Debated in Parliament on 6 Feb 2018.
Debate resumed.
Mr Deputy Speaker, this year, our population reaches a critical juncture. For the first time in our history, the number of people aged above 65 will equal those aged under 15. As more of our people age, it is necessary for us to support them in a holistic manner to ensure their physical, mental and emotional needs are well taken care of.
Our current approach for healthcare, which is to focus on a healthy lifestyle for all, is the right one. Healthy habits will contribute to better health in old age and reduce both physical and mental hardship for our seniors and their families. The best and surest way to minimise medical expenditures is to live clean, exercise discipline in our food intake and adopt active lifestyles.
For our seniors, even if they had not had healthy habits before, it is never too late and we should support and encourage them. I appeal to the National Health Promotion Board (HPB) to step up its good work in public education, including reaching out to seniors through the mass media in their various vernacular.
There is a need to ride on the success of homecare medical services and increase the number of such service points to increase the outreach of such services, in addition to the employment of skilled caretakers to meet the needs of our elderly. I am happy to note that MOH is studying assisted living facilities or services which will allow seniors with different physical or mental health needs to retain their independence by living at home. It is very important that we work together to ensure that such assisted living models be adapted to our local conditions and fit in with our HDB estate living settings, where the majority of Singaporeans are.
For the past few years, the Government has strengthened the social safety net for our senior citizens, such as the Silver Support Scheme, among other assistance schemes. In the provision of healthcare, MediShield Life addresses most of the general concerns of our seniors.
However, there are still Singaporeans who do not quite understand how MediShield Life and other support schemes for the elderly work, despite the efforts of our volunteers, community and grassroots leaders, such as the Pioneer Generation (PG) Ambassadors.
At least for medical bills, the elderly can approach the medical social workers for details. However, if they require other forms of assistance, such as financial help or protection from abuse by those around them, ignorance may cost them. How then can we reach out to these pockets of seniors? I hope we can take the time and effort to look into how we can reach pockets of elderly who need various types of assistance or protection, through public dialogues, consultations or formally appointing a committee to develop a feasible and durable framework to deal with this challenge.
The promotion of family values, especially the care of grandparents and parents, is a continuous effort and needs to be further deepened. There is a Chinese saying, "家 有 一 老 , 如 有 一 宝 ". It means that the elderly are like a treasure. There are cases where the children do not take the responsibility to take care of their parents and parents who choose to shield their children even when they do not do their duties or even ill-treat them.
With smaller family size, the significance of families in unity would increase, especially when we are facing an ageing population. We need greater efforts in public education and should review our family mediation set-ups as well as legislative frameworks to address family conflicts involving the seniors or the elderly.
We also need to avoid placing excessive financial and care burdens on our children. I believe, all Members would have come across this feedback from residents. Most residents I spoke to do not wish to burden their children or grandchildren.
Besides ramping up the building of HDB studio units for the elderly to facilitate downgrading, we should also relook how we can help the elderly in all housing types, HDB and private residences, to do reverse mortgage. With declining health, moving to a smaller home is more advisable. But for those who insist on ageing-in-place, how they can monetise their homes is a perennial challenge.
As an aspiring Smart nation, we should pay attention to how increasing the use of technology could help enhance support services for our elderly. Research funding and grants for this area will yield innovations better suited to our local conditions and elderly residents. I urge the Government to consider providing more incentives to our local researchers to develop technological solutions to better serve and reach out to our seniors.
Successful developments will go a long way to reducing the burdens on our young which is also the wish of our parents and our seniors. With that, I would like to conclude with my support for the Motion.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Dr Intan Mokhtar.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for the opportunity to speak on this Motion. It is a timely one and I laud the efforts of my fellow Members of this House who filed this Motion.
In our frequent interactions with our residents, we have come across seniors or elderly residents who have lamented on the different challenges and issues they face, such as the lack of employment opportunities, being financially dependent, being neglected by their children or having strained familial relationships.
Mr Viswa is a resident I have met several times at MPS. He is 70 years old and is married to his 68-year-old wife for more than 40 years. They have one son in his 40s who is in prison. Before their son was sent to prison, he financially supported both Mr Viswa and his wife. Now that he is incarcerated, Mr Viswa and his wife have to fend for themselves. Mr Viswa is adamant that he must find a job to pay the bills and support his wife who has ailing health. While we try our best to give him some interim financial assistance and to get some form of employment assistance for Mr Viswa, jobs for someone his age are difficult to come by. Fortunately, after several months of appealing for employment assistance and employment opportunities, Mr Viswa was offered a part-time position. While he is happy to have found employment, I am also worried if he will be alright and if he can continue in his job.
The reality is that with families getting smaller, we will end up having many elderly and seniors among us who may need to fend for themselves and continue to work into their golden years. While this, in itself, is not a bad thing, so long as our seniors continue to keep healthy, fit and active, and continue to sharpen their skills, more than health or skills, they need opportunities to be employed and be entrusted with work responsibilities. They may not be able to carry out physically demanding work but they do have invaluable experience and knowledge that we can tap on. For instance, they can be assigned as workplace mentors to train younger workers or be tasked to do administrative or information organisation work that would require a fair amount of patience which, I am sure, they have more of, compared to younger counterparts.
In the universities and some institutions of higher learning, professors and lecturers are given tenure until they are 65 years old ‒ what we call T65 ‒ which is proof that they are able to carry on teaching, writing, doing academic and research work until they are 65 years old. Similarly, I would urge the Government to look at how older workers in the public and Civil Service sectors can be retained in their jobs until 65 and offered re-employment contracts only thereafter. In other words, allow for retirement with two options, that is, one, retire at 62 years old, or, two, retire at 65 years old, and allow for re-employment up to 70 years old. Our seniors should be given more options in deciding their employment in their golden years.
I would also implore the Government to make it a requirement for private companies to retain older workers until the age of 65, and these should be older workers across all ranks and not just those in senior management. Companies that demonstrate strong support in retaining their older workers should be commended and given due recognition.
For many of our seniors, they take pride in being financially independent and not having to ask their children or anyone else for financial assistance. We must help them be so. There are some seniors who are in the fortunate position of being financially independent or being able to get financial support from their children or other family members, but there are others who are not so fortunate. Mr Deputy Speaker, please allow me to continue in Malay.
(In Malay): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] Mdm Aminah is a senior citizen who is a rather petite lady. She is in her 60s and lives alone in a rental flat, even though she has an adult grandchild who is supposed to live with her. Mdm Aminah has four children, who have all married and are living with their own families in their respective flats. Although all of them are working, Mdm Aminah is a recipient of financial assistance from the Government.
I have visited Mdm Aminah at her flat to give her some groceries and also to speak to her. From our conversations, I discovered that her children give her between $10 to $20 each month and take turns to visit her every weekend. For most of the week, Mdm Aminah is all alone. I asked her whether the money given by her children is sufficient. She simply smiled. The financial assistance that she receives from the Social Service Office (SSO) does help to reduce her financial burden slightly. When I explained to her that there is a Maintenance of Parents Act, and whether she wishes to file a Maintenance Order at the Tribunal so that her children will give her a higher amount for her maintenance, she swiftly declined. She said that she does not want to burden or embarrass her children. We had to respect her wishes.
I have also met Mr Mohamed and his wife who are both in their 60s, too. They met me at the MPS and asked me to help them get a rental flat. At that time, they were living with their son and his wife in their 5-room flat, but they were chased out of that flat.
When asked about the circumstances leading to this situation, I found out that Mr Mohamed and his wife sold their 3-room flat around 10 years earlier in order to help their son buy a bigger flat and gave the proceeds from the sale of their house to buy their son’s 5-room flat. Now, after almost 10 years have passed, they were chased out of that same 5-room flat. They were very worried and were scrambling to get a rental flat. It was heart-wrenching for me to hear their story.
