More should be done to recognise and support caregivers in Singapore, said the Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware), especially given the country's ageing population.

In its annual policy wish list, submitted to the Government in the lead up to this year's national Budget, the gender-equality advocacy group has called for policies to support caregivers of the elderly, including mandatory paid eldercare leave.

Aware said that caregivers should be allowed to take time off from work to provide care with no penalty, recommending that eldercare leave should match the current six days of childcare leave accessible to parents of young children.

The group also said legislating the right for employees to request flexible work arrangements will also help caregivers better balance work and caregiving responsibilities.

Beyond supporting them in terms of time off, Aware highlighted the need for financial support in the form of a universal basic income.

The group added: "Or at least a support grant for caregivers that includes cash and Central Provident Fund components to recognise care as labour."

Aware said according to its research, caregivers are spending around 43 per cent of their monthly household income on care-related expenses, with some of these caregivers financing the expenses with their own savings as they no longer have an income.

This has negative implications for their retirement adequacy, because their income situation is unlikely to change as long as they continue being the primary caregiver, Aware added.

PILOT PROGRAMME

The group said a universal basic income plan could ensure the unpaid labour of family caregivers is recognised and provide them with a basic level of income.

It encouraged the Government to fund a pilot for such a programme, and work towards ensuring households with caregivers are given enough to meet their basic needs.

The group also stressed the importance of making cohort-specific healthcare benefits such as the Pioneer Generation Package more available to future cohorts of the elderly.

Ms Patricia Lee, 62, who has been caring for her 86-year-old mother for the past 10 years, said she hopes such policy changes will kick in, as many caregivers like herself could do with the help.

Ms Lee said that since she started caring for her mother, whose health has deteriorated over the years, she has had to reduce her number of working hours. Today, Ms Lee has been unemployed for about a year and is paying for her mother's medical and daily needs out of her savings.

Ms Lee, who used to work for a property management company, estimates the average monthly cost of caring for her mother to be about $4,000.

She said: "I'm no longer young myself. So much of this money is coming out of my savings, and I don't even know if I will have enough for my own retirement."