Call for self-help time bank so caregivers can tap others when they need a break
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Clockwise from top left: Ms Iva Aminuddin, head of the learning futures group at Civil Service College, Singapore; Prof Paulin Straughan, sociologist at Singapore Management University; Dr Kalyani Mehta, former professor for gerontology and social work at the Singapore University of Social Sciences; Minister of State for Education and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling; and Mr Benny Bong, president of the Society Against Family Violence.
PHOTO: INSTITUTE OF POLICY STUDIES
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One way to give caregivers more support is to use time as a currency that they can give each other, so that they can take a break when needed, said panellists at the Institute of Policy Studies Women's Conference yesterday.
Dr Kalyani Mehta, former professor for gerontology and social work at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, suggested setting up a time bank to allow caregivers to help each other by offering respite.
"When you need help from somebody else, you can approach the time bank to get that help for you," she said, adding that this initiative is practised in other countries.
Professor Paulin Straughan, a sociologist at Singapore Management University, said Singapore should invest in building neighbourhoods with infrastructure that can encourage people, in particular, those over 60 who are an untapped resource - to volunteer and help those who need a hand within their area.
"Then we have a self-help situation where the young or old, who are capable, able and well-resourced, can be an amazing resource for those who need assistance... (This will) build up the construct of social capital in our neighbourhoods," she said.
The panellists, who spoke on the topic of "Home is where the work is", highlighted the need to provide more support for caregivers - mostly women caring not just for children and family, but also their spouses as they age.
The other panellists were Minister of State for Education and Social and Family Development Sun Xueling and Mr Benny Bong, president of the Society Against Family Violence.
Prof Straughan said housework and caregiving is unpaid work that has traditionally been undervalued. But aside from being economically valued, what women need is more respect and recognition of the role they play and efforts they put into caregiving, she added.
Ms Sun said: "The greatest reward to a caregiver is the respect and recognition from your family members. Society can also provide that, so I hope we can change the lens through which we look at caregiving."
Mr Bong said men's views about their roles at home tend to remain unchanged, for example, where they see housework as an addition to the work they do outside.
"We need to move away from... this idea of segregation and compartmentalisation to one of harmonising," he said.
A study on informal caregiving here found that the ratio of female to men doing caregiving is six to four, and nearly half the families depended on a maid, said Dr Kalyani.
She added there has to be greater awareness in the workplace that colleagues may be shouldering a lot of caregiving burden.
One caregiver Dr Kalyani spoke to said she felt upset when her boss asked why she was often late for work. The reason: She had to look after her mother, who has dementia.
"Workplaces also require bosses, colleagues, to understand when caregiving duties demand some flexibility," she said, and proposed at least three days of paid annual eldercare leave for caregivers.
Ms Sun said the Government is reviewing the caregiving support available. She listed the current avenues of support, such as respite services at senior care centres and nursing homes, caregiving grants and training courses, as well as caregiver support networks.
She said: "My wish is that we can co-create solutions together to best enable and support the men and women around us, so that they have real choices both at work and at home to achieve their greatest potential."
