Elder care services doesn’t need to be a cause for financial burden for your family. Our team at Jaga-me has come up with an all you need to know handy guide for Eldercare grants and subsidies in Singapore. If you have a loved one who may be a recipient, do take a look at the guide below! Education is definitely important to make healthcare affordable and accessible for everyone!

At Jaga-Me, we believe in making healthcare accessible and available to everyone. We provide personalised and curated care for your loved ones. If you need a trained medical escort to accompany your loved ones for their medical appointments or a trained nurse to do nursing procedures in the comfort of your home, let Jaga-Me share your caregiving responsibility.

Award winning Home Care trusted by health professionals – Jaga-Me

There have been many useful subsidies by the Singaporean Government. If you are a caregiver or caring for the Silver generation, our guide is here to help you defray the high costs of healthcare and pick the best subsidy or scheme that best suit your needs.

Jaga-Me’s The Silver Lining Subsidies is a three part series that covers a wide range of your expenses and the various grants, schemes and subsidies offered by the government to assist you.

Use the links below to help you navigate through The Silver Lining Subsidies: Daily Living & Outpatient Expenses!

DAILY LIVING (NON-MEDICAL)

• Enhancement for Active Seniors (EASE)
• Foreign Domestic Worker(FDW) Levy Concession
• Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund(SMF)

DAILY LIVING (MEDICAL)

• Intermediate And Long-Term Care (ILTC) Services
  

OUTPATIENT

• Pioneer Generation Package(PGP)
• Community Health Assistance Scheme (CHAS)

Daily Living (Non-Medical)

Enhancement For Active Seniors (EASE)

What is it?

Up to 95% subsidies for home modifications so that old folks can live at ease in their own homes.

Subsidies for home modifications so that old folks can live at ease in their own homes.

Benefits:

This is what you can install in your flat through the EASE programme:

1. Slip-resistant treatment to floor tiles in up to two bathrooms or toilets
2. Grab bars in the flat (eight or 10 grab bars for the first toilet, and six grab bars for the second toilet)
3. Up to five ramps in the flat, and/or at the main entrance – if it is doable

Eligibility Criteria:

You must be a Singapore flat owner, with at least one household member above 65 years old or between the ages of 60 and 64 and needs help with one or more of the Activities of Daily Living(ADLs). These include:

OR
You must be a Singaporean flat owner, with a member of your family living with you who is 65 years and older.

Apply for EASE program directly here via HDB e-service.

Foreign Domestic Worker (FDW) Concession Levy

What is it?

The FDW levy concession aims to provide relief for families with an aged adult at home who needs a FDW.

Benefits

Families with an aged adult (65 years and above) will receive a subsidized levy fee of $60 a month.

Eligibility Criteria:

To find out more you can check out the MOM website and apply for the scheme.

*From 1 April 2019, the qualifying age for the aged person scheme will be raised from 65 to 67. This is in light of improving life expectancy and health of Singaporeans.

However, all households with persons aged 65 and 66, which are enjoying or have enjoyed the levy concession under the aged person scheme before 1 April 2019, will continue to pay the monthly concessionary rate of $60.

Senior’s Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF) for Assistive Devices

What is it?

Subsidies for mobility and assistive devices for daily independent living, home healthcare items and transport to Ministry of Health-funded centres.

Benefits:

• Assistive Devices: Includes mobility devices (i.e walking aids and wheelchairs) and other assistive devices (i.e. commodes, hearing aids, hospital beds and air mattresses).
• Transport: If your loved one needs assistance to go to a MOH funded day centres, they can receive subsidies for their transport to the day-care centre.  
• Home Healthcare Items: If your loved one is eligible for a nursing home but chose to stay at home, you can receive subsidies for home healthcare products such as milk feeds, adult diapers, nasal tubing or wound dressing products.

Read more about how SMF has helped people like Mdm Ho here.

Eligibility Criteria:

To find out more you can visit the silver pages, to apply for SMF scheme you can click here.

Daily Living (Medical)

Intermediate and Long-Term Care (ILTC) Services

What is it?

Intermediate and long term care (ILTC) services are typically required for persons who need further care after being discharged from an acute hospital as well as community-dwelling seniors who may be frail and need someone to watch over them or to help them with their daily needs.

These services are provided through:

• Community Hospitals
• Chronic Sick Facilities
• Nursing Homes
• Hospices
• Eldercare Centres
• Home-based services such as home nursing (Like Jaga-Me), home medical, home help services meals-on-wheels, escort / transport services

Benefits:

Up to 80 % for home care and 75%  for residential services such as nursing home.

Eligibility Criteria:

• Are Singapore citizens or Permanent Residents
• Meet the admission criteria of the ILTC services required
• Are receiving care from MOH-funded service providers

Outpatient

Pioneer Generation Package (PGP)

What is it?

The PGP is to honour and thank the pioneer generation for their efforts and dedication to Singapore. The package helps pioneers with their healthcare costs for life.

Benefits:

• Outpatient Care (Polyclinic, participating GP and Dental Clinics).
• Medisave Top-Ups
• MediShield Life
  • Subsidies for premiums
• Disability Assistance
  • Receive $1,200 cash payout for pioneers with moderate to severe functional disabilities.

