Fall in cases lodged over maintenance of parents

This post came out from The Straits Times (26 November 2015)

The number of elderly people in Singapore may be rising, but the number forced to seek state intervention to obtain financial support from their children is down. There were 213 cases lodged with the Commissioner for the Maintenance of Parents last year, a fall from 257 in 2013 and 303 in 2012. The number of people aged above 65 now makes up 11.2 per cent of the population.

The Maintenance of Parents Act was passed in 1995 so the state can intervene and possibly order children to provide financial maintenance when elderly Singaporeans cannot support themselves but their children are not helping.

Grown up children still remain a key source of physical, emotional, and financial support for the elderly, the Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) said in its latest report on Ageing Families in Singapore released yesterday.

The report is based on data from various sources such as those in a 2013 HDB Sample Household Survey, which found that 75 per cent of younger married residents provided regular financial support to their parents.

Likewise, 78 per cent of elderly residents with children reported receiving such financial support. On average, an elderly parent received $535 a month from his children in 2013. At least 77 per cent of elderly residents also said they were able to rely on their children for emotional and physical support, such as buying groceries, transportation and housework.

For elderly residents unable to rely on families for such help, the state has developed home care services, providing food, nursing, therapy, transport and cleaning. A new home care centre managed by Touch Community Services was officially opened yesterday in Ang Mo Kio, offering home care services to an additional 270 elderly people. "We are on track to meeting our target to be able to serve 10,000 seniors by 2020," said Dr Amy Khor, Senior Minister of State for health, at the opening.

Thoughts:

1. While bringing children to the courts to maintain/ financially support their parents is used as a last resort, the usage of this law also meant that our social fabric is no longer as strong and requires the state's intervention. This might be alarming as it should be a natural deed for children to help take care of their parents, right? 

Thoughts anyone?

Yours,

Something Small Thinking Big