When I think of these two situations, I often asked myself where is the compassion and sympathy towards these elderly parents? Why are some people so cruel to them? These elderly parents willingly sacrificed their heart and soul for their children, but yet, why can their children not repay their sacrifice? As the proverb goes, the elderly have to tolerate all kinds of behaviour.
Fortunately, there is a diligent effort by our volunteers to engage our seniors and offer much needed assistance. Nonetheless, the responsibility of taking care of our seniors falls primarily on each one of their children, and it should not be the main responsibility of society and the Government. Parents are a gift and we should fulfil our obligations and look after them throughout their remaining years. We should never become like those who abandon their parents. Mr Deputy Speaker, please allow me to continue in English.
(In English): Madam Loh is a resident whom I met recently at MPS. She was in tears as she sought help to get a rental flat. Like Mr Mohamed and his wife, Madam Loh lives with her son and daughter-in-law. However, their familial relationships were strained after living together for four years and Madam Loh was asked to leave the flat. She is desperately looking for a rental flat as she has no other children and does not wish to live with relatives, because she is embarrassed to let them know. In her desperation, she said she wants to take her own life so that she need not be a burden to anyone anymore.
For each of these cases above, my heart breaks at the despair and sadness faced by each of these elderly persons. As I said earlier, with our families getting smaller and with fewer children, the dependence on one or two children will be the norm for each elderly person, and the heartbreak they may face when their only child refuses to take care of them in future or when they get evicted from their shared home, will be very real.
I would propose for the Government to look at how our housing policies can be tightened to protect elderly parents who (a) decide to sell their flat or apartment or house; or (b) those who are compelled or maybe even tricked into selling their flat, apartment or house, in order to help their child or children to purchase their own flat, apartment or house. While we respect the decisions of senior or elderly Singaporeans to help their children with their own abode, I would propose that we consider having a policy, or even legislation, that can be invoked to take to task adult children who have benefited from the sale of the abode of their elderly parents and who later on neglect or drive out their parents from the abode they have bought as a result of that. This can be something similar to the Maintenance of Parents Act. Hence, the adult children can be made to pay back the full amount received from their parents in the purchase of their own abode when their familial relationships fail and eviction of the parents occur, or they can be made to pay for the monthly rental of the elderly parents should the elderly parents take up a rental flat or apartment.
Nonetheless, while we have the Maintenance of Parents Act or a new policy or even legislation to protect elderly parents who are made homeless by their own children, surely, we should not need to depend on a piece of legislation that has to be invoked for us to show love, care or responsibility towards our parents. Should that not be a responsibility that comes willingly from the heart? We should not be compelled to take care of our parents because the law says so. We should do it because it is the right thing to do. I support the Motion.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Miss Cheng Li Hui.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to support the Motion. This is a topic that is especially close to my heart. I have spoken on this several times.
In my first General Election rally speech, I spoke about active ageing and what it meant for me personally and for my constituents. I shared how I was inspired by my grandmother and my wish for our elderly to lead fulfilling lives after they retire, to carry on with pride and dignity. This is a primary driver for many of the programmes that I introduce for my residents in Tampines.
During the debate on Budget 2016, I expressed my hope to see seniors who are not on the PG package to be visited by the PG Ambassadors, too, so that they are more aware of the programmes and help available to them. I was, therefore, heartened when Minister Heng announced the Community Network for Seniors. Its stated mission is to build active networks amongst the elderly, to actively engage the community and provide them with a path to seek help in times of need.
I am glad that Tampines is selected to pilot the programme. Today, we have over 26 RCs with weekly wellness programmes, from healthy cooking to exercise classes and health talks, with an average of 650 elderly attending the sessions. Some told me they have made new friends and are enjoying their retirement. Others said they have got stronger. One Mr K, 82 years old, is less reliant on the wheelchair and uses his walking stick to come for classes.
Under the Community Network for Seniors (CNS), there is also Eastern Health Alliance’s Care Line Programme. This is a tele-befriending service targeting the elderly who stay alone or require a befriender.
But it is not just about isolated seniors. Many of our seniors live with their children or near them. Madam Nadesan stays with her son and is well taken care of. But what the PG Ambassadors realised during their visit is that she suffers from frequent falls. So, they followed up with a home fall risk assessment, got a ramp fixed under the HDB's Enhancement for Active Seniors (EASE) programme and got her on board the Disability Assistance Scheme. Many people are unaware of the schemes available to them. There are many, and some are complex. House visits by PG Ambassadors really help to raise awareness and dispel some of their worries.
So, CNS closes gaps and works closely with the local community to help residents. There is a whole network of agencies from the Red Cross, St Andrews Community Hospital, Singhealth, Lion Befrienders, HPB, RCs and so on supporting this.
Passionate individuals also play a role. Jacelyn, aged 60, is passionate about line dancing and conducts free weekly classes in Tampines for about 60 residents. There are many individuals out there who care about the community. Let us tap on them, encourage them, motivate them. CNS is working well, and I read that it will be expanded to more areas soon.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, in my maiden speech in Parliament, I spoke about the importance of intergeneration bonding and how it was important for the elderly and the young to have more opportunities to interact. I also suggested building eldercare and childcare centres in our parks and schools then. I drew from our positive experience in our 3-in-1 Family Centre in Tampines which was set up in 1990, incorporating childcare, student care and eldercare.
A couple of years ago, I learnt that there will be a new nursing home on Tampines Avenue 2 that is situated next to Angsana Primary School. When I saw the design of the nursing home, I advocated for the fence between the two buildings to be removed in order to remove physical barriers between the nursing home and the school. I do not like the fenced-up feeling in nursing homes. It is uninviting and isolates them from the community. I wanted the school field to be available to the nursing home for exercises and activities and also to make it convenient for parents and grandparents to drop in after dropping off their children in school.
Recently, I was delighted to hear from MOH that there will be no fencing around the nursing home and residents can look forward to both daycare and homecare services, such as home nursing and home personal care. I cannot wait. And I mean it. I really cannot wait. It was in December 2015 that we saw the artist's impression and we are still waiting for an operator to be appointed and no ground breaking yet. I know it is happening soon but I feel we need to move things faster.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, as more eldercare facilities are set up in housing estates, I hope we can consider the model of pairing up these facilities with schools in the vicinity to create long-term partnerships for more interactions.
Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am very encouraged by the commitment of our Government in preparing for an ageing population. I note that the Inter-Ministerial Committee for Ageing was set up 20 years ago in 1998 to review healthcare needs of the elderly and to ensure that the healthcare cost remains affordable. Since then, many policies, programmes and initiatives have been implemented and many more Ministries and agencies involved – active ageing under the Ministry of Culture, Community and Youth (MCCY), Pioneer Generation Office (PGO) under MOF, Ageing Planning Office under MOH, Silver Support Scheme under the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) and so on.
Much has been done, but I believe much more can and must be done. For example, there are many exciting new technologies to assist the elderly, from wearable devices to remote monitoring. Can we do more to encourage this sector? Can we aspire to be a global leader in technology-assisted elderly living and active ageing?
Is it time to consider setting up a new Ministry that will be able to coordinate all the developments, drive policy and innovation, and implement the programmes smoothly and efficiently? Should we coordinate all the efforts and resources to see how we can make better use of our seniors' experience and wisdom? How do we tap on our retirees to continue to play active roles in the country that they have given so much to, and for them to live the rest of their lives in Singapore in a dignified and fruitful manner?
Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government, in partnership with the community and public institutions, have made important steps towards making active ageing a very attractive reality in Singapore. While the issue of active ageing is a never-ending one, it has not yet quite reached maturity. Like a freshly retired person, there is still some way to go. It is also a complex one, and my remarks today do not fully express what I have to say on this topic. I shall save it for another day.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Senior Minister of State Amy Khor.
Mr Deputy Speaker, MOH supports this Motion. As the Chinese saying goes, a senior in the family is like a treasure in the family, or in Chinese, "家有一老，如有一宝".
