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Author: AWARE Media

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Long-term care insurance for the nation should prioritise inclusivity

An edited version of this letter was originally published in The Straits Times Forum, 31 May 2018. 

Correction: An earlier version of this letter inaccurately stated that 78% of women were out of the labour force because of family responsibilities; the presentation of this statistic has been corrected in the piece below. We apologise for any confusion caused.

The government’s new scheme for long-term care insurance, CareShield Life, has the potential to prepare Singaporeans for the country’s growing healthcare needs, but it has major limitations.

We commend the inclusion of recipients with pre-existing disabilities into CareShield. This shows a willingness to create a scheme that is inclusive for everyone, in spite of their varying risk levels, hereditary conditions and existing healthcare needs. The pooling of risk across a population is the whole basis for insurance. However, this inclusivity seems to have stopped short at gender, with a stark gender difference in premium payments across the years.

This difference was explained as a way to factor in differences in life expectancy, and the likelihood and duration of severe disability between men and women. While this difference in payments may have been justified in the ElderShield Scheme as it is run by private insurers, CareShield is a not-for-profit insurance scheme run by the government, and principles of inclusivity should be given priority.

We must also consider the financial needs of women in Singapore. In 2016, 78% of prime working-age women outside the labour force were not working because of family responsibilities, including caregiving. Although the gap in average CPF balances between women and men has narrowed in the last decade, women still have 10% less CPF savings than men.

Overall, women are accumulating less money over the years, but, through CareShield, are required to pay higher premiums.

CareShield has scope to inclusively define who qualifies for its payouts. Currently, only those requiring help with three or more Activities of Daily Living (ADL) can receive the payout, which leaves behind those with moderate disabilities who require help with one or two ADLs. Such individuals may still require part- or full-time care, and this role of caregiving is often played by women who may have to give up paid work, leading to financial impoverishment in old age.

Another way to make CareShield more inclusive is by means-testing individual applicants, not households. In the current method of means-testing households, there is no assurance that financially better off family members are paying for the care expenditure, nor is there a guarantee that the care recipient can access the financial resources of other family members, such as the value of the residence.

We welcome the government’s move to introduce an inclusive long-term care scheme, but urge further public consultation to deliberate CareShield’s implications for more vulnerable communities, including women and the disabled.

Are you a caregiver for an older relative? Join our focus group discussion in June!

We want to improve the financial situation of family caregivers in Singapore. To do that, we are running a focus group session to learn about the financial support caregivers like yourself require. You will be given $30 for your time with us.

Date: 12 June 2018 (Tuesday)
Time: 7pm – 8.30pm
Location: AWARE Centre, Block 5 Dover Crescent #01-22 Singapore 130005
Compensation: $30

Register if you meet the criteria:
– Singaporean
– Female
– 45-65 years old
– Primary caregiver (the person you are caring for must live in the same house)
– Have no children under the age of 21
– Those who have previously signed up for the interview cannot sign up for this focus group discussion

– The person you are caring for can be:
• Singaporean/Non-Singaporean
• 45 years old or older

To register, email Preethi (projects@aware.org.sg) with the following details.

Full name
Age
Contact number
Address
The relative you are caring for and their age

We hope to hear from you soon!

Family caregivers need financial support

This article was originally sent in to The Straits Times Forum but was not published. 

A recent article highlighted the need to provide social and emotional support for family caregivers, particularly young caregivers (“Room for more cooperatives to meet social needs of ageing population”).

Plenty was said about the importance of institutionalising support in the form of support groups, coordinated resources, and training to improve caregivers’ expertise in providing care.

These are valuable resources that more caregivers should indeed have access to.

Family caregiving is an issue that will affect a substantive portion of the population, and the demands of it are also falling on vulnerable family members, like the elderly and children. The Sunday Times editorial “Support for young who care for the old” cites a case where an 11-year-old prepares medication, dresses and cooks for her elderly wheelchair-bound mother every day.

While we can appreciate the love and care shown by the child, we should question why families are expected to go through so much hardship to care for their elderly relatives in the first place – and we should be critical of a system that creates such difficult, limiting circumstances for these families.

Last month, AWARE held a dialogue session with over 40 individuals, most of whom were former or current caregivers. Some shared how family caregiving affected their career, ability to work and their long-term financial situations, including having to rely on their savings or use their own Medisave funds to pay for the healthcare needs of their elderly relatives.

