As I watched the Talking point E03: Caregiver burnout (in 2019), I was brought to attention that the single mother Fadilah has been caring for her disabled son for the past 16 years without having taken a time off for herself. Her last trip to the movie was 16 years ago. In this episode, respite services were explored with her so that she could take time off for herself in her caregiving journey.
Respite care can be categorised as centred based or home based.
Based on the talking point video, the respite services offered by one of the agency charges for home based charges a hourly rate of $18 to $25 for caregiving duties like bathing, feeding. Such respite services are not subsidised.
Though centre-based day care services are cheaper and the caregiver Fadilah is entitled for 80% subsidy from the government but the 20% out-of-pocket expenses for her son which may cost more than $100 a month, is still beyond her affordability.
Referring to the article Forum: Support needed for caregivers who switch to part-time work, published on 16 November 2021 in New Straits Time, the author highlighted that though many households benefit from government subsides for intermediate and long term care services. However, there are considerable out-of-pocket payment needed for respite and day care services that put a strain on caregivers.
Forum: Support needed for caregivers who switch to part-time work
As I transited from full time to part time, I have to continue to pay out of pocket for my mother’s dementia day care services (which she goes only 2x a week) due to cost considerations. The rest of the week she is at home, supervised by any one of my family members.
9 measures that I have taken juggling finances at home : to be able to continue to pay out-of-pocket expenses, paying other expenses for the family and for children's tertiary education.
Track my expenses -Look for ways to cut down expenses like cheaper mobile plans, cut off unnecessary subscription to gym or clubs.
Stick to a budget
Cut down on eating out as a family (yet keeping aside some budget for special occasion like birthdays)
Seek the help of social worker and financial help with the out-of-pocket expenses
Borrow tuition fee loan (interest free for 3 years) for my children who going for local tertiary education.
Cooking daily to eat more nutritious meals, encourage mum in meal preparation, tap on creative ways to cook and reduce food wastages.
Staying healthy as a family so as to spend less on healthcare bills - exercising in parks, swim in public pools, play tennis (booking through Active Sg)
Invest in myself on caregiving skills and learn ways to prevent deterioration of the health of the person I am taking care of through Caregiving Grant ($200 per person for each calendar year)
Teaching my children financial literacy and prudence in spending.
Sample of Keow Teow Soup for Friday dinner
Total budget of $13.80 for a family of 5
I hope that you too will find this helpful and if you do have any tips to share or add, feel free to leave a comment on my blog.
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Disclaimer: This blog merely expresses the writer's opinions and does not replace
professional financial advice. It is strongly advised that you perform your own independent research and speak to a qualified financial adviser should you make any financial decisions.
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