We agree with Dr Lily Neo that our seniors are assets to our society and our country. Our seniors are key pillars in families, as parents and grandparents. They not only raise us but also educate and bring up grandchildren with the right values and traditions. Many of our seniors are also leaders in the community, contributing their wisdom to community development.
Today, more than one in three of our PG Ambassadors and around one in two of the HPB Health Ambassadors are over 60. At the economic level, many seniors are experienced business owners, while our silver workforce is also emerging as a key driver of our economic development, complementing a younger workforce that is likely to shrink in the future.
Our vision for Singapore is a "Nation for All Ages". The Ministerial Committee on Ageing launched a $3 billion Action Plan for Successful Ageing in 2015 with more than 70 initiatives across 12 areas to achieve this vision. In particular, we want to deepen our efforts to achieve positive ageing at three levels.
First, at the individual level, we want to enable our citizens to continue to develop and grow as individuals, regardless of age. This includes enabling them to work for as long as they choose to. I am happy to share with Ms Joan Pereira that the number of nurses working past the retirement age of 62 years has increased. In 2017, over 1,400 retired nurses aged above 62 were working, compared to 1,200 in 2015. MOH will continue to work with our healthcare institutions to support flexible work arrangements for older nurses, so that they can continue to contribute.
At the same time, other seniors may seek purpose in their silver years, not by working but by developing their interests or pursuing their own passion or causes. To support seniors’ interest in learning, we launched the National Silver Academy, which has engaged over 13,000 seniors in learning across more than 900 courses, ranging from information technology (IT) and media courses to art and wellness.
Dr Lily Neo also suggested that the Government set up policies and programmes to promote volunteerism amongst seniors. I am happy to share that in 2015, we established a $40 million Silver Volunteer Fund (SVF) to support programmes that offer volunteer opportunities to seniors. To date, we have funded 22 volunteer programmes. One such programme is the Community Befriending Programme (CBP), whereby the SVF provides programme funding to recruit, train and deploy active agers as befrienders to older seniors, including covering some out-of-pocket costs for these befrienders. Today, we have more than 850 volunteers befriending 2,500 seniors in 47 constituencies under CBP. We expect this number to grow. We note Ms Joan Pereira’s suggestion and would be happy to explore time banking in future where there is ground-up interest.
Confidence and purpose in our silver years are only possible with good health. We agree with Dr Lily Neo and Mr Gan Thiam Poh that the promotion of health and well-being of seniors is key. We have brought preventive health services to over 44,000 mature workers in seven sectors, and exercise programmes and health talks to over 400,000 seniors in the community to keep them in good health. We have also enhanced subsidies under Screen for Life (SFL) to encourage more Singaporeans to go for health screening and follow-up. Now, eligible Singaporeans will only need to pay no more than $5 for screening and the first post-screening consultation at Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) general practitioner (GP) clinics. Close to 25,000 Singaporeans aged 50 and above have attended screening under the programme in the last five months.
Second, at the family level, we want to empower caregivers to better support seniors to age in place with peace of mind. I agree with Miss Cheryl Chan, Mr Kok Heng Leun as well as Mr Gan Thiam Poh that caregiver support and strong families are critical. Our efforts to enhance home and community care services are aimed at supporting seniors in the day, so that their caregivers can go to work with peace of mind. We have worked to increase the capacity, improve on accessibility and also raise the quality of our services. Between 2011 and 2017, we have increased the number of home and centre care capacity by 120% to 13,000 places.
In 2016, we started Integrated Home and Day Care packages, which give seniors flexibility to be cared for, either at the centres or at home. We are also building nursing homes in the community to support those who are too frail to be cared for at home. Miss Cheng Li Hui said that she cannot wait. I ask for her patience. I am sure it is worth waiting for.
Miss Cheng also spoke on improving the design and programming for our eldercare facilities. We agree and have been injecting more common spaces and greenery within our facilities. We are also co-locating eldercare and childcare facilities, where possible, to facilitate intergenerational activities, to engage our seniors.
We also agree with Dr Lily Neo that it is important for seniors to age in place in the community. Hence, we piloted the Care Close to Home programme to support the care and social needs of rental block seniors from Senior Activity Centres. Care Close to Home is an example on how we enable seniors to age in place by effectively turning these precincts into in-situ "care homes" with assisted living support.
At the same time, we have started building larger day care centres to serve as "Active Ageing Hubs" for seniors that can provide a range of services, from active ageing programmes for healthy and ambulant seniors to day care and rehab services for frail seniors. One such hub is at Whampoa, which now serves more than 600 seniors across its active ageing and care services.
Several Members also asked about respite for caregivers. We have various options today. For caregivers who need help for a few hours over the weekend, they can leave their elderly at one of the 10 senior care centres across Singapore, where they will be looked after. For those who need respite for a longer period, they can have their elderly cared for at nursing homes for several days, up to a month. At least 40 nursing homes are providing this service since it was introduced in May 2013. To date, over 1,600 people have tapped on these respite care services.
In addition, the Eldersitter Programme provides an eldersitter to look after seniors with dementia at their homes when caregiving arrangements are not available. In the past five years, over 1,200 seniors have been supported through this arrangement.
Today, caregivers also benefit from tax reliefs of up to $14,000 for taking care of an elderly parent with a disability. On top of this, they can also benefit from the lower foreign domestic worker (FDW) concessionary levy if they hire an FDW. If they are from lower- and middle-income families and are caring for an elderly person or a person with moderate disability, they can get an additional FDW grant.
We recognise that new cohorts of seniors will have differing aspirations. Our active agers will want to plan ahead for themselves and stay independent for as long as possible. We are evolving new models of care and studying new forms of housing that provide seniors with support services as they age. Minister Desmond Lee will touch on this in his speech.
Dr Lily Neo spoke on the importance of mobility, and I fully agree. Over 800,000 seniors have benefited from the Passion Silver card since its launch in December 2016, which lets them benefit from cheaper transport and merchant discounts.
Our Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) has also partnered Uber to launch UberAssist. Caregivers and seniors can now use the Uber app to call for a car to take them to their medical appointments. Around 800 drivers have also been trained to date to help assist our seniors, so that they can have a safe journey. More than 96% of our public buses are also wheelchair-accessible, and all will be so by 2020. All Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) stations and bus interchanges, and 97% of bus shelters are barrier-free.
Ms Joan Pereira also suggested that we design the signs and notices in public transport to make them easier to read for seniors. Since 2012, all new MRT stations have directional signage with high-contrast colours and larger font sizes. The Ministry of Transport (MOT) is in the midst of making similar enhancements to the signs at the older MRT stations.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Ms Joan Pereira and Miss Cheryl Chan raised suggestions on healthcare affordability. We share the sentiment of Members that peace of mind is important. Helping our elderly with their healthcare costs is a joint responsibility with the Government through subsidies, collective risk pooling in our community through insurance, and individual and family support through MediSave and personal savings. This is a hallmark of a caring and inclusive society.
We have enhanced the reach of Government subsidies over the years. Through CHAS, we have made outpatient care in the community more affordable, including for the management of chronic diseases.
To Ms Rahayu Mahzam's query, we continue to review the CHAS criteria. And, as with all schemes, there could be people who fall outside the eligibility criteria. But we are open to consider such cases on appeal. With the PG Package, all Pioneers enjoy special CHAS support above the CHAS blue tier, and an additional 50% off subsidised treatments at polyclinics and public specialist outpatient clinics.
We have also made it easier to utilise MediSave for healthcare needs. The number of conditions covered under the Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP) has been progressively expanded over the years, and Singaporeans can now use MediSave to pay for 19 conditions. Singaporeans aged 65 and above can also utilise an additional $200 of their MediSave through the Flexi-MediSave Scheme. We will continue to review our healthcare financing schemes to ensure affordability for Singaporeans while also ensuring sustainability of our healthcare system.
We made MediShield Life a universal health insurance scheme in 2015. To ensure affordability, premium subsidies are extended to the lower- and middle-income. Pioneers receive special PG subsidies. This has been a relief for many older Singaporeans and a valuable assurance that their large hospital bills are covered by insurance.
