Support, Care and Employment for the Elderly: Examining the Law and Policy in Singapore
This article examines the role of the State and family in providing financial support, long-term care as well as employment for the elderly in Singapore. The focus of the chapter is on the legal and policy aspects. I will first discuss the government fina
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Abstract This article examines the role of the State and family in providing financial support, long-term care as well as employment for the elderly in Singapore. The focus of the chapter is on the legal and policy aspects. I will first discuss the government financial support schemes for the elderly especially those who are unemployed or have little income, and the Singapore Maintenance of Parents Act that imposes an obligation on children to provide financial support for their elderly parents. Secondly, I will examine the government policies to deal with the issue of long-term care for the needy elderly such as care insurance and the recent Vulnerable Adults Act to protect the vulnerable elderly from abuse. Questions concerning the policies to protect and support informal caregivers are also relevant. A holistic treatment towards the elderly entails a third area which is to examine the law and policies on employment for the elderly covering issues relating to wages, discrimination and retirement age.
1 Introduction Singapore continues to grapple with an ageing population and the attendant problems and challenges. In June 2016, from a total population of 5.6 million people (Lee 2016), there were 13.7% of citizens aged 65 and above in Singapore. It has been estimated that by 2030, 25% of Singapore’s population will be 60 years and above. Old age is typically associated with adverse health conditions such as arthritis and cataracts and chronic illnesses including diabetes, hypertension, and high blood pressure. A recent study indicated that a significant third of the elderly in Singapore suffer from multiple chronic illnesses (Choo 2019). In terms of mental health, depression and dementia are two major disorders afflicting the elderly in Singapore. In 2013, it was reported that Singapore had approximately 28,000 elderly aged 60 years and above with dementia and the figure G. C. K. Yew (*) School of Law, Singapore Management University, Singapore e-mail: [email protected] © Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2020 E. Kasagi (ed.), Solidarity Across Generations, Ius Comparatum – Global Studies in Comparative Law 49, https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-50547-9_12
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is expected to hit 80,000 by 2030 (Gan 2013). Memory clinics in the public hospitals “diagnose and manage patients with dementia” and Dementia Care Centres provide “nursing care and therapy for persons with dementia as well as respite care for their caregivers” (Gan 2013). Dementia is not only an important age-related healthcare issue but a societal concern. The total economic costs of dementia in Singapore was estimated at S$532 million as of 2013 and the annual costs per person was approximately S$10,245 per year (Abdin et al. 2016). The total costs comprised healthcare and social care costs which represented the larger proportion (76%) of the total costs.1 The healthcare costs included costs for direct medical care (by health professionals), intermediate and long-term care, travelling related to medical appointments or care and indirect medic
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