June 28, 2022

On 15 June 2022, Associate Professor Elaine Ho (NUS Geography and Asia Research Institute) was featured on Channel NewsAsia (CNA) in ‘Innovating for the Future – S1E7: Ageing’.

In recent years, Singapore has seen a gradual shift towards ageing in place. Long-term care for the elderly is crucial but often ignored in this transition. A/P Ho emphasised that long-term care is something important that enables and dignifies ageing. She also recounted her personal experience of having difficulties with looking for long-term care for her father, who had just been discharged from hospital then.

In 2017, A/P Ho co-authored a research study on the long-term care landscape in Singapore. The study revealed that there is a need for Singapore to differentiate between healthcare and long-term care costs. While the former deals with acute care services that are largely covered by MediSave and MediShield, the exact long-term care services often depend on the senior’s specific needs. The cost of long-term care is also not entirely covered by governmental schemes.

A/P Ho had recommended, among other things, to give more support to Singapore’s caregivers. Subsequent policy changes have since taken place, such as more respite care for caregivers and the implementation of the Home Caregiving Grant. A/P Ho was also delighted to see that Singapore is boosting its long-term care sector’s capabilities through measures such as offering more systematic career progression pathways for long-term healthcare workers.

Watch the video here: https://www.channelnewsasia.com/watch/innovating-future/ageing-2747401