ElderShield is also currently being reviewed to provide stronger support for disability in old age. The ElderShield Committee had provided an interim update last week, with recommendations to make the ElderShield scheme universal for all future cohorts, to lower the inclusion age to 30, for the Government to administer the enhanced ElderShield scheme, and for the claims assessment process to be improved. We welcome the recommendations and will work with the Committee to consider how best to target support for those who may need more help with their premiums.
There have been some questions on why the Committee recommended lowering the inclusion age to 30. The Committee explained that lowering the inclusion age for ElderShield distributes an individual's own premium payment over a longer period during his working years to pay for his own future needs when he grows old. This will make premiums more affordable. The premiums paid are for their own long-term care needs and are not intended for the young to subsidise the elderly for their long-term care needs. In fact, the very intent of tapping on insurance is to avoid shifting the financial burden to the young.
I also note Ms Joan Pereira's suggestion to review our nomenclature for ElderShield. The current name of the scheme reflects its objective, which is to protect Singaporeans from the costs of long-term care, in particular, during their older years where the risks of severe disabilities are higher. We acknowledge the feedback, however, and the ElderShield Committee will be reviewing the name of the scheme.
We would like to assure everyone that no Singaporean will be denied appropriate healthcare. For those who continue to have difficulties with their healthcare bills, additional support is available through MediFund.
Third, at the community level, we want to build stronger communities of care to complement families in supporting our seniors. This is especially important as family size shrinks and increasingly more elderly will live by themselves.
An area of focus for MOH is to work with both community-based voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs) and our healthcare providers to integrate health and social support for our seniors. For instance, AIC has worked with VWOs to station care teams within senior activity centres to do regular checks and support the activities of daily living of seniors living alone in rental precincts.
We agree with Dr Lily Neo that technology can present new opportunities to bolster our community support for seniors. For instance, in the SHINE Seniors project at Marine Parade, sensors are placed in the homes of seniors living alone, so that VWO staff or volunteers can respond to calls for help.
Another example is Changi General Hospital's Care Line, which is a 24-7 call centre that can respond to calls for help from seniors living alone in the community. We are also conducting a nationwide pilot of tele-rehabilitation that allows seniors to follow up with their rehabilitation exercises in the comfort of their homes, post discharge from hospitals. Khoo Teck Puat Hospital is also using telehealth consultations to support new nursing homes in better managing residents who are near the end of life.
Given the magnitude of population ageing, formal services alone are not enough. I agree with Mr Henry Kwek, Ms Tin Pei Ling, Miss Cheng Li Hui and Ms Rahayu Mahzam that we need to rally the whole community to come together to support our seniors. We would like to thank our Members who have spoken out in support of these initiatives and helped with bringing our communities together on the ground.
The CNS initiative was introduced in Budget 2016 as a pilot of what would eventually serve as a national community-based support system to help our seniors age well. In essence, it coordinates a strong local network of health and social care partners to support seniors, as a complement to family support, enabling our seniors to age confidently in the community. For well seniors, we want to keep them active and healthy for as long as possible. For those who are lonely, we find them a friend. And for those with multiple needs, our aim is to get them holistic help quickly.
CNS has been piloted in Tampines, Choa Chu Kang and Marine Parade. As Members have heard from Miss Cheng Li Hui, it has been well-received by all stakeholders. To date, CNS has activated more than 70 RCs to hold regular preventive health and active ageing activities and engaged more than 70,000 seniors. There are now more than 1,500 senior attendances for these programmes on a weekly basis.
CNS has also matched more than 600 seniors to befrienders and assisted about 800 seniors who have complex social and health needs. Based on what we have learnt from CNS, we plan to strengthen this effort. More details will be announced at the Committee of Supply this year. However, our success in building communities of care hinges on support and partnership from the wider community. Therefore, I fully support Mr Kok Heng Leun's suggestion to step up public education and promote greater awareness of the process of ageing and the needs of seniors.
Together with community-based organisations, we have made efforts to promote awareness of end-of-life issues and palliative care, and we have also launched an exhibition on ageing called Dialogue with Time, at Science Centre, which has attracted over 10,000 visitors since its opening last November. We will continue to invest in public education.
Longevity is a blessing and not to be spent in sickness or loneliness. If we can work together, ageing need not be feared. We can enable seniors to age positively with purpose and grace, empower strong families that can care for seniors, and build a cohesive and resilient community able to thrive in the face of population ageing. MOH and the Ministerial Committee on Ageing look forward to working with all Members and Singaporeans to realise a "Nation for All Ages". Mr Deputy Speaker, please allow me to conclude in Mandarin.
(In Mandarin): [Please refer to Vernacular Speech.] After hearing Mr Kok Heng Leun's speech, I was very touched. I agree with him fully. Illness and death are inevitable, but it is important that we enable our seniors to age positively with purpose, gracefully and with dignity.
The Government will continue to work hard to build a Nation for All Ages that is caring and inclusive and embrace seniors as an integral part of our community. But family and kinship are priceless and irreplaceable. We should honour the elderly as we do our own aged parents. Let us show our love and create a warm society for our seniors.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Minister of State Sam Tan.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would like to, firstly, thank Members for tabling this Motion for the House to recognise our seniors. The Ministry of Manpower, together with our tripartite partners, is committed to supporting our older workers to enjoy fulfilling years and engage in productive work.
Sir, our workforce is ageing rapidly. Over the last decade, the proportion of residents aged 60 and over in our labour force has increased from 6.1% in 2007, to 13.8% in 2017. We expect this trend to continue in the foreseeable future as Singaporeans live longer and healthier.
It is a good thing that our seniors can work and want to work longer. Active participation in the workforce allows seniors to make positive contributions and forms part of active ageing. The economy and society as a whole benefit from their expertise and experience. To this end, we should continue to support older workers to have meaningful employment opportunities. At the same time, we should also ensure that our older workers are treated fairly and with respect at our workplaces. Our tripartite partners have been working closely together to help support our older workers so that they can have longer and fuller working lives.
Sir, we introduced the concept of re-employment under the Retirement and Re-employment Act (RRA) in 2012. RRA is to support older workers who want to work longer beyond their retirement age. We took another step forward in 2016 to raise re-employment age from 65 to 67, which has been effective since 1 July last year. This applies to the public and private sectors.
The re-employment model has shown encouraging results. Since it was introduced in 2012, over 98% of private-sector local employees who wished to continue working at age 62 were offered re-employment. Of those who accepted re-employment in the same job at age 62, around 96% did not receive any cut in their basic salaries in 2012. And this proportion rose to 98% in 2016. Some Members have suggested why not remove the retirement age and re-employment age altogether?
Sir, currently, the tripartite partners are of the view that the retirement and re-employment ages still play an important role in helping our workers stay employable for as long as they can. These are their reasons.
First, the retirement age of 62 provides older workers peace of mind that employers are not allowed to terminate their employment simply based on age.
Second, with the re-employment age, the older workers are further protected as employers must offer eligible workers re-employment up to age 67.
Third, the introduction and progressive raising of re-employment age, instead of retirement age, balances the employers' need for business flexibility and the employment needs of the older workers better. While the employer is obliged to offer re-employment to the older worker at 62 till 67, it need not necessarily be for the same job or at the same pay. There is some flexibility so long as both employers and employees achieve a mutual agreement. And also, beyond the re-employment age, older workers can continue to work as long as there is mutual consent between them and the employers.
With extended lifespans and improved health among seniors, there will be scope to raise the age of re-employment further again over time. This, however, will be a matter for tripartite deliberations. For now, as the re-employment age was just raised from 65 to 67 last year, the immediate focus of the Government and the tripartite partners is to ensure successful implementation of the new re-employment age to benefit more older workers. This is to fulfil what we had set out earlier.