Currently, there are no schemes that directly compensate caregivers for the labour they perform. How can Singapore address the short- and long-term impact caregiving has on caregivers’ economic and financial health?

Some caregivers we spoke to as part of our upcoming research on eldercare have called for allowances for caregivers, caregiving leave and flexible work arrangements to ease caregivers’ access to stable income. What is sorely missing from existing schemes are mechanisms that will support the financial position of caregivers.

We urge for bolder steps to be taken to financially support our family caregivers, so that their livelihoods and economic security are not at risk. It is not enough to merely applaud the sacrifices that family caregivers make. Ultimately, we need to take into account the financial hardships that often come with caregiving, and end the cycle of struggle, where caregivers themselves end up impoverished as they age and require care

Protect vulnerable adults from all forms of abuse, and plan for their long-term care

This post was originally published as a press release on 21 May 2018.

Gender equality group AWARE welcomes the introduction of a comprehensive and detailed legal framework that grant the state powers to intervene as a last resort to protect vulnerable adults from abuse and neglect. The Vulnerable Adults Bill is particularly important for women because they are disproportionately likely to be vulnerable adults.

“A local 2009 study found that women form 71% of the population of older adults diagnosed with cognitive impairment. Women are also likely to face limitations in performing their daily activities. These facts, combined with the gendered nature of ageing (women live, on average, five years longer than men) mean that the Bill has the potential to make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable adults, especially older women,” said Shailey Hingorani, Head of Advocacy and Research for AWARE.

“The Bill can protect vulnerable adults in cases of abuse, neglect and self-neglect which cover a range of situations that involve physical, emotional or psychological abuse. However, it does not protect vulnerable adults from financial exploitation, such as cases where elderly parents are deceived or coerced to sign a will or deed, or where money is regularly taken from elderly parents without providing support in return,” Ms. Hingorani added.

A 2016 NUS study on cases of elderly abuse flagged financial abuse of elderly by family members a pressing concern. Over a two year period, the study found that nearly 50% of cases of elderly abuse they analysed involved financial exploitation.

Ms Hingorani said, “Now cases of abuse are easier to detect than cases of neglect and self-neglect because the latter involve acts of omission. Neglect could be an unintentional by-product of the physical, and emotional stress that family caregivers experience. In such cases, the Bill should offer support and education to help alleviate stress so that caregivers can provide better care to families. Any punitive measures must only be used in extreme cases of abuse.”

“Finally, we are encouraged that the Bill is meant to be activated as a matter of last resort. This underlying principle should be reflected in how the state plans for the care of vulnerable adults. The finality of a Bill of last resort must mean that state interventions go beyond temporary relocation of vulnerable adults to shelters.

As such all interventions must be designed with a long-term care plan in mind that respect the wishes of vulnerable adults to be cared for at home if they so desire,” said Ms. Hingorani.

Wanted: video shoot participants to support our #MeToo Action Fund to end sexual assault and harassment

The global #metoo movement blew up in October 2017, and conversations about sexual harassment, sexism and gender discrimination are taking place everywhere, including Singapore.

​But this goes beyond just talk; we need to take action, too. In response to the growing need to tackle sexual assault and harassment, AWARE has set up the #MeToo​ Action Fund to support new initiatives and our existing programmes to end sexual assault, harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace, and support and empower all survivors.

​To spread the word, we are putting together a video, fronted by a diverse group of survivors of sexual assault and harassment who would like to share their experiences and are comfortable to speak in front of a camera. The video will showcase the spectrum of survivors’ experiences, and their rallying calls for change. It will be screened first at our fundraising gala, Revolution Ball, on 25 Aug in order to help raise funds for our #MeToo Action Fund, and subsequently featured on our Facebook, website, YouTube channel and digital media platforms, for the purpose of advocacy for sexual assault & harassment survivors.

If you are interested to share your story in the video, or to support the project in other ways, please fill out this form by 28 May (Monday). More details on the fund below!

—

If you would like to be part of the video…

Rest assured that survivors are our biggest priority. Before the video-shoot takes place, case managers from our Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) will meet and speak with you to understand your existing support networks, learn how you are coping, answer any questions you may have and ensure you are completely comfortable with the video-shoot process. It is okay to opt-out of the shoot any time, and you can share as much or as little as you want.

