Providing support

Caregiving is a shared responsibility that starts with everyone in the community. AIC is working with various partners to enhance financial assistance and relevant resources available to caregivers, to support them in their caring journey better. We are taking active strides to make aid more accessible for all and explore service integrations with community care partners to support the well-being of caregivers in the community and their charges.

Respite care

Caregiving can be a long and demanding journey. Many caregivers put their loved ones’ needs and interest ahead of theirs. There are multiple channels of support available for caregivers to tap on, including respite care services and the Caregiver Training Grant – an annual subsidy that lets caregivers attend approved courses to better care for their loved ones.

Short term, temporary care options, otherwise known as respite care options, provide caregivers with additional assistance in their responsibilities. Different respite care providers offer support for seniors with varying levels of needs.

AIC piloted a night respite option, which aim to provide caregivers of persons living with dementia with Sundowning behaviour the opportunity to take time off from night-time caregiving duties. Sundowning is a symptom of dementia and refers to a state of confusion, restlessness or agitation that typically occurs between late afternoon and evening, at times into the night. This service is designed to help persons living with dementia with their daily activities and provide meaningful engagement. The pilot concluded mid-2023 and the service is under review.

The Caregiver Training Grant is a $200 annual subsidy provided for each care recipient every year. The appointed caregiver must complete the training course and receive a certificate of attendance, if there is one, in order to qualify for the grant.

Enhanced Seniors’ Mobility & Enabling Fund

The Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF) provides holistic support for seniors to age in place within the community.

Enhanced Home Caregiving Grant

Introduced in 2019, the Home Caregiving Grant (HCG) is disbursed to eligible caregivers who are looking after their loved ones with permanent moderate disability. The payouts can be used to defray costs of caregiving expenses, such as the cost of caregiver support services in the community or hiring a foreign domestic worker.

The increased HCG payout is part of MOH’s overall efforts to help lighten the burden of caregivers from lower-income families and to recognise their contributions.

Enhanced CHAS outreach

To encourage more people to sign up for CHAS uptake in 2022, AIC ran a multi-pronged digital campaign in July and August, raising awareness on the expansion of the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP).

The campaign comprised a collaboration with SGAG, TikTok videos, and advertisements on Facebook and Instagram. Additionally, a series of blog articles featuring a patient with chronic condition and a CHAS General Practitioner was published and amplified on AIC’s social channels. The CHAS Portal was also given a refreshed look in May 2022 to improve user experience.

Additionally, AIC worked with the Ministry of Health (MOH) to weave in the Healthier SG messaging in our social media advertisements in March 2023. A TikTok video featuring a senior encouraging caregivers to assist their parents and grandparents to apply for CHAS was also produced ahead of Healthier SG’s launch in July.

Physical events are back, first with the launching of the new CHAS portal in May 2022 and the resumption of CHAS public roadshows all over Singapore from August 2022.

SupportGoWhere caregiving page

AIC has collaborated with ServiceSG and GovTech to create SupportGoWhere’s ‘Care Services Recommender’ to help caregivers to correctly identify the appropriate service or scheme that will be suitable for seniors under their care. This tool is part of our efforts to support and integrate whole-of-government efforts to effectively meet citizen’s needs.

Through SupportGoWhere’s latest online resource, AIC hpes to help caregivers access the latest information, plan ahead, and get suitable assistance.

In November 2022, the new SupportGoWhere Caregivers Service Journey webpage was launched. The one-stop, multilingual platform helps caregivers identify the most accurate service or scheme using a simple assessment tool, helping them to efficiently find the best service for their charges. The page also lists a wide range of services targeted at care recipients and the postal codes for all the services.