SINGAPORE – Caregivers of those with intellectual disabilities or autism can expect more financial support from 2027, following the broadening of eligibility criteria for certain schemes.
The support includes a lower migrant domestic worker levy of $60, down from the usual $300, and the Home Caregiving Grant (HCG), which provides up to $600 a month to defray caregiving costs.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung announced the changes at the Home Nursing Foundation’s 50th anniversary caregiving conference on Sept 4, alongside several other boosts to caregiver support coming in 2027.
Currently, the HCG is available only when care recipients need help with at least three activities of daily living (ADLs), such as feeding, dressing and toileting, as assessed by a professional.
However, there is a group of people with intellectual disabilities or autism with significant care needs who may not qualify for HCG, said Ong.
They may be able to perform ADLs, but still have significant care needs that are not adequately reflected in an ADL assessment. The broadened eligibility criteria would include the care needs of this group.
The change will apply to four financial support schemes: the HCG; the Migrant Domestic Worker Levy Concession for Persons with Disabilities; the Caregivers Training Grant; and the Pioneer Generation Disability Assistance Scheme.
Financial assistance and subsidies were the top services that caregivers of people with disabilities require but have not been able to access, according to the National Council of Social Service’s Disability and Inclusion Panel Study in 2023.
This was mainly due to complicated application processes or ineligibility for the services, according to the study.
Other initiatives announced by the Health Minister at the conference include eight new community touchpoints.
These Caregiver Support Touchpoints (CST) will be set up at five aged care service providers in Tiong Bahru-Redhill, Toa Payoh, Bedok, Bukit Panjang and Yishun, as well as three Enabling Services Hubs – community facilities offering support for people with disabilities – in Tampines, Punggol and Jurong.
Said Ong: “Whether their loved one is a senior, a person with a disability, has dementia, is facing mental health challenges or has a serious illness, caregivers can approach any CST and simply ask: ‘I am a caregiver. What should I do?’”
The CST staff can help identify their needs, explain available support and connect them to services for themselves and their loved ones.
A common caregiver training framework is also in the works. It organises information on training around caregivers’ needs at each stage of their journey, so they do not need to search multiple sources to find useful training, said Ong.
The moves come as caregivers in Singapore, once overshadowed by the needs of care recipients, are increasingly seen as a group to be supported in their own right.
Ong described them as quietly toiling away in the background, playing a vital but often unnoticed role, and noted their physical and emotional burdens.
“Caregivers deserve our support, and the Government can do so in some practical ways.”
New marketplace for caregivers
A new website aimed at helping caregivers navigate information and services more easily was also launched at the conference, which was held at Gardens by the Bay’s Flower Dome.
Known as Carers Hub, it features a caregiver marketplace where users can exchange caregiving-related items, such as equipment and adaptive clothing. They may list items for sale or offer them as donations, while organisations can list their products and services.
Caregivers can also monitor their own mental well-being on the website through daily mood check-ins and self-assessment tools. They may choose to share their assessment results with a participating agency and request follow-up.
To mark the launch, the Home Nursing Foundation signed an agreement with seven partners – Caregiving Welfare Association, Lions Befrienders, Methodist Welfare Services, Montfort Care, SG Assist, TOUCH Community Services and MoneyOwl – to exchange expertise and resources.
About 500 guests gathered at the conference to discuss how Singapore can better support caregivers amid increasingly diverse and complex care needs.