We will also run a facilitated group session in June where you will be able to meet others who are also participating in the video shoot. Throughout each meeting and the shoot itself, SACC staff will be present to provide you with any support if needed.

1. Initial meeting/phone call with case manager (1 hour) – at your convenience
2. Group dialogue (2 hours) – date and time to be confirmed (late June)
3. Video shoot (2 hours) – date and time to be confirmed (early July)
4. Thank you dinner! (2 hours, optional)

For questions regarding SACC and our array of services, please visit www.sacc.sg or contact sacc@aware.org.sg.

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The #MeToo Action Fund will:

a)​ expand the outreach and capacity of the Sexual Assault Care Centre, Singapore’s only one-stop support centre for survivors of sexual assault & harassment, and other services to support survivors
b) ​collaborate with other stakeholders – e.g. employers and institutions – to make systemic changes towards reducing and ensuring accountability for workplace harassment and sexual assault
c) ​carry out research to identify gaps and opportunities in the system in relation to harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace, and sexual assault & harassment
d) ​provide education on sexual assault & harassment, consent and gender inequality to workplaces, schools, communities and the general public.

Closed: Keen to be an interviewer for our caregiving research?

Applications are closed! Thank you to everyone who wrote in.

We are conducting in-depth research with caregivers as part of an upcoming report on eldercare in Singapore. The findings from our interviews with caregivers will help to inform the policy recommendations we make to ease the financial strain on older female caregivers in Singapore. Through these interviews, we wish to identify the financial strains of caregiving, how caregiving is currently being financed in households, and what financial support elderly caregivers still require.

Are you keen to be an interviewer and transcriber for this project? Write to us!

Interviewer and Transcriber Requirements:

– Singaporean citizen or Singaporean PR
– Should be free to conduct interviews from mid-June to August this year
– Able to commit to interviewing during the day and at the convenience of the interviewees, and thus should not be working full-time
– Preferably have prior interviewing and/or transcribing experience
– Comfortable with both interviewing and transcribing
– Able to communicate fluently in English and preferably one other language (Mandarin, Malay, Tamil)
– Should be available for interviewer training on either 18 or 19 June.

Interviewers will be paid $50 per interview and $75 per transcript.

Interested applicants should fill out this application form and submit your CV to consultant@aware.org.sg by 25 May.

Closed: Are you a primary caregiver for an older person? We are looking for research participants for our caregiving project.

Are you a woman aged 45-65 caring for an older person in your family? We are looking for caregivers to be interviewed for our research on the financial strains of eldercare. The findings from our interviews with caregivers will help to inform the policy recommendations we make to ease the financial strain on older female caregivers in Singapore.

Through these interviews, we wish to identify the financial strains of caregiving, how caregiving is currently being financed in households, and what financial support elderly caregivers require.

Interview Details:
– Interviews will be conducted from mid-June to August this year, and can be conducted at a time and place of the interviewee’s convenience.
– Interviewee’s details will be kept confidential.
– Each interviewee will be awarded with a $30 token of appreciation for their participation.

Profile of Interviewees:

  • Female
  • Age: 45-65*
  • Caregiver must be Singaporean, care recipient can be non-Singaporean
  • Must be Primary Caregiver (care recipient must live in the same house)
  • Care recipient must be 45 or older**
  • Caregiver should not have any children under the age of 21

Please write to Preethi at consultant@aware.org.sg if you are keen or know anyone who would like to contribute to this research.

* Our research will look at two different groups of female family caregivers: a younger cohort of caregivers (ages 45-55) who are caring for elderly/older relatives and may be feeling the financial impact of caregiving; and an older cohort of caregivers (ages 55 to 65) who may have had their financial resources depleted after years of caregiving.

**We are also looking to interview caregivers who may be caring for siblings, spouses or relatives closer in age to them.

Revolution Ball 2018: AWARE’s annual fundraising gala

Be part of the Revolution for gender equality and help us raise $400,000 to continue our ground-breaking work in championing gender equality in Singapore.

AWARE’s annual ball is a much awaited event each year, promising a wonderful evening of delicious food and drinks, great company and irreverent fun. This year’s entertainment features a stellar lineup of some of Singapore most talented artists – Pam Oei, Kumar, Adrian Pang and Andrew Marko.

