality time with her, Mr Yeo has given up his career in a multinational company to join the eldercare industry. Today, Mr Yeo relies on Silver Caregivers Co-operative Limited for advice and moral support in caring for his mother. He has attended several talks and courses to prepare himself for his role as a caregiver.

3.         We are honoured to have Mr Yeo and other caregivers like him here tonight with us. They personify our core value of filial piety. As our population ages rapidly, the family will play a critical role in supporting our seniors.  We need to better support caregivers to take care of their loved ones at home.

Improving Accessibility to Information and Care Navigation

4.         The Government has been making efforts to enhance caregiver support in Singapore, so that caregivers need not walk this journey alone.

5.         First, we are improving access to information and care navigation for caregivers and their families. First-time caregivers are often unprepared and may not know how and where to seek help. Hence, in 2014, we launched the Singapore Silver Line – a one stop call centre to help elderly and their caregivers navigate care services and schemes in the community. Since the launch, we have received more than 125,000 calls.

6.         For those who prefer a more personal touch, the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) has also rolled out AICareLinks resource centres at five hospitals and at its office at Maxwell Road. These are one-stop information and referral touchpoints that provide advice on services and schemes. These centres serve on average about 4,200 patients and caregivers each month.  We will continue to raise awareness of these touchpoints so that caregivers know where to turn to for help. It would also help if everyone here help us spread the word on these services!

7.         Help is also available virtually.  The Health Promotion Board has recently introduced a caregiver module in the HealthHub app. This new service allows designated caregivers to conveniently access their loved ones’ health records, allowing them to keep track of their loved ones’ test results and medical appointments.

Enhancing Care Services

8.         Second, we are enhancing our care services and schemes to support caregivers in caring for their loved ones. We have expanded our home based care capacity from 3,800 places in 2011 to 7,500 places today, and are on target to provide 10,000 home care places by 2020. We have also expanded the number of day care places from 2,100 in 2011 to 4,000 today, and we are on track to provide 6,200 day care places by 2020. We are also making our services more comprehensive. Last year, we piloted Integrated Home and Day Care packages that allow seniors to receive home and day care services flexibly depending on their needs. On days when seniors are well, they can go to the day care centres; and on days when they feel under the weather, providers will bring care services to the seniors’ homes instead. We hope to expand the scheme to more providers.

9.         Third, we are continually reviewing our schemes to help defray the costs of caregiving. In 2015, we enhanced the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF) transport subsidy to offer more subsidies for transport to eldercare centres, day hospices and dialysis centres. SMF also provides subsidies to seniors and their families to offset the cost of purchasing assistive aids and home healthcare items. The Foreign Domestic Worker Grant provides $120 each month to families who employ foreign domestic help to care for seniors at home. The Foreign Domestic Worker Concessionary Levy for these families has also been reduced from $120 to $60 per month since May 2015.

10.       Besides affordability, we are also working to improve training for caregivers. The Caregiver Training Grant provides $200 for caregivers to attend training courses each year to better equip them with the necessary skills and know-how in caring for their loved ones. Silver Caregivers Co-operative Limited is one such training provider, and offers 12 different courses that focus on teaching caregivers psycho-social coping strategies to manage their emotions, depression and grief. Towards the end of last year, we also started piloting an eldercare training scheme for foreign domestic workers, where they attend a comprehensive hands-on training course before deployment, to help them provide better care for our seniors.

Making Respite Services more Accessible

11.       Fourth, we have strengthened our respite care programmes to make them more accessible. Caregiving is a long journey and caregivers too, need breaks to recharge. There are now nine eldercare centres across Singapore where caregivers can place their loved ones if they need a few hours off. Those who need respite from a few days to a few weeks can tap on the Nursing Home Respite Care Programme across more than 40 nursing homes. 

Coming Together to Support Caregivers

12.       Caregiving is a collective responsibility with the family at its core. The government will continue to introduce more schemes, and improve existing programmes to better support families to care for their loved ones. We also welcome and appreciate the work of our partners in strengthening the network of support for our caregivers, such as through the Mentoring Programme which Silver Caregivers Co-operative Limited is launching today.

Conclusion

13.       Indeed, the government cannot do this alone, we need a whole of community support. In closing, I would like to congratulate all family and professional caregivers here on the significant contributions you have made to the lives of your loved ones and care recipients. Caregiving can be overwhelming, and you have demonstrated strength, courage and resilience in the face of challenges.

14.       I wish everyone an enjoyable evening, and may your journey of caregiving continue to be a fulfilling one.

15.       Thank you.