MEDIA RELEASE

[For Immediate Release]

NCSS STUDY YIELD INSIGHTS FOR SOCIAL SERVICE SECTOR TO ENHANCE CAREGIVER SUPPORT

2 August 2022, Singapore – The 2018 Quality of Life (QOL) of Caregivers Study has resulted in the launch of several caregiving pilots in collaboration with community partners. The study reaffirmed that caregivers took pride in caring for their loved ones and understood the importance of their role. Caregivers also need a stronger support ecosystem to relieve some of their caregiving burdens and help them provide care more sustainably.

2            The 2018 NCSS Quality of Life of Caregivers study investigated factors that affected caregivers’ quality of life and how these needs could be addressed. This was designed based on the World Health Organisation Quality of Life (WHOQOL) framework. The study surveyed 4,513 Singapore resident caregivers aged 21 and above who were caring for loved ones with disabilities, mental health conditions or chronic illnesses. This is the first time a Quality of Life study of such scale, with a diverse representation of caregivers, has been done in Singapore

3            Key findings from the study include:

●       More than one in two of caregivers report they are "burdened" or "barely coping"[1] and have a lower belief in their ability to control their life.[2]

●       Caregiver who received help in caring for their loved ones reported higher overall quality of life scores.

●       Almost two in five had provided care to their loved ones alone, with the lack of availability of other helpers being commonly cited as the reason.

●       Fewer than three in 10 caregivers used caregiver services^[3]. For those who used caregiver services, they rated most services, especially caregiver-related training programmes, respite care and support groups, as useful.

Strengthening Service Integration to Improve Caregiver Well-Being

4        To bring help closer to caregivers, NCSS teamed up with Montfort Care in 2019 to launch the Caregiver Community Lab^[4] to support caregivers in Radin Mas, and expanded the coverage to Tanjong Pagar in 2021. A Caregiver Resource Map was developed to ease navigation of local community services. In addition, the Caregiver Hotline was piloted to improve access to useful resources, and the Caregivers Recharge! Initiative was piloted to connect caregivers to a support network of fellow caregivers through recreational activities.

5        NCSS is also working closely with community partners and other agencies including Caregivers Alliance Limited, People’s Association and SG Enable to improve caregivers’ well-being and enhance their capabilities.  This is done through caregiver training which empowers them with skills and coping strategies, as well as enhancing support by harnessing peer support and informal support networks. Current initiatives include the WIN Caregivers Network and Project 3i. 

6            Ms Tan Li San, Chief Executive, NCSS said: “Caregiver support is one of the key service priorities of NCSS. Understanding the challenges our caregivers face will help us to improve our system of support for them. These findings have informed, and will continue to guide, ongoing caregiver support efforts that we are implementing together with community partners. This also complements wider efforts by the Government including the White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development, and President’s Challenge focus on caring for caregivers in 2023.

7            “Almost all of us have been, or will be, caregivers at some point in our lives. Supporting caregivers is a joint effort by the community and each of us as family members have a part to play. Especially in this Year of Celebrating SG Families, I encourage friends and family members of caregivers to check in on them, support them where possible and link them up to caregiving resources.”

8          In addition, the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC) administers the Home Caregiving Grant (HCG), which provides monthly payouts to defray caregiving costs for eligible individuals with at least permanent moderate disability. As announced in the White Paper on Singapore Women’s Development, the Ministry of Health will enhance the HCG in 2023 to recognise caregivers’ contributions and further reduce the financial strain of caregiving, with more targeted support provided to lower-income families. The White Paper also outlines further plans by the Government and the community to further recognise and empower caregivers.

9            Commenting on the findings of the Study, Mr Tan Kwang Cheak, Chief Executive Officer, AIC, said, “The Quality of Life of Caregivers study has clearly identified caregiving areas and opportunities for AIC, NCSS and other partners to co-create solutions to support caregivers, especially in the areas of self-care and peer support. Such efforts will benefit strongly from a whole of community effort and focus. AIC will continue to drive awareness of available caregiving services, improve accessibility of such services, and support our caregivers through training, awareness and programmes by our partners. We will also strengthen our partnerships and collaborations with other agencies, partners and service providers to support and empower caregivers.”

10         The Quality of Life of Caregivers Study can be accessed via the NCSS website.

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National Council of Social Service (NCSS)

NCSS is the umbrella body for over 500-member social service organisations in Singapore. Its mission is to provide leadership and direction in enhancing the capabilities and capacity of our members, advocating for social service needs and strengthening strategic partnerships, for an effective social service ecosystem. Community Chest is the fundraising and engagement arm of NCSS and Social Service Institute (SSI) is the sector capability and transformation arm of NCSS.

Annex A

LIST OF TRANSLATED TERMS

 Annex B

Available Resources

For caregiver support services, refer to the tables below:

[1] Latent profile analysis (LPA) was used to identify profiles of caregivers based on participants’ responses to the Caregiver Reaction Assessment measure. LPA can help uncover the mutually exclusive and exhaustive latent profiles in a population..

[2] Belief in ability to control their life based on self-efficacy scores.

^[3] Examples of caregiver services include helplines, befriending services, support groups and retreats, case management and counselling, respite care, employment-related services, caregiving-related training programmes, spiritual/religious-based support, and others (e.g., unspecified services from charities, social service agencies).

^[4] For more information, please visit http://www.montfortcare.org.sg/caregiver/.

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