As the population in Singapore grows, the number of people who are aged 65 years or older will set to increase as well. According to a report by TODAY, about 47% of Singapore’s total population in 2030 will be projected to be at least 65 years old.
With the rise of the aged population in the society, there is a need for Singapore to cope with the impending “silver tsunami”. This has given rise to the importance of home caregiving, especially in the area of eldercare.
To help cushion the financial impact brought along by caregiving, various schemes have been implemented by the government to help make home-based care more accessible and affordable.
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#1 Home Caregiving Grant
Replacing the Foreign Domestic Worker Grant from October 2019, the Home Caregiving Grant (HCG) helps to lighten the financial by provides a $200 monthly cash payout. This can be either used to defray the expenses associated with senior care and caregiver support services in the community, or to subsidise the cost of the hiring a foreign domestic worker.
To qualify for the grant, the care recipient:
- Must either Singapore Citizen or Permanent Resident with a parent, child or spouse who is a Singapore Citizen;
- Must be residing in Singapore, and must not be residing at a long-term care facility, such as nursing homes;
- Requires assistance with at least 3 of the 6 Activities of Daily Living, which includes eating, bathing, dressing, transferring, toileting and walking or moving;
- Must meet the household monthly income per person of $2,800 or less. For those without income, the annual value of the property for the household should be $13,000 or less;
To apply for the grant, applicants should complete the application form and visit the MOH Household Check website to update household information or allow access of financial information for eligibility check.
In addition to the above, care recipient will require to undergo disability assessment by a General Practitioner or to obtain a Functional Assessment Report from the care provider. These documents should then be submitted to Agency for Integrated Care (AIC).
#2 Levy Concession For Foreign Domestic Worker
For those who require additional support from a Foreign Domestic Worker, the Foreign Domestic Levy Concession can help Singaporeans needing care by providing employers of FWD to obtain a concessionary rate of $60 (instead of $300) per month.
To qualify for coverage under aged persons, the following eligibility must be met:
- Care recipient must be a Singapore Citizen;
- Care recipient must be at least 67 years old;
- For persons with disabilities, they must be certified by a Singapore-registered doctor to require help with at least 1 activity of daily living, such as showering, feeding, dressing or toileting;
- Applicant must be living with the care recipient together at the same address.
Applicants or their spouse who meet the age, citizenship and address eligibility criteria for aged person need not apply for the levy concession, as the concession is granted based on the information provided during the online application.
Alternatively, applications can be done through the MOM website. The processing time is 4 weeks, and the levy concession will start from the date of approval.
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#3 Caregivers Training Grant
Besides financial support, the government also support caregivers by providing them an avenue to enable them to be better equipped to handle their loved ones with their daily care. This is where the Caregivers Training Grant (CTG) will come in handy.
The grant provides a $200 annual subsidy to allow caregivers attend approved courses to acquire knowledge and skills to better care for their care recipient. The grant is provided for each care recipient every financial year (from April to March of the following year).
Do note that if multiple caregivers of the same care recipient wish to attend training, the grant is to be shared among the family members.
To qualify for the grant, the following criteria must be met:
- Care recipient must be a Singapore Citizen or a Permanent Resident;
- Care recipient must be 65 years of age or older, or have a disability as assessed by a doctor;
- The caregiver must be the person-in-charge of caring for the care recipient, and this can include family members or Foreign Domestic Workers;
- The caregiver must complete the training, and to obtain certificate of attendance if there is one.
Caregivers can choose from a range of caregiving courses from this calendar.
To apply for the grant, you will need to register for the course and inform the trainer that you wish to apply for the grant, at least two weeks before the commencement of the course. The trainer will pass the form to you and will assist to submit directly to AIC for processing.
#4 Seniors’ Mobility And Enabling Fund
If your care recipient is 60 years old or above, and require the help of assistive devices or home healthcare items, the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund can help.
The Assistive Device Subsidy provides subsidy for a wide range of non-standard devices, such as motorised wheelchairs, hospital beds, pressure relief cushions and mattresses.
To qualify, the care recipient:
- Must be a Singapore citizen, aged 60 and above;
- Must pass means-test under Ministry of Health’s Intermediate and Long-Term Care (ILTC) non-residential framework;
- Must not reside in a nursing home;
- Must not already receive subsidies for the same items;
- Must meet the monthly income per person of $2,000 and below, or meet the Annual Value (AV) of residence of $13,000 and below for households with no income.
For subsidy of motorised devices, the additional criteria apply:
- Care recipient must not engage a full-time caregiver, or caregiver is unable to support care needs;
- Care recipient does not have the ability to operate a manual wheelchair independently;
- Care recipient is mentally and physically capable to use the device in a safe manner.
On the other hand, the Home Healthcare Items subsidy helps to defray expenses for seniors who are eligible for nursing homes but prefer to stay at home while getting home-based medical and nursing services. The subsidy covers home healthcare items like such as milk feeds, diapers, and wound dressings.
To qualify, the care recipient:
- Must be Singapore citizen, aged 60 and above;
- Must receive one of the following services: home nursing, home medical, home palliative services, Integrated Home & Day Care (IHDC) packages;
- Must meet the monthly income per person of $2,000 and below, or meet the Annual Value (AV) of residence of $13,000 and below for households with no income;
- Must undergo assessment to determine the need and type of healthcare items required;
- Must not be already receiving subsidies for the same items.
Caregivers who would like to find out more about the funding can refer to the AIC website for the application procedure.
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