Support, care and employment for the elderly: Examining the law and policy in Singapore

• Main Author: CHAN, Gary Kok Yew
• Format: text
• Language: English
• Published: Institutional Knowledge at Singapore Management University 2020
• Subjects: long-term care; health; employment; elderly; financial support; law; government policy; Asian Studies; Elder Law
• Online Access: https://ink.library.smu.edu.sg/sol_research/3191; https://search.library.smu.edu.sg/discovery/fulldisplay?docid=cdi_askewsholts_vlebooks_9783030505479&context=PC&vid=65SMU_INST:SMU_NUI&lang=en&search_scope=Everything&adaptor=Primo%20Central&tab=Everything&query=any,contains,Solidarity%20across%20generations&offset=0
• Institution: Singapore Management University

This article examines the role of the State and family in providing financial support, long-term care as well as employment for the elderly in Singapore. The focus of the chapter is on the legal and policy aspects. I will first discuss the government financial support schemes for the elderly especially those who are unemployed or have little income, and the Singapore Maintenance of Parents Act that imposes an obligation on children to provide financial support for their elderly parents. Secondly, I will examine the government policies to deal with the issue of long-term care for the needy elderly such as care insurance and the recent Vulnerable Adults Act to protect the vulnerable elderly from abuse. Questions concerning the policies to protect and support informal caregivers are also relevant. A holistic treatment towards the elderly entails a third area which is to examine the law and policies on employment for the elderly covering issues relating to wages, discrimination and retirement age.