As we encourage employers to hire and retain older workers, we recognise that those who do so deserve extra support and encouragement. The Special Employment Credit (SEC) scheme provides a wage offset of up to 8% of monthly wages to employers when they employ older workers aged 55 and above. An additional wage offset of up to 3% of monthly wages is also provided to encourage continued employment of older workers above the re-employment age of 67.
We also support employers to provide flexible work arrangements (FWAs) for older workers who prefer to transit from full-time employment to take on more flexible work options. The Work-Life Grant funds each company up to $160,000 over four years to implement FWAs to help employees better manage work and family responsibilities.
Our various programmes to improve the employability and employment of older workers have shown encouraging results. Singapore's employment rate of residents aged 65 to 69 is 41.5% in 2016. This compares quite favourably with developed economies, with Singapore ranked 5th against 35 Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries in 2016. It is also higher than some of the developed countries with no retirement age, such the US at 31%, Australia at 25.9%, the UK at 21% and Denmark at 19.1%. In Singapore, we achieved 41.5%.
Sir, looking ahead, as our workforce continues to age, I strongly support Mr Henry Kwek's call and also other Members' similar call to do more to maintain the dignity of our elderly in the workplace. For older workers to work productively and also to help companies to remain competitive, we must ensure that our workplaces are age-friendly. We must treat our older workers fairly with dignity. But how do we do this?
First, we should eliminate ageism at work. MOM and our tripartite partners are against age discrimination. The Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP) promotes the employment of older workers and raises awareness of the value that older workers bring to the workplace. They look into all age discrimination complaints and refer cases to MOM for investigation where warranted. Enforcement actions will be taken against employers who discriminate based on age.
The Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (TGFEP) also spells out the principles of fair and merit-based employment which we expect all employers to abide by. For example, job applicants should be assessed fairly and are not to be ignored or rejected on the basis of age. This applies to all jobs listed in the JobsBank. The Guidelines also state specifically that date of birth information should not be asked in the job application forms.
Second, we should ensure that our jobs are suitably designed and redesigned for our older workers. This was why we enhanced the WorkPro in July 2016 to create easier, safer and smarter jobs for older workers. A company can now receive up to $300,000, up from $150,000, under the WorkPro Job Redesign Grant.
Since the enhancement, more than 600 companies have applied for the Job Redesign Grant, benefiting more than 9,500 older workers. This is an encouraging start, but we should do more. I urge more employers to tap on WorkPro to take bold steps to redesign and create meaningful jobs for older workers.
Third, we need both our older workers and employers to play their parts to enhance the employment and employability of mature workers. We will keep strengthening our support to them through SkillsFuture and Adapt and Grow.
For instance, under the Adapt and Grow Initiative, older professionals, managers, executives and technicians (PMETs) are provided with more support for career or job transition under programmes, such as the Professional Conversion Programme (PCP) and Career Support Programme (CSP). The Work Trial programme also allows older rank-and-file workers to undergo short-term work trial with companies and acquire new skills to potentially take on new jobs. I encourage more employers and workers to take full advantage of these Government schemes we have put in place for them.
In conclusion, Mr Deputy Speaker, we have made steady progress to enhance the employability and employment opportunities for our older workers. With an ageing workforce and the fast pace of economic restructuring and transformation, we will need to do even more to ensure that our future workforce will remain inclusive. Together with our tripartite partners, we will press on in our efforts to support our seniors so that they can continue to lead an active and fulfilling life.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary.
Mr Deputy Speaker, I thank colleagues for raising the important topic of support for the elderly, especially with respect to ensuring they benefit from the technological progress we make as a society.
The Ministry of Communications and Information (MCI) agrees with the concerns raised by Mr Henry Kwek, Ms Tin Pei Ling, Ms Joan Pereira and other Members. MCI supports the Motion and last year convened the Digital Readiness Workgroup to examine the current status, engage stakeholders and partners, and to develop strategies relevant to future opportunities and challenges. This workgroup has representatives from the public, private and people sectors. Later in the year, we will be explaining in more detail our strategies to help all Singaporeans, especially the most vulnerable, to understand and enjoy the benefits of technology.
In the interim, we have agreed on some broad principles that will inform these strategies and plans that we develop. First, our programmes, initiatives and products must be user-centric and designed for inclusion of everyone. Second, we must go beyond the provision of access, to equipping people with skills that enable them to participate actively and meaningfully. Third, the greatest reach and impact in this space will be achieved only through the deep collaborations between the people, public and private sectors.
Mr Deputy Speaker, even as we plan for the future and develop new strategies, these ideas are building on a strong foundation. MCI, together with the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and its predecessors, has been working on these issues for more than 10 years, through a national programme called the Silver Infocomm Initiative. I would like to highlight just a few of the programmes it supports.
First, we have over 30 senior-friendly infocomm learning hubs island-wide, including at community centres (CCs) and libraries that offer a customised curriculum to train seniors. These are known as Silver Infocomm Junctions (SIJs).
Second, the "Seniors for Smart Nation" series of courses, run by the "Senior Academy" programme of PA.
Third, the "IM Bonding" programme at Senior Activity Centres focuses on lower-income elderly and involves a significant aspect of social interaction.
Fourth and last, the Silver Infocomm Wellness Ambassador is a programme to train and support seniors to teach and encourage their peers about technology.
All of these programmes, and many others, help seniors to become familiar with technology, to develop confidence to conduct transactions and interact online, to connect with one another and their families using digital tools, and to ultimately enjoy the benefits of technology. These programmes are available in English and vernacular languages and, over the last 10 years, have helped 150,000 seniors.
Sir, MCI agrees with the concerns raised by Members. Although there has been a lot of work ongoing for the last 10 years, much remains to be done. We are all ageing, technology will continue to develop at a rapid pace, and making sure the elderly benefit from the progress of our society must be something we always pay attention to.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Minister Desmond Lee.
The Minister for Social and Family Development and Second Minister for National Development (Mr Desmond Lee): Mr Deputy Speaker, I will elaborate on our efforts in housing, our urban environment and social support. I begin with thoughtful planning and design of our infrastructure.
Ms Tin Pei Ling, Miss Cheryl Chan, Ms Joan Pereira and Dr Lily Neo spoke about how we should design and retrofit our Housing and Development Board (HDB) flats, estates and public infrastructure to enable our seniors to age actively, comfortably and safely.
Today, when building our new estates, HDB’s consultants adopt the Building and Construction Authority's (BCA’s) Accessibility Code and guidelines. For example, common spaces are designed with ramps instead of just steps and seamless barrier-free routes to connect various amenities for our seniors and those who are wheelchair-bound. Three-generational fitness and play facilities facilitate social interaction between our seniors and the community. Within our flats, senior-friendly features are provided, such as gentle gradients at the main entrance, common bathrooms that are wheelchair-accessible and more user-friendly clothes drying systems.
The bigger challenge has been to retrofit our older, mature estates to make them more senior-friendly. And we have been doing this assiduously over many years since the 2000s, adding more ramps, linkways and senior-friendly facilities to mature estates through programmes, such as the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) and Community Improvement Projects Committee (CIPC). The Lift Upgrading Programme (LUP), implemented since 2001, has also provided direct lift access to residents in about 5,200 HDB blocks. Through the City for All Ages and Enhancement for Active Seniors (EASE) programmes, HDB is also retrofitting existing HDB estates and flats with more features, such as grab bars and non-slip toilet flooring, to enhance mobility and comfort for our seniors, benefiting more than 130,000 families thus far. Making our mature estates elderly-friendly requires a community effort. That is why programmes, such as NRP and CIPC, are structured to allow the community to participate in decision-making.
Private building owners can also tap on BCA's Accessibility Fund. This provides co-funding to encourage them to retrofit their private buildings that pre-date 1990, to make them senior-friendly.
Sir, we continue to research and study other ways and options to make our living environment more senior-friendly.
I next turn to housing asset monetisation, a point raised by various Members.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Ms Chia Yong Yong and Mr Henry Kwek suggested ways to help seniors unlock more value from their homes to supplement their retirement needs.