When: Saturday, 25 August, 2018, 7 pm.

Where: Shangri-la Hotel

Dress Theme: Justice Warriors

Why support the Revolution Ball?

The Revolution Ball is our main fundraising event for 2018, supporting all our critical programmes including the Women’s Helpline, the Sexual Assault Care Centre, our research and advocacy programmes to promote changes in laws, policies and cultural attitudes to achieve gender equality.

2018 is a special year for the Revolution.

The global #MeToo movement has created ripples of change everywhere. Calls to our Sexual Assault Care Centre have almost doubled. And it is time for more action. We will be officially launching the #MeToo Action Fund at the Revolution Ball to:

  1. end sexual assault, harassment and gender discrimination in the workplace; and
  2. support and empower all survivors of sexual harassment and assault.

How can you support?

Please use this form to purchase tables / seats online.

Or click here to make an online donation via Paypal.

If you are interested to sponsor this event or would like to find out more, please contact Corinna / Desiree at 6779 7137 or email ed@aware.org.sg / fundraising@aware.org.sg.

A recap: AWARE’s 33rd Annual General Meeting

AWARE’s 33rd Annual General Meeting (AGM) was held on Saturday, 28 April 2018 at the AWARE Centre. Fifty-three members attended the AGM, learned about AWARE’s work and achievements in 2017 and gave suggestions and ideas for the year ahead. As this was an election year, the new Board for 2018-2020 was elected.

This AGM was historic as it marked the first time that our male members (Associate Members) could vote, after an amendment to AWARE’s Constitution in 2016.

2017 was truly an outstanding year for AWARE with many historic firsts. The outgoing AWARE President Teh Hooi Ling highlighted some of the major achievements that AWARE had achieved in the past year. She also introduced AWARE’s new Strategic Plan for 2018-2022, which would guide AWARE’s work over the next five years.

Department heads updated about the highlights of their work in 2017. Shailey Hingorani, Head of Advocacy, Research and Communications (ARC) updated on their achievements of their submission of the first-ever joint NGO report to the UN CEDAW Committee, reforms in housing policy for single parents, low-income women, continued work for Gender Equality is our Culture, and launch of the Power Fund.

Susanna Nickalls, Catalyse Consulting Manager,  shared about the successful work and outreach of Catalyse Consulting and the surge in companies’ interest in its trainings in the past few months due to the global #Metoo movement.

Anisha Joseph, Support Services (SS) and the Sexual Assault Care Centre (SACC) Manager, presented on SS and SACC. 2017 marked 25 years of Support Services, the re-launch of the Women’s Helpline in 4 languages as well as a 50% increase in people reaching out to SACC from 2016.

AWARE Executive Director Corinna Lim announced AWARE’s fundraising results in 2017 – a total of $1.53 million was raised – a $100,000 increase from $1.43 million in 2016. Apart from outlining the main challenges and strategies ahead and introducing new staff, she also unveiled details of this year’s fundraising gala, Revolution Ball, which will be held on 25 August 2018 at the Shangri-la Hotel.

Daughters of Tomorrow Executive Director Carrie Tan shared about the joint AWARE-DOT programmes to support underprivileged and vulnerable women in Singapore in becoming financially independent, and their growth in team strength and outreach.

Detailed department updates in the 2017 Annual Report, along with AWARE’s Financial Statements, were adopted at the AGM.

The AGM concluded with the Election of the President and the new Board for 2018-2020.

Founding member and former journalist Margaret Thomas was elected unopposed as AWARE President for the new term.

Photo: AWARE’s newly-elected Board members 2018-2020 with the outgoing AWARE President Teh Hooi Ling

AWARE members elected the following as members of the AWARE Board 2018-2020:

  1. Jasmine Ng
  2. Jean Low
  3. Kartini Omar
  4. Ong Soh Chin
  5. Penelope Shone
  6. Valerie Gan
  7. Wynthia Goh
  8. Zubaida Ali

The outgoing AWARE President, Teh Hooi Ling, expressed her gratitude towards members and the Board and invited members to join her in thanking the staff and the outgoing Board, and handed the baton over to incoming AWARE President, Margaret Thomas.

The new Board would be serving a two-year term, taking AWARE to new heights.