Halimah again calls for mandatory eldercare leave

The elderly may have their healthcare worries addressed by the Pioneer Generation package, but it is equally crucial to look into the needs of their caregivers, Speaker of Parliament Halimah Yacob said yesterday.

One way would be for the Government to "seriously consider" legislating eldercare leave.

"Even if it's only for a few days, it will provide great relief and is a strong signal that the Government supports families in their effort to care for their elderly at home," she said.

This would help especially those "sandwiched" between looking after young children and frail elderly parents, said Madam Halimah at the Ageless in Singapore conference at Pan Pacific Singapore attended by 260 people.

She first called for compulsory eldercare leave last year on the back of feedback from caregivers who did not have enough leave to care for their aged parents.

The need for eldercare leave is "a lot more urgent than we realise", with some having to quit their jobs to care for their loved ones full-time, she told reporters yesterday.

An NTUC survey released last year showed that 77 per cent of working caregivers do not have eldercare leave. Among the caregivers who quit work, 21 per cent did so to take care of an elderly family member full-time.

Singapore's largest employer, the civil service, has led the way in formalising eldercare leave. Since 2012, employees can use two out of 14 days of unrecorded leave, which includes marriage and exam leave, for eldercare.

But SIM University's head of gerontology Kalyani Mehta said eldercare leave applies only to those caring for parents and should be extended to other caregivers: "It should be made more flexible because in some families, the daughters-in-law or spouses are the ones doing the caring."

To encourage more private firms to offer eldercare leave, Madam Halimah suggested having both the Government and employers share the costs.

"It can be similar to childcare leave where the Government bears part of the costs so that it is more manageable for the employers," she said.

Besides eldercare leave, Madam Halimah said caregivers can be supported with an allowance or home-based respite care services. Both options, she noted, will enable the elderly to age at home rather than be in institutions.

Caregivers who need time out usually leave their seniors at respite care centres for a few hours.

"I honestly don't think this is going to work," said Madam Halimah. Some old folk, especially those with dementia, may be unsettled when they move from their home to a centre where they do not know anyone.

She also proposed an allowance, either through cash handouts or Central Provident Fund contributions, to support and recognise caregivers who may have to sacrifice their careers to look after their elderly parents.

"Otherwise the caregiver may think that 'I might as well continue to work to build up my savings for retirement' and then there is no choice but to put the parent in a nursing home," she said.

Mr Gerard Ee, chair of Council for Third Age, a government-funded group that promotes active ageing, agreed it is important to invest in support for caregivers.

"Often, we count the costs of what all these additional measures may chalk up, but we don't count the costs that arise if these measures aren't in place," he said.

"Down the road, if the health of the caregivers deteriorates, it will be more costly for the Government and the people."

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