The Lease Buyback Scheme (LBS) was introduced in 2009, giving lower-income seniors living in 3-room or smaller flats the option to sell back and monetise the tail-end of their leases to HDB, while continuing to live in their flats. The scheme was expanded in 2015 to cover 4-room flats.
Currently, LBS is not open to households in larger flats as they have more monetisation options than those in smaller flats. For instance, they can right-size to a smaller flat in the same neighbourhood. Under the Seniors Priority Scheme, seniors, including those in private properties, enjoy priority when they apply for a 2-room flexi flat in the same town or estate as their current home. If seniors living in larger flats right-size to a 2- or 3-room flat, they may apply for the Silver Housing Bonus and receive a cash bonus, if they use some of their proceeds to top up their CPF Retirement Accounts and join CPF LIFE.
To raise awareness of these and other monetisation options, HDB works with our media, organises public talks and seminars and sets up booths at local community events. Seniors also receive personalised information on their monetisation options when they carry out housing transactions at our HDB counters. Most recently, HDB and CPF Board sent out individually customised mailers to seniors about the range of monetisation options that are available to them.
Mr Henry Kwek, Ms Chia Yong Yong and Mr Gan Thiam Poh suggested other ways of monetising properties which do not require our seniors to move home, such as reverse mortgages and specialised funds based on the French concept of "Viager". Financial institutions (FIs) are already allowed to offer reverse mortgages and these specialised funds. But both are complex financial products which are more difficult to understand, hence the challenge. The risk that the value of the payouts may exceed that of the property could also impact their attractiveness to home owners. In fact, the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) Income and Overseas-Chinese Banking Corporation (OCBC) bank stopped offering reverse mortgages in 2009, precisely due to a lack of demand. Recent surveys also found that many seniors were generally averse to the idea of reverse mortgages as they preferred to remain debt-free at that stage in life.
Some of the options I mentioned earlier, like buying a 2-room flexi flat with priority allocation, are also open to seniors living in private properties who may wish to consider asset monetisation. In addition, with the changes announced by the Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS) in March 2017, they may also obtain mortgage equity withdrawal loans from FIs. MAS had announced that such loans that are less than 50% of the market value of the property would no longer be subject to the Total Debt Servicing Ratio (TDSR) framework. This may help retirees, many of whom would have paid up most of their outstanding housing loan, monetise part of the value of their property if they wish.
Sir, let me assure Members that we will continue to study and review options to help our seniors who wish to better monetise their homes, to supplement retirement needs.
Sir, we need both the "hardware" as well as the "heartware" if we want to build a society where our seniors can age happily, supported by the community around them. To do so, we have to plan well ahead. This involves nurturing communities of care, strengthening community care and service delivery for vulnerable seniors, planning ahead for seniors who may lose or have lost mental capacity, and putting in place laws to protect vulnerable seniors.
The composition of families has shifted over the years. Family sizes are shrinking, and we see more seniors who live alone or without children. Because of this changing profile, we have to proactively ramp up efforts to complement family support while, at the same time, encourage the strengthening of family ties.
Mr Henry Kwek and Ms Joan Pereira suggested introducing Senior Care leave to employees caring for their parents. Caregivers of elderly parents need support and understanding, and I thank Mr Kok Heng Leun for his very heartfelt and personal sharing of his experience, for the benefit of this House.
We encourage employers to provide a family-friendly workplace, and have introduced several family leave enhancements over the last few years. While we are prepared to study the idea of Senior Care leave in consultation with the tripartite partners, we should allow some time for businesses to adjust and adapt to the recent enhancements.
In the meantime, we will continue to work with the tripartite partners to encourage employers to adopt family-friendly practices, including adopting the Tripartite Standard of FWAs, and better leveraging on the Worklife Grant.
Sir, I agree with Miss Cheryl Chan that it is important to integrate housing for seniors within the community and encourage strong family support. To foster community interaction, we now build 2-room flexi flats in the same block as larger flat types for most projects. Under the Multi-Generation Priority Scheme, married children and their parents are given priority if they apply for a pair of flats at the same level, block or Build-To-Order (BTO) project. Those who wish to live as a multigenerational family can apply for 3Gen flats.
Mr Henry Kwek made some thoughtful recommendations on retirement housing, while Mr Leon Pereira spoke about assisted living for seniors. We also agree with Dr Lily Neo that we should support our seniors to live independently in their homes and communities for as long as possible.
Our strategy to achieve this is to try to integrate the delivery of social and care services within our public housing estates, for ease and convenience of our seniors. Over the years, we have ramped up the introduction of eldercare facilities in our HDB estates. We have taken this one step further with Kampung Admiralty, where seniors living in and around the Kampung can obtain a continuum of social and health services at the Active Ageing Hub. These services can support them as their needs evolve and put off the need for premature institutionalisation in nursing homes or other facilities. There are plans to build another 10 more Active Ageing Hubs by 2020.
Mr Gan Thiam Poh will also be glad to know that we will continue working with MOH to explore new senior-friendly housing models, such as new forms of home and care options to allow seniors to age in a familiar environment and to remain independent for as long as possible. This includes assisted living developments that will help to expand the care and residential options available to seniors, by integrating senior-friendly housing and senior care services. This is currently under study and we will announce more details when ready.
At the same time, we are studying measures which can better facilitate the development of private housing projects to support the needs of our seniors. We are reviewing our Development Control guidelines to provide more clarity on retirement housing developments, and we will share more information on these plans when ready.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam spoke about the need to support vulnerable seniors in our midst. This means empowering them to make choices to remain healthy, active and socially connected in their golden years, enabled collectively by the family, community and state.
On community support, we have expanded our network of social services supporting the low-income and vulnerable seniors, in close partnership with VWOs. Since 2014, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) has set up 19 Senior Cluster Networks (SCNs), operated by VWOs, to coordinate support for these seniors within each HDB town, with other social and healthcare agencies, including SSOs, Family Service Centres (FSCs) and AIC.
Through the SCNs, we have supported these low-income and vulnerable seniors to stay engaged in the community, prevent social isolation and receive timely and coordinated care. The 69 Senior Activity Centres (SACs) reach out to around 30,000 seniors in public rental flats to engage them in recreation and to mitigate social isolation. Frail seniors with social and health needs are case-managed by social workers in the Cluster Support teams who coordinate care together with AIC. Senior Group Homes (SGHs) can support frail seniors who are suitable for communal living.
Our network of 24 SSOs has also brought help closer to low-income and vulnerable seniors in the community. SSOs play the important role of coordinating complex cases, which often involve multiple agencies and organisations. SSOs also plan and coordinate services at the local level and manage MSF-funded regional services for families and seniors.
While social service delivery has improved over the years, we know that we can continue to do better. Today, a family with multiple needs has to navigate different schemes, programmes, agencies and VWOs. We want to improve our interagency work processes to provide more integrated and holistic support for those in need. One of our key enablers will be CNS, which is being piloted, to bring together healthcare and social agencies and the community to provide support for seniors.
We can also improve data sharing and use among Government agencies and with the community. This could reduce the need for clients to submit the same documents to different agencies and organisations multiple times. It also helps to harness the time, energy and skills of social service professionals and volunteers to better support our seniors.
Sir, some seniors lose their mental capacity as they age due to dementia and other causes. Miss Cheryl Chan suggested improving the outreach and awareness of the Lasting Power of Attorney (LPA), by making certifiers of LPAs more easily accessible within the community.
Apart from lawyers and psychiatrists, there are currently 496 medical professionals who are accredited to be LPA certificate issuers. Many of them are GPs who operate in clinics in the heartlands. In addition, there are community services that provide regular legal clinics for both LPA as well as will-writing. An example is Life Point, started by Sheng Hong Welfare Services. It is at Chinatown Point. It is a popular one-stop service for seniors to make their LPAs. We welcome more organisations to start similar services to benefit our seniors.