Eligibility Criteria:

1. Singapore Citizens who meet both criterias: Aged 16 and above in 1965 – this means:

• Born on or before 31 December 1949​
• Aged 65 and above in 2014

AND

​​​2. Obtained citizenship on or before 31 December 1986.

Find out more about the pioneer generation package here.

Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS)

What is it?

Subsidies for care at General Practitioners (GP) and dental clinics near home for all lower-to-middle income households and pioneers.

Benefits & Eligibility Criteria:

Find out more about the CHAS scheme here.

There are many grants, schemes and subsidies made available by the Singaporean government to ensure that the Silver generation retire with grace and dignity without the financial burden on their families. However, the assistance provided is only useful if the people who qualify for them are well-informed. We hope we have helped you in being well-informed so that you can help others to receive the full benefits of these resources.

Award winning Home Care trusted by health professionals – Jaga-Me

As the old adage goes, “Prevention is better than cure.” With the rising medical costs in Singapore, early detection can go a long way in reducing these treatment costs and with a better success rate. And if you or a loved one is diagnosed with a chronic condition, the idea of paying for a long time to cover the treatments can be rather overwhelming, too.

However, there are a few healthcare schemes in Singapore that allow you to pay lesser, or even nothing, for screenings and treatments. In this blog post, we discuss the various healthcare programmes which can help Singaporeans prevent or manage chronic diseases such as stroke, diabetes or heart diseases.

Screen For Life

Screen For Life is a national healthcare and screening scheme which offers Singaporeans and Permanent Residents health screening options based on their age and gender. With the subsidies, eligible individuals will only need to pay up to $5 for each screening test – sometimes even nothing at all.

You should get regular checkups and health screenings even if you do feel fine. This is because early detection, along with the appropriate healthcare, can prevent or delay the onset of certain diseases such as diabetes, as well as the complications related to them. Through your doctor’s advice, you can also make key changes to your lifestyle habits and improve the quality of your life.

Below is a list of screening tests offered under this healthcare scheme in Singapore and who are suitable for them:

As you can see, health screenings can start from a young age, so it’s best not to wait for too long.

Fees

The fees for this healthcare scheme are split into three tiers:

• Pioneer Generation (PG) card holders: $0
• Merdeka Generation (MG) card holders: $2
• Community Health Assist Scheme (CHAS) card holders (Blue or Orange): $2
• CHAS card holders (Green) and eligible Singaporeans or Permanent Residents: $5

Log in via your SingPass to check if you are eligible for this healthcare scheme in Singapore.

How to apply

Screen For Life will recommend the best screening tests based on your age, gender, pre-existing conditions and your last screening date. You can then locate your nearest CHAS General Practitioner (GP) clinic to make an appointment. To enjoy the subsidised rate, remember to bring along your NRIC and/or PG/MG/CHAS card, if applicable.

Chronic Disease Management Programme (CDMP)

Unlike acute conditions, chronic diseases can develop slowly and worsen over time. This can cause a lot of emotional and financial stress on the sufferer and his or her family members. Through this healthcare scheme, the government in Singapore is providing grants which will help to reduce these burdens.

Launched in 2021, this programme encourages chronic disease sufferers to actively manage their conditions by regular monitoring. This will help to prevent them from worsening. Through the grants, patients can pay for:

• Medical diagnosis or their complications
• Relevant investigations, such as X-Ray scans
• Medication
• Services or treatments referred by a doctor

Fees

Covering 20 common chronic diseases such as diabetes, hypertension, and even mental conditions such as bipolar disorder, the CDMP allows patients to claim for outpatient bills and healthcare treatments. The scheme allows eligible Singaporeans and Permanent Residents to use up to $700 of MediSave funds yearly, depending on the severity of their conditions. Such payments can be made from their own or family members’ MediSave accounts.

However, do note that each claim is subject to 15% co-payment in cash. Individuals in Singapore with complex chronic conditions will be allowed to use up to $700, while those who are diagnosed with chronic conditions will have a cap of $500.

How to apply

To be eligible for this programme, the patient must be a Singaporean or Permanent Resident. He or she must be diagnosed or have an assessment to be diagnosed with a chronic disease. The CDMP is accessible across all public hospitals’ Specialist Outpatient CLinics (SOCs), government polyclinics, and more than 1,250 GP and private specialist clinics islandwide. All you need to do is to visit a participating clinic to enjoy these grants.

Caring for the Chronically Ill

If your loved one was recently struck with a negative diagnosis, your first worry is probably the cost given the expensive medical fees in Singapore. Therefore, consider these healthcare schemes as they can be helpful in relieving some of the financial strain.

Caring for someone who is chronically ill can also mean an all-round lifestyle change – including changing your time schedules and refitting the home. You may also need to take time off for daily care. With the rising elderly population in Singapore, this may also mean long-term care for seniors who need caregiving.

At Jaga-Me, our professional nurses and care aides are here for you. From providing clinical procedures to respite care services, we ensure that your needs are well-taken care of. Through our services, caregivers are able to focus their time and energy on the things that matter most. Contact us today to share concerns with us and find out more about how we can help you.