Ageing in Place and Caregiving
Parliamentary Question: 7 May 2019
Ms Anthea Ong asked the Minister for Health (a) what is the percentage of persons over 65 years of age who want to age in place; and (b) what is the percentage of caregivers of persons over the age of 65 years who want to see their care recipients age in place.
Mr Gan Kim Yong: Most seniors prefer to age in place for as long as they can, within communities which they are familiar with, and supported by their loved ones. A study by the Duke-NUS Centre for Ageing Research and Education (CARE) conducted from 2011–2012 found that 97.9% of persons aged 65 and above prefer to continue staying at home if they cannot live independently, supported by family, foreign domestic workers, or home care services. Only 2.1% of persons aged 65 and above preferred to move to a nursing home if they cannot live independently. We are not aware of corresponding data on the preferences of caregivers.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~Anthea Ong is a Nominated Member of Parliament. (A Nominated Member of Parliament (NMP) is a Member of the Parliament of Singapore who is appointed by the President. They are not affiliated to any political party and do not represent any constituency. There are currently nine NMPs in Parliament.)
The multi-sector perspective that comes from her ground immersion of 12 years in different capacities helps her translate single-sector issues and ideas across boundaries without alienating any particular community/group. As an entrepreneur and with many years in business leadership, it is innate in her to discuss social issues with the intent of finding solutions, or at least of exploring possibilities. She champions mental health, diversity and inclusion — and volunteerism in Parliament.
She is also an impact entrepreneur/investor and a passionate mental health advocate, especially in workplace wellbeing. She started WorkWell Leaders Workgroup in May 2018 to bring together top leaders (CXOs, Heads of HR/CSR/D&I) of top employers in Singapore (both public and private) to share, discuss and co-create inclusive practices to promote workplace wellbeing. Anthea is also the founder of Hush TeaBar, Singapore’s 1st silent teabar and a social movement that aims to bring silence, self care and social inclusion into every workplace, every community — with a cup of tea. The Hush Experience is completely led by lovingly-trained Deaf facilitators, supported by a team of Persons with Mental Health Issues (PMHIs).