If a person loses mental capacity without having made an LPA, their family members or friends may apply to the Court to be appointed as their deputy. But we are aware that there are some individuals who may not have next-of-kin who can be appointed as a deputy, or, for that matter, even as a donee, when they make LPAs. Therefore, MSF will be launching the Professional Deputies and Donees Scheme this year, where professionals can be remunerated for a fee to be appointed as professional donees and deputies.
To support our ageing seniors who lack family support and experience declining mental capacity, we are also piloting a new initiative known as the Community Kin Service or Comm Kin Service. Under this service, VWOs can apply for a Court order to manage the senior’s money in order to meet the senior’s day-to-day needs. What they need to do is to prepare a care plan detailing the kinds of expenses that need to be incurred for their daily needs for these seniors and present them to Court. Once approved, they will act within the remit of the Court order. It thus empowers VWOs to do more to support seniors holistically within the community. Professional deputies can step in when the senior requires institutional care, to make more major decisions for the senior, such as liquidation of property, as their expertise would be better suited for such matters.
This Comm Kin pilot is expected to begin early this year with two VWOs – TOUCH Community Services and Ang Mo Kio (AMK) FSC Community Services. Nonetheless, we still encourage Singaporeans to make an LPA because an LPA offers them choice and autonomy in deciding who they wish to appoint as their proxy decision-maker, and gives peace of mind to the family, knowing that the necessary preplanning has been done.
Sir, another important aspect of preparing for a Nation for all Ages is enhancing our legislative framework for seniors. Ms Rahayu Mahzam and Ms Chia Yong Yong had asked us to review the role of the Tribunal of Maintenance of Parents (TMP). The Maintenance of Parents Act (MPA) provides legal recourse for seniors 60 and above and who are unable to provide for themselves to claim maintenance from their children. We recognise that some parents may be unwilling to file an application against their own children. So, the Act, therefore, allows the Commissioner to resolve issues through conciliation, without the need for the commencement of legal proceedings at TMP. If the parent is unable to make an application himself, for example, due to physical infirmity, the Commissioner is able to apply on behalf of the parent, with his consent.
Thus far, the Commissioner has not had to make such an application to the Tribunal on behalf of a parent, as most family members step up to help the parent. We will, however, continue to actively look into ways to lower the barriers for a senior to apply for maintenance, even as we seek to strengthen familial ties.
Ms Chia Yong Yong also asked whether the Tribunal has ever ordered children, under section 6 of MPA, to maintain their parents by setting up a trust fund to pay out regular maintenance. We have checked. Thus far, the Tribunal has not made such orders. Most orders have been by way of cash payment or cash support.
Currently, going beyond adjudication and mediation, TMP may already refer a parent to SSO for financial assistance and advice, if he is not awarded any maintenance, or if the maintenance awarded is insufficient to meet basic needs. The parent and the children may also be referred to an FSC for case management and counselling. That, in a way, also addresses the point Ms Rahayu Mahzam brought up. She suggested that the Tribunal take on more family counselling and mediation roles. These are better resolved at the FSCs.
I thank Members for their suggestions on legislative reviews and public education efforts to enhance support and safeguards for our seniors and promote family values on the care of our senior loved ones. Many suggestions have been given, including looking into the law of presumption of advancement. All these are things that we will study in the course of our work.
Concurrently, it is imperative that we put in place safeguards to ensure that frail elderly and ageing persons with disabilities are able to live in an environment that is free from abuse, neglect and self-neglect. To that end, the Vulnerable Adults Bill, which will be introduced this year, will protect individuals 18 years old and above and, because of mental or physical infirmity, disability or incapacity, are unable to protect themselves from abuse, neglect or self-neglect.
To complement such legislation, MSF is also working with community partners and stakeholders to enhance the capacity and capabilities of critical players to respond to reports of abuse.
Sir, Singapore is a rapidly greying society, by all existing trends and indicators. While this does pose significant challenges, we should plan ahead, prepare well and implement effectively. Only then can we tap the opportunity that our silver generation brings and turn a perceived challenge into a strength.
Before I close, allow me to make this very quick observation. Sir, we are encouraged that six Members of this House, from PAP.SG, coming from different Government Parliamentary Committees, have come together to raise this important Motion and to bring debate on this issue in the House. We are encouraged that all Members who have spoken have given good ideas, given heartfelt examples of cases and individuals whom they have encountered. We are encouraged that the Motion has full support from all sides of this House. And while four of us have responded on behalf of a total of five Ministries, we are fully committed to working as a whole-of-Government, to coordinate on seniors' issues, to prepare ahead and prepare well and to implement effectively.
We will share more details of specific plans at the upcoming Budget and Committee of Supply debates. At the end of the day, this has to be a whole-of-Singapore effort, involving families and communities, to make Singapore an inclusive and caring home that embraces all our seniors.
Mr Deputy Speaker: Mr Henry Kwek.
Mr Deputy Speaker, it is beyond eight o'clock. We have worked hard and deserve to be tired. But fatigue aside, hearing the insights from my colleagues here remind me why Parliament inspires. The scale and scope of these ideas today can only be described as breathtaking. Let me sum up the debate.
Ageing is universal. Mr Leon Perera described it as an inescapable part of the human condition. Therefore, the Members of this House believe that dealing with ageing starts with ourselves.
Miss Cheryl Chan called for seniors to cultivate the "undefeated mind", one filled with hope, will and imagination. Miss Cheryl Chan and Dr Lily Neo pointed out that we are personally responsible for our own health. Otherwise, we will not enjoy our long life. Ms Chia Yong Yong cautioned us to be wise in estate planning. Better for our seniors to make wills and, therefore, have more control over their fates. At the same time, we must plan for unexpected situations, and that is why Miss Cheryl Chan encourages seniors over 55 to sign up for LPAs.
Many of my colleagues here believe that after the individual, the next line of responsibility lies clearly with the families.
Both Ms Rahayu Mahzam and Ms Chia Yong Yong suggest that the Tribunal for Maintenance of Family can do more and move into education and counselling as well as to be bolder in enforcement. Ms Chia Yong Yong also came up with an excellent idea, which is, to make children who benefit from transfer of property responsible for their parents. Dr Intan Mokhtar made a similar idea.
But as Ms Chia Yong Yong said, while the Government can work harder to ensure that families step up, we must "do not and must not abrogate the basic human values of filial piety." After all, one cannot legislate filial piety. We must all be filial, however, because, as Dr Intan Mokhtar mentioned, "it is the right thing to do". Ms Chia Yong Yong also shared that we have obligations even if there is no love. And as Mr Kok Heng Leun shared, being a dutiful caregiver to our parents is not just a responsibility, but it can also be one we derive joy from. Helping our ailing parents is an intimate process. It promises the possibilities of transforming and deepening our precious relationships with those closest to us.
Therefore, Mr Gan Thiam Poh, Dr Intan Mokhtar and Ms Rahayu Mahzam calls for all of us – Government, society, community – to do what is necessary to promote the right values of filial piety. I fully concur. Just this year, at my constituency, we started teaching filial piety through Confucian Dizi Gui. And I look forward to encouraging similar classes through other cultural lenses.
Today, we also talked about more support for caregivers. Ms Joan Pereira, Mr Kok Heng Leun and myself spoke about caregiver leave, so that our seniors will not be facing the trauma of sickness and hospital visits alone. This will also provide some comfort to caregivers. Mr Kok Heng Leun also suggested more tax relief for caregivers, and Miss Cheryl Chan suggested more generous subsidies for caregiver services.
Next, we must also ensure that seniors are on the right side of the digital divide. Ms Tin Pei Ling mentioned that we should strive to ensure that both "hardware and heartware are elderly-friendly" and we should not just be talking about technology but also processes. I would like to add to Ms Tin Pei Ling's point that a Smart Nation will not leave its wisest residents behind. Ms Joan Pereira, Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Ms Tin Pei Ling also asked us to tap on the full possibilities of digital eldercare and call for the Government to limit the downside of embracing everything digital to our parents.
