What To Consider When Planning Ahead

Pre-planning give your loved ones peace of mind.

 

Planning ahead helps us understand more about our own preferences and the care options available while we still have the capacity to make informed decisions for ourselves. Our values, beliefs, attitudes and even our past experiences, will have an impact on our preferences, for example where we would like to be cared for.

Planning ahead involves the following:

  • Types of care you prefer at the end of life
    • Care at home
    • Stay-in Care
  • Who can make decisions for you if you lose the mental capacity to do so
  • Who you would like to be involved in your care
  • Important rituals and funeral planning
  • How you would like your assets to be managed post-death

Care at Home

1. Home Environment

If you would like to be cared for at home, the preparation of your home environment has to be one of the considerations. Some examples include anti-slip bathrooms tiles for fall prevention, grab bars installation and ramps for the main entrance for easy access. If you are eligible, the home preparation can be done under Enhancement for Active Seniors (EASE) offered under Housing Board Development (HDB).

2. Medical Equipment/Assistive Devices

Assistive devices such as wheelchairs and home healthcare items such as adult diaper supplies provided under the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF) can aid Singaporeans in ageing in place within the community with extending subsidies.

3. Availability of Caregiver

Another point of consideration would be the availability of the caregivers. Who would you choose to be the one caring for your practical needs and/or being your decision maker should you be unable to make care decisions for yourself and require a full-time caregiver one day? If your loved ones are unavailable, alternatives options may include hiring a Foreign Domestic Worker or Live-in caregivers to assist with your practical care. Home Personal Care services is also an alternative provided by trained care professionals to assist us in our personal care. It will be ideal to discussion these options with your family as part of planning ahead.

4. Additional Support

There are also a couple of community resources that you can tap on when it comes to care at home to assist you and your potential caregivers in supporting and delivering care.

Stay-in Care

1. Nursing Home

Nursing homes are long-term residential care facilities that provide support to those who requires assistance with their activities of daily living and/or nursing care needs. There are some nursing homes that are specific with dementia/psychiatric amenities catered to seniors who needs specialised support.

2. Inpatient Hospice

The inpatient hospice supports those who are terminally ill and their families to cope with the process of dying and also to provide relief to the patients who are usually are expected not to live more than three months, and their conditions are too difficult for their families to manage at home.

3. Community Hospital

Community hospital help by caring for those who requires a short period of continuation of care after their discharge from an acute hospital.

Financial Assistance:

After considering the care options and resources available, the next point of consideration would be financing and subsides for care services such as Community Hospitals and nursing homes. The subsidies vary as it is based on housing means-test, which is a method to calculate the subsidies you will receive from the government when you use care services by considering the total monthly gross earnings of you and your family members living within the same household. Housing means-test helps to ensures that patients from lower-income households receive more subsidies than those from higher-income households.

You may find more information here.

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