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News Article on Ageing Population in Singapore
Article 1:
Economic outlook, healthcare challenges among issues to be raised in Budget
Title :
debate
By :
Date:26 February 2012 2014 hrs (SST)
URL :http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1185368/1/.html
SINGAPORE: Singapore's economic outlook, its effect on growth strategies, and healthcare challenges in
an ageing population.
These are some issues MPs of the various Government Parliamentary Committees (GPCs) will raise
when they debate the Budget for the various ministries next week.
The cost of doing business continues to be a concern for the GPC for Finance and Trade and Industry
which is headed by Ms Jessica Tan.
Other issues include the impact of the tightening of foreign labour on economic growth and help to
sectors hit by these measures.
In healthcare, the GPC Chair Dr Lam Pim Min said there is a need to look at affordability and accessibility
for quality medical care for the elderly.
The team is also looking at strengthening the surveillance system to detect infectious diseases early and
prepare for any pandemics.
For Community Development (Youth and Sports), the focus is on improving the social safety net and
better coordination to reach out to those who need help, including the disabled.
GPC Chair for Community Development (Youth and Sports) Mr Seah Kian Peng, said: "Going forward,
this group will know that the government is out there and more help will be coming to them. The steps
which have been taken so far are good. We can look forward that the coverage will be much wider and
will probably be able to tackle the issues that they themselves have been facing for so many years.
"Caring for Elderly Parents has always been and continues to be a major concern. We all agree the need
for better support for caregivers, as well as home and community based services to support ageing in
place. For single elderly persons who are living alone without family support, what support is there for this
group to prevent them from being socially isolated?
"I believe other aspects such as supporting Persons with Disabilities, issues on Sports with the unveiling
of Vision 2030 and Youth Development will also be covered. I am also concerned with how all these
plans could be carried out or even intensified in the event Singapore has to go through an economic
crisis."
Crisis management during incidents, the war on drugs, and loanshark issues are the focus of the GPC for
Law and Home Affairs.
The debate for the Law Ministry will focus on encouraging Pro Bono work, regulating the internet,
community mediation and moneylending issues.
The Transport GPC headed by Cedric Foo will debate the fare formula review, and over-crowding on
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trains and buses.
Other issues include concession fares for Polytechnic students and the shortage of bus captains.
For the GPC for Defence and Foreign Affairs, Chairman Dr Lim Wee Kiak said one question is whether
money allotted to Defence matters is being put to good use.
His team will also revisit the issue of National Service duration and whether it can be shortened further.
On Foreign Affairs, the GPC will ask for an update on Singapore's relationships with ASEAN countries,
and the regional power players, US and China.
In particular, the GPC is interested in the developments in Myanmar, and closest neighbours Malaysia
and Indonesia as they move towards their elections.
Singapore's Parliament resumes its Budget session on February 28. But before Members of Parliament
can raise issues pertaining to the respective Ministries under the Committee of Supply, the Budget
debate will focus on the slew of announcements made by Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister
Tharman Shanmugaratnam to help build an inclusive Singapore society.
Article 2
Title :Govt exploring options to encourage home care of elderly sick
By :
Date:21 February 2012 2154 hrs (SST)
URL :http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1184322/1/.html
SINGAPORE : Health Minister and chairman of the Ministerial Committee on Ageing, Gan Kim Yong, has
said that the government "will look at all kinds of possible support" to encourage families to care for their
elderly family members at home.
For one, more households can look forward to receiving help right at their doorstep.
The government will be beefing up healthcare facilities and support for the elderly as Singapore braces itself
for a silver tsunami.
It is estimated that by 2030, there will be 117,000 seniors who are semi-ambulant or non-ambulant - more
than 2.5 times that of today.
Even as plans are underway to ramp up the number of nursing-home beds by some 70 per cent to 15,600,
what the government wants to do is to "tilt" its subsidies to make it cheaper for families to look after their
elderly sick at home, instead of sending them to a nursing home.