We also spoke about senior housing and monetisation of assets. Dr Lily Neo, Ms Tin Pei Ling and Mr Leon Perera spoke about encouraging and teaching good designs, building housing close to necessities. Ms Cheryl Chan suggested auditing all towns for such. Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Mr Gan Thiam Poh and Ms Chia Yong Yong spoke about encouraging more reverse mortgages and extending it beyond 4-Room HDB flats. I also spoke about more options for private developers in assisted living and nursing home, as well as catalysing more reverse mortgages for private estates.
On the financial side, our speakers have acknowledged that the Government has done much. But there is always a little bit more room to do more, especially if we can continue to grow our economy and keep our medical costs low.
The first line of financial support is actually for our seniors to stay employed and self-reliant. In terms of senior employability, both Dr Lily Neo and Dr Intan Mokhtar asked that we relook at employment and re-employment ages. Ms Tin Pei Ling asked the Government to take the lead in senior employment and spearhead new designs and job designs and work environment. Mr Leon Perera spoke about using technology and innovation to expand on employability of seniors. I concur on his points and I spoke previously on using the shared economy to create micro-jobs for our seniors.
Ms Rahayu Mahzam and Ms Joan Pereira asked for us to do more for Baby Boomers through more CHAS discounts, and for a broader group of seniors. I fully agree on the necessity.
Ms Joan Pereira, Dr Lily Neo and Miss Cheryl Chan asked for more support for community healthcare programmes with more emphasis on disease prevention. Ms Tin Pei Ling, Dr Lily Neo and Mr Leon Perera also asked the Government to accelerate our local pace of digital eldercare innovation. Mr Gan Thiam Poh called for more increases in home care medical services, and Ms Joan Pereira asked for more dementia friendly communities as well as getting the review of ElderShield right.
Beyond finance and health, Members also believe about emotional well-being. We believe that our seniors, even if they retire, should stay active. As Ms Tin Pei Ling hopes, "we can continue to contribute because we want to. It brings meaning to life, it helps us look forward to every new day. Is it not wonderful?"
As such, Ms Joan Pereira proposed the innovative idea of encouraging time-banking, which is not just to encourage seniors to volunteer, but also to spur bartering of services among seniors. Dr Lily Neo also suggested a one-stop for volunteer advisory.
But sometimes, our seniors also need community support, especially on the emotional front. As such, Ms Rahayu Mahzam, Ms Joan Pereira and Miss Cheng Li Hui called for a nationwide rollout of the successful CNS programme. I fully agree. Getting Government support for coordination through CNS will give our community efforts a major push.
Ms Tin Pei Ling also contributed the refreshing idea to get all Singaporeans conscripted as volunteers to support seniors two days a month, with real vocations, real roles and responsibilities.
Members of this House also spoke about fighting misperceptions. Ms Tin Pei Ling asked us to "stamp out ageism". In fact, I think we must go beyond stemming out ageism.
Dr Lily Neo and Mr Leon Perera asked all of us to focus on bringing out the best of our seniors, focus on the Silver Dividends, rather than worry about the demographic time bomb. They are right. We are a decisive country, and we think long term. If we come together as a society, we can get on the right side of ageing. The stakes are high for us because all Singaporeans, every member of this Chamber, own this challenge together. Let me quote Ms Rahayu Mahzam, "We shall also remember that we will all grow old one day. We will all be that statistic, that group that would tap on Government funds, that would add to the healthcare cost, that would need to be cared for."
But beyond Government programmes, we must also step as a society by creating and participating in community initiatives. And specifically for Members in this Chamber, we have an added responsibility as the local leaders capable of pulling together hearts, minds, and hands, in our own respective areas. And so, we, in this Chamber, must all step up. Actions speak when words cannot. As Ms Pei Ling puts it, "a caring and inclusive society cannot be one when citizens only talk about and expect somebody else to do it. We all have a duty to do it". And when we discharge our duties to our families and seniors, we, like Mr Kok Heng Leun, who cared for his father, can see the world through his eyes, and discover empathy in ourselves and in our society.
I would also like to thank the Government for providing such a comprehensive response across five Ministries. I am glad to hear from Minister of State Sam Tan about our Government's progressive take towards retirement and re-employment. I take his point that the private sector needs time to get used to the recent changes.
At the same time, I would like to remind our seniors that their fate is largely in their own hands. There is no legal limit on when we can stop working, as long as there is demand for us. If seniors can ensure that their skillsets stay relevant, they will be prized for both their skills and wisdom over time.
Senior Minister of State Janil Puthucheary and Senior Minister of State Amy Khor have shared excellent examples of how we can apply technologies to help our seniors. I look forward to continuous innovation from our Government.
I also deeply appreciate Minister Desmond Lee's promise to relook at the Urban Redevelopment Authority's developmental controls. More flexibility there can do wonders to provide much needed housing options, especially for our seniors living in private estates. Having said that, it is clear that the Ministry of National Development has done much to create new models of housing, especially for the public estates. That is well noted by the public.
I thank MSF for its progressive attitude towards encouraging companies to be family-friendly and pushing through the Tripartite Standard of FWA and for leveraging the workplace grant. I take MSF's point that companies need time to adjust and adapt before we can pursue further moves.
Until then, I appeal for more companies to apply FWAs to their employees who are caregivers. Loyalty goes both ways. When a company treats employees with compassion, the employees usually respond with passion.
On reverse mortgages, I take the point that companies have stopped offering this service and this is precisely why there is a gap, and this gap will grow. I hope that the private sector and the social sector can think hard about meeting this need.
I am also heartened by Senior Minister of State Amy Khor's point about confident ageing, and her progress update on the Action Plan for Successful Ageing. In many of the areas raised by my fellow MPs, MOH is either already piloting or is scaling up their existing programme. As the Action Plan continues to roll out, I appreciate Senior of Minister Amy Khor's openness to new ideas.
I also appreciate MOH's openness to explore strengthening CNS in the coming Budget and to conduct regular reviews of excellent healthcare financial programmes, such as CHAS.
I would also like to thank Minister Gan Kim Yong and Senior Minister of State Amy Khor for the Action Plan for Successful Ageing. It is a remarkable plan, the result of painstaking consultation involving more than 4,000 people. I hope the ideas discussed today will help strengthen our plan.
Mr Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me now conclude our Motion. Some say that Singapore is too forward oriented from Day 1. Our founding Prime Minister was all of 36 when he steered a big ship called Singapore. And he was not the youngest one.
Since Day 1, we forced the future onto ourselves, in every dimension we can think of. When we were still a developing country, international experts said we could not afford the MRT system. But we went ahead anyway. We built whole industrial estates, before companies were interested in coming in. We were one of the few countries that invested in turning salt water to fresh water and used water to drinking water, in anticipation of our future water needs.
Often, our Pioneers made sacrifices to afford these projects. I think I understand why. Just like their personal sacrifices for their children, this is our seniors' way of saying to us, "we care for you, and we do the best for you”.
Now that we have comfortably crossed our first 50 years, we have passed a milestone. Singapore must continue to be future-oriented and continue to carry the torch that our founding fathers have passed on to them. Like the seniors before us, we owe it to our children a duty to build a bright future, sparkling with possibilities.
But we should also grow a deeper sense, an appreciation of legacy. We must build a Nation for All Ages with a healthy respect for legacy and experience, where our seniors age successfully, and in dignity. Only then, when we have done all these, can we say to our caring seniors, who built Singapore, "Do not worry. We got this covered. And we have you in our hearts." [Applause.]
Excellent speech, Mr Kwek, but a slight technicality. In future, please refer to your Parliamentary colleagues in a slightly formal way than calling them by their first names.
Well noted, Deputy Speaker.
Question put, and agreed to.
Resolved,
"That this House recognises that seniors are a gift to our society, contributing to a wise and resilient Singapore, and calls on the Government to continue strengthening support for seniors to age with dignity and spearhead community efforts to create a society where they can thrive."
PAPERCUTS