Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

Experiences of Formal and Informal Caregivers of Older Persons in Singapore

  • ORIGINAL ARTICLE
  • Published:
Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

The well-being of informal caregivers in the familial context is increasingly recognized as a critical area of concern affecting the care of older family members. This paper focuses on the dynamics of family caregiving for older members from the work-life perspective, contextualised in the highly developed and rapidly ageing society that is Singapore. Drawing from qualitative research on 30 adult family caregivers and 15 live-in foreign domestic workers (FDWs), the main themes identified from the qualitative interviews were: 1) Stresses and dilemmas faced by family caregivers; 2) Filial responsibility in the caring for one’s parents; 3) Coping with work and caregiving - FDWs in family caregiving; 4) Coping with extra help - hiring of FDWs and challenges. This study highlights the complexities when paid and unpaid family care is juxtaposed in the family household. The findings point to the need for improvement in policies, training and support for caregivers.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The Singapore government imposes a levy on FDWs which varies with the composition of the household.

    The levy is imposed to control the influx of FDWs in Singapore. If there is an elderly person in the household, the levy is usually about Singapore $170/- per month in addition to the salary paid by the employer to the FDW

References

  • Amirkhanyan, A. A., & Wolf, D. A. (2003). Caregivers stress and noncaregiver stress: exploring the pathways of psychiatric morbidity. The Gerontologist, 43(6), 817–827.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Biegel, D. E., & Blum, A. (1990). Aging and caregiving: Theory, research and policy. London: Sage Pub.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chan, A. (2008). Aging societies: Emerging issues and perspectives from Singapore. In N. K. Chadha’s (Ed.), Experiences from aging Asia (pp. 68–80). Tokyo: Asian Productivity Organisation.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, S. A. (2003). Rethinking the globalization of domestic service foreign domestics, state control, and the politics of identity in Taiwan. Gender & Society, 17(2), 166–186.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Devasahayam, T. & Leong, C.H. (2010). Maid for work-life balance? Think again. The Straits Times, p. B2.

  • DOS (Department of Statistics) (2013). Annual household expenditure survey 2012–13. Retrieved from https://www.singstat.gov.sg.

  • DOS (Department of Statistics) (2015a). Elderly, youth and gender profile. Retrieved from http://www.singstat.gov.sg.

  • DOS (Department of Statistics) (2015b). Latest data. Retrieved from http://www.singstat.gov.sg/statistics/latest-data.

  • Goy, P. (2013). Working caregivers need more support from employers: NTUC U Survey. Straits Times. Retrieved from http://www.straitstimes.com.

  • Herrera, A., Lee, J. W., Nanyonjo, R. D., Laufman, L. E., & Torres-Vigil, I. (2009). Religious coping and caregiver well-being in Mexican-American families. Aging and Mental Health, 13(1), 84–91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Holroyd, E. (2001). Hong Kong Chinese daughters’intergenerational caregiving obligations: a cultural model approach. Social Science and Medicine, 53, 1125–1134.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kang, S., Tan, E. S., & Yap, M. T. (2013). National survey of senior citizens 2011. Singapore: Institute of Policy Studies Retrieved from https://app.msf.gov.sg.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kim, J.-S., & Eun-Hyun. (2003). Cultural and noncultural predictors of health outcomes in Korean daughter and daughter-in-law caregivers. Public Health Nursing, 20(2), 111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, K., Cheng, Y.-P., Zarit, S. H., & Fingerman, K. L. (2015). Relationships between adults and parents in Asia (Chapter 7). In S.-T. Cheng, I. Chi, H. H. Fung, L. W. Li, & J. Woo (Eds.), Successful aging: Asian perspectives (pp. 101–122). New York: Springer. doi:10.1007/978-94-017-9331-5_7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Koo, B. W.-S., Tin, A. F., Koo, E. W.-K., & Lee, S.-M. (2010). When east meets west: Implications for bereavement counselling. In C. L.-W. Chan & A. Y.-M. Chow’s (Eds.), Death, dying and bereavement: A Hong Kong Chinese experience (pp. 261–271). Hong Kong: Hong Kong University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kua, E. H., & Tan, S. L. (1997). Stress of caregivers of dementia patients in the Singapore Chinese family. International Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 12(4), 466–469.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lai, D. W. L. (2010). Filial piety, caregiving appraisal, and caregiving burden. Research on Aging, 32(2), 200–223.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lai, L. (2015). Singaporeans crave more time with family: Poll. Straits Times. p. Home B2.

  • Lin, J.-P., & Yi, C.-C. (2011). Filial norms and Intergenerational support to aging parents in China and Taiwan. International Journal of Social Welfare, 20, S109–S120.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Liu, W. T., & Kendig, H. (Eds.). (2000). Who should care for the elderly? An east-west value divide (pp. 297–321). Singapore: Singapore University Press and World Scientific.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mehta, K. (2005). The ageing experience of Singaporean women. In K. Mehta (Ed.), Untapped resources: Women in ageing societies across Asia (pp. 47–69). Singapore: Marshall Cavendish Academic.