Speaking to Channel NewsAsia after a Budget Forum, Mr Gan said financial incentives alone are not
enough to shift the mindset of Singaporeans, and the government has to further reach out to residents to
encourage them to adopt home care.
At the same time, more day care facilities will be built.
Mr Gan explained: "In the day time, they can receive treatment therapy as well as social integration within
the community. Medically, it is very important for these elderly, especially the elderly frail...because the
family support, the care and the love is a very important part of therapy, and therefore (we) really want to
encourage those who can be cared for at home to do so."
He added: "This will include building day care facilities in the vicinity so these elderly sick can be cared for in
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the day facilities. They do not have to travel all the way to the hospitals or to treatment centres. These
facilities will just be downstairs at the void deck or nearby facilities, so this is an important part of the strategy
to facilitate home care."
The newly-announced S$120 Foreign Domestic Worker grant will also help support home care.
But to qualify for the grant, employers must send their domestic helpers for training on how to care for the
elderly sick.
Home care providers such as NTUC Eldercare and TOUCH Community Services said they expect demand
for such training to rise.
Priscilla Teo, head of TOUCH Caregivers Support at TOUCH Community Services, said: "After the Budget
speech, we have received calls (enquiring) how they can get this S$120 grant. In TOUCH, we believe that
the demand will continue to increase because of the ageing population and the growing need of caregivers
who want to care for their loved ones at home.
"Other than full-time therapists and nurses, we have a group of part-time therapists and nurses who are able
to meet the demand when the need arises."
There are about 20 organisations offering training in intermediate and long-term care for caregivers.
Article 3:
The Budget: 'To build an inclusive society and a stronger Singapore'
04:46 AM Feb 18, 2012
by Neo Chai Chin
SINGAPORE - Social expenditure is set to rise in the coming years, as the
Government tackles the twin challenges of ageing and inequality - in order to
prevent a permanent social underclass from forming and have seniors leading active
and fulfilling lives.
This year's Budget marked "a significant step up" in the Government's support of
three groups: Older Singaporeans including those in the middle class, those in the
lower-income group, and people with disabilities, said Deputy Prime Minister and
Finance Minister Tharman Shanmugaratnam yesterday.
"Our mission is to build an inclusive society and a stronger Singapore," Mr Tharman
added.
For the fast-ageing population, the measures were aimed at helping older
Singaporeans stay in work, building up their savings, and providing greater security
in retirement. CPF contribution rates for older workers were lowered in the late
1980s to help keep them in demand with employers. But with workers today in their
50s and 60s possessing better education and skills, it is "a good time" to raise CPF
contribution rates for those aged 50 to 65, said Mr Tharman. A higher percentage of
the contributions will come from employers.
A new bonus - which will be paid out in cash and to the CPF account - will also be
disbursed to seniors who wish to sell their existing flats and buy a three-room or
smaller HDB flat.
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Healthcare expenditure will double over the next five years to S$8 billion. Apart from
better infrastructure and more hospital beds, more subsidies will be given to the
lower- and middle-income groups for intermediate and long-term care, and the
elderly who wish to age at home.
To help lower-income families, GST vouchers will be introduced to ensure the tax on
goods and services "does not hurt the poor", as Mr Tharman put it. The permanent
fixture will cost the Government S$680 million a year and comprises cash, Medisave
top-ups and U-Save rebates.
Children from lower-income households will be given help in the form of more preschool subsidies and a higher household income ceiling for the Education Ministry's
financial assistance schemes, among other measures.
Efforts towards inclusiveness extended to people with disabilities, who form about
three in 100 Singaporeans and whose lives "can be challenging", said Mr Tharman.
They will receive help in their early years, as well as in employment and the later
stages of life.
These measures, coupled with the Special Employment Credit scheme to encourage
employers to hire older workers as well as those with disabilities, show the
Government's "eagerness in building an inclusive society", said Mr Abhijit Ghosh, tax
partner at PwC Services. "This is obviously a post-election, pragmatic budget," he
added.
