New study on extended family to ensure care

This post came out from The Straits Times (8 June 2015)

With families here shrinking, can a wider network of relatives be relied on to help if someone becomes frail or ill? This is what the Government is trying to find out, with what is believed to be its first study on the extended family, and the extent of care and support it can provide.

The data to be obtained by April next year may then be used for policy tweaks to encourage people to support their aunties, uncles, nephews, nieces, cousins and other relatives. These could include housing grants for extended family members if they live nearby, or tax exemptions if they top up their loved ones' Central Provident Fund accounts, for instance.

This study makes a milestone in social policy thinking, said experts, because it is moving away from the Government's traditional proxy for families - the nuclear household where a couple live with their parents or children. The reason for the shift is that the number of nuclear families is falling.

The survey is expected to examine household composition, care-giving arrangements and how far extended family members live from each other, among other factors. It also aims to understand the attitudes and perceptions people have of the extended family's role, such as whether people expect their extended family to support them, or if their understanding of "family" means nuclear family. The study will also look at challenges faced by extended family members in providing such care, and identify solutions or support measures to encourage them to do so.

The head of Reach Counselling, Mrs Chang-Goh Song Eng, said extended family support for heavy care-giving duties, such as taking care of someone who is bedridden, is usually not forthcoming. "Usually people are okay imposing on or bothering their immediate siblings if they can't turn to their children, but the line stops there because they feel that relatives are not obliged to be responsible for them," she said.

Touch Community Services' seniors cluster network director Julia Lee agreed, adding that the authorities need to come up with ideas to encourage extended families to be more involved. She said: "The social isolation and health issues of the elderly who live alone are very urgent."


Thoughts:

1. I think it is forward looking at thinking of meeting the needs of Singaporeans whose family structures have changed dramatically over the past decades.
2. However, I do have reservations of whether would this be useful as I do not think that most relatives would be keen in providing long term help to their needy kin.
3. In my view, the extended family ties are no longer as close as it was previously. I think many of the young children today might not know who their relatives are, with only meet ups during the major festivals (Hari Raya, Christmas, Chinese New Year where the relatives will gather) or family events (Wedding, Funeral, New Born).
4. To add more skepticism, I think we also should take a look at the Maintenance of Parents Act and see how many application were made. A bill like this has to be enacted to enforce children to take care of their parents. Now, think about relatives looking after their aged ones... 

Thoughts anyone?

Yours,

Something Small Thinking Big