    Google Scholar 

  • Mehta, K. (2006a). A critical review of Singapore’s policies aimed at supporting families caring for older members. Journal of Aging and Social Policy, 18(1 & 2), 43–57.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehta, K. (2006b). Stress among family caregivers of older persons in Singapore. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 3(Special on Aging in Asia), 319–334.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mehta, K., & Thang, L. L. (2008). Visible and blurred boundaries in familial care: The dynamics of multigenerational care in Singapore. In A. Martin-Matthews & J. E. Phillips’s (Eds.), Ageing and caring at the intersection of work and home life: Blurring the boundaries (pp. 43–64). N.Y: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Health (2010). National Health Survey 2010. Retrieved from https://www.moh.gov.sg.

  • Ministry of Social and Family Development (2013). Survey on informal caregiving. Retrieved from www.msf.gov.sg).

  • Ng, G. T. (2008). Singapore: characteristics of family caregivers and care recipients and their caregiving experiences. Hallym International Journal of Aging, 10(1), 41–62.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nowitz, L. (2012). Incorporating a spiritual perspective into geriatric care management. In C. J. Cress (Ed.), Handbook of geriatric care management (3rd ed., pp. 155–174). London: Jones & Bartlett.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ostbye, T., Malhotra, R., Malhotra, C., Arambepola, C., & Chan, A. (2013). Does support from foreign domestic workers decrease the negative impact of informal caregiving? Results from Singapore survey on informal caregiving. Journals of Gerontology, Series B: Psychological Sciences and Social Sciences, 68(4), 609–621. doi:10.1093/geronb/gbt042.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roberto, K. A., & Jarrott, S. E. (2008). Family caregivers of older adults: a life span perspective. Family Relations, 57, 100–111.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shan, H. P. (2013). Call to make eldercare leave compulsory. Straits Times, p. Home B2.

  • Sims-Gould, J., Martin-Matthews, A., & Rosenthal, C. J. (2008). Family caregiving and helping at the intersection of gender and kinship: Social dynamics in the provision of care to older adults in Canada. In A. Martin-Matthews & J. E. Phillips’s (Eds.), Aging and caring at the intersection of work and home life: Blurring the boundaries (pp. 65–84). N.Y: Lawrence Erlbaum.

    Google Scholar 

  • Strauss, A. L. (1987). Qualitative analysis for social scientists. New York: Cambridge.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Tai, J. (2014). Halimah Calls again for mandatory eldercare leave. Straits Times, p. Home B2.

  • Tuomola, J., Soon, J., Fisher, P., & Yap, P. (2016). Lived experiences of caregivers of persons with dementia and the impact on the sense of self: a qualitative study in Singapore. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 31(2), 157–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wong, O. M. H. (2000). Children and children-in-law as primary caregivers: Issues and perspectives. In W. T. Liu & H. Kendig’s (Eds.), Who should care for the elderly? An East-West value divide (pp. 297–321). Singapore: Singapore University Press and World Scientific.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, T., & Chan, A. (2011). Older women, health and social care in Singapore. Asia European Journal, 8, 513–526.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yamamoto-Mitani, N., & Wallhagen, M. I. (2002). Pursuit of psychological well-being (Ikigai) and the evolution of self-understanding in the context of caregiving in Japan. Culture, Medicine, and Psychiatry, 26, 399–417.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yap, E. (2013). My maid, my friend. Straits Times, p. C10.

  • Yeoh, B. S. A., & Huang, S. (2009). Foreign domestic workers and home-based care for elders in Singapore. Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 22, 69–88.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhan, H. J. (2006). Joy and sorrow: explaining Chinese caregivers reward and stress. Journal of Aging Studies, 20, 27–38.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Z., Gu, D., & Luo, Y. (2014). Coresidence with elderly parents in contemporary China: the role of filial piety, reciprocity, socioeconomic resources and parental needs. Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology, 29(3), 259–276.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

The authors wish to express their gratitude to for the grant from the then Ministry of Community Development, Youth and Sports that made the Qualitative Study on Informal Caregiving and its impact on Intergenerational Relationships possible.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Human Development and Social Services, Singapore University of Social Sciences, 461 Clementi Road, Singapore, 599491, Singapore

    Kalyani K. Mehta

  2. Faculty of Arts and Social Science, National University of Singapore, 9, Arts Link, Singapore, 117570, Singapore

    Thang Leng Leng

Authors
  1. Kalyani K. Mehta
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Thang Leng Leng
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Kalyani K. Mehta.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Mehta, K.K., Leng, T.L. Experiences of Formal and Informal Caregivers of Older Persons in Singapore. J Cross Cult Gerontol 32, 373–385 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-017-9329-1

Download citation

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10823-017-9329-1

Keywords

Search

Navigation