URL http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120218-0000072/The-Budget--To-build-an-inclusivesociety-and-a-stronger-Singapore
Article 4:
Enhancing care for the elderly
Government to spend S$250 million a year to enhance quality,
affordability of care
04:46 AM Feb 21, 2012
by Ng Jing Yng
SINGAPORE - While the Government's move to raise subsidies was primarily aimed
at alleviating healthcare costs in the intermediate and long-term care sector, it was
also meant to accentuate the difference between what families have to fork out to
place a senior in a nursing home, as compared to caring for him at home or in the
community.
As the Ministry of Health (MOH) unveiled the details of the changes - which will
come into effect in the third quarter of this year - the intention to encourage ageingin-place was clear: For example, under the new subsidy structure, an elderly person
with a per capita household income of S$1,500 will be paying S$450 monthly for
home care services.
Should he choose to stay in a nursing home run by a Voluntary Welfare Organisation
(VWO), the fees will be S$1,000 a month while he will have to pay S$1,450 each
month if he stays in the subsidised ward of a private nursing home.
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Minister of State (Community Development, Youth and Sports) Halimah Yacob said:
"One of the most important things that we want to encourage is ageing in place …
One of the issues that have been raised is affordability. Now that the rates have
been increased, it is a lot more affordable for families to keep the elderly at home or
to put them in daycare centres ... instead of sending them to institutions."
MOH ageing planning office group director Teoh Zsin Woon added that the
Government "would like to tilt the incentives towards encouraging home care as well
as community-based care".
"As much as possible, we hope our seniors can age in place," said Ms Teoh, who
added that hopefully, in time to come, residential care will be "more of a last resort".
The increased subsidies will see the Government spending 30-per-cent more - or
S$250 million - every year for the intermediate and long-term care sector. About
10,000 more or a total of 40,000 Singaporeans will benefit.
Under the changes, the MOH raised the qualifying per capita monthly income for
home- and community-based services as well as residential care from S$1,400 to
S$2,200.
This will cover two-thirds of households here. For home- and community-based
services, subsidies will be raised across all income levels to as much as 80 per cent.
For residential care - comprising nursing and inpatient hospices - subsidies will be
raised by as much as 40 per cent.
Also, more older disabled Singaporeans who previously were unable to join the
ElderShield insurance scheme will now be able to receive monthly payouts of at least
S$150.
The qualifying per capita household income for this scheme was raised from S$1,000
to S$2,200.
The MOH will also give S$120 monthly grants for qualifying households with frail
elderly to employ a foreign domestic worker. Goods and Services Tax will be
absorbed for subsidised patients in this sector, costing the Government S$5 million
every year.
The Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports (MCYS) will adopt the
same enhanced subsidy framework and absorb the GST for relevant eldercare and
adult disability care services under its charge.
Will changes influence behaviour?
While caregivers and VWOs agreed that the subsidies will provide some financial
incentive for the elderly to opt for home- and community-based care - over
residential care - they noted that the consideration is not always down to dollars and
cents.
The Salvation Army Peacehaven Nursing Home executive director Low Mui Lang said
that some elderly may still resist non-institutional care because nursing homes, for
instance, provide round-the-clock attention. Transport to a daycare centre could also
be an issue for some elderly, she noted.
To encourage more people to age in place, NTUC Eldercare general manager Lim Sia
Hoe reiterated the need for a strong supportive infrastructure, with families
prepared for a change in lifestyle in order to care for the elderly.
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Caregivers said that placing their elderly in residential care is always a last option.
But they cite the lack of options such as short-term care services and respite or
allied health services.
Mrs Helen Tan, who cared for her elderly father-in-law for four years before he died
last year, explained why the family opted for a nursing home: "We are not always
sure of what to do and that would also mean someone quitting his job … nothing
beats being cared for at home in a familiar place but it is not always possible all the
time."
URL http://www.todayonline.com/Singapore/EDC120221-0000059/Enhancing-care-for-the-elderly
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