Caring for an ageing parent or spouse is an act of love, but it also carries real costs, from hiring help and buying equipment to time taken off work. Many families quietly shoulder these expenses without realising that support exists. This guide explains the main forms of financial help and caregiver grants Singapore offers to families of seniors, what each one is broadly for, and how to apply through the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC). It is general information to help you get oriented, not financial advice, and because eligibility rules and amounts change, you should verify current details with AIC or the official benefits portal before you plan around them.
Grants That Help With the Cost of Caregiving
Several schemes are designed to ease the ongoing cost of caring for a loved one at home. The exact eligibility and dollar amounts are set by the authorities and revised from time to time, so treat the descriptions below as a map of what is available rather than a promise of a specific sum.
- Home Caregiving Grant. This is a monthly cash payout to help with caregiving expenses, such as hiring help, buying consumables, or engaging home care services. It is generally intended for those who need help with some activities of daily living and who meet a household means-test. It can be used flexibly for care-related costs.
- Migrant Domestic Worker Levy Concession. Families who employ a migrant domestic worker to help care for a senior may qualify for a reduced monthly levy. This lowers the recurring cost of having live-in help, which is a common arrangement in Singapore.
- Support for lower-income families. Additional assistance may be available for households that are financially stretched, often assessed through the same means-testing process used for care subsidies.
Because these schemes interact with one another and with your household circumstances, the simplest path is to let AIC assess your situation and tell you which ones apply, rather than trying to work it out alone.
Help With Equipment, Home Modifications and Mobility
Caring for someone often means adapting the home and buying assistive equipment, from wheelchairs and hospital beds to grab bars and ramps. These one-off costs can add up quickly.
- Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund (SMF). This fund helps eligible seniors afford assistive devices, home healthcare items, and consumables such as adult diapers or milk feeds. It is aimed at making daily living and mobility safer and more manageable, and subsidy levels are typically means-tested.
- Home modification support. Schemes exist to help make flats safer for older residents, for example by adding grab bars, ramps, or slip-resistant treatment. These reduce the risk of falls, which is one of the most common reasons a senior’s care needs escalate.
For any of these, keep quotations and assessments from approved providers, as funding is usually tied to specific items and vendors. AIC or a medical social worker can point you to the right application route.
Using MediSave and Insurance for Care
Beyond grants, some care costs can be met from healthcare savings and insurance, within the rules set by the authorities.
- MediSave. A senior’s MediSave, and in some cases a family member’s, can be used within set limits for certain approved services, such as some home care, day care, and chronic disease management. The withdrawal limits and approved uses are defined by the Ministry of Health (MOH) and periodically updated.
- CareShield Life and ElderShield. These national long-term care insurance schemes provide payouts if a person becomes severely disabled and unable to perform several basic activities of daily living. Those payouts can help fund ongoing care. Our companion guides on long-term care explain how these fit together.
- Care subsidies via means-testing. Government subsidies lower the cost of many home, day, and residential care services for eligible residents. The subsidy tier is usually decided by a household means-test, which looks at monthly household income per person.
None of these figures should be assumed from informal sources. Premiums, limits, subsidy tiers, and payouts are set officially and change, so confirm anything cost-related with MOH, the CPF Board, or AIC.
Comparing the Main Forms of Support
The table below is a quick orientation to what each scheme tends to help with. It is not a statement of eligibility or amounts, both of which you should verify through the official channels.
| Support scheme | What it helps with |
|---|---|
| Home Caregiving Grant | Monthly cash toward caregiving costs, such as hired help, consumables, or home care |
| Migrant Domestic Worker Levy Concession | A reduced levy for families employing live-in help to care for a senior |
| Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund | Assistive devices, home healthcare items, and consumables like diapers or feeds |
| Home modification support | Making the home safer, for example grab bars, ramps, and anti-slip treatment |
| MediSave (approved uses) | Certain approved home care, day care, and chronic care services, within limits |
| Care subsidies (means-tested) | Lowering the cost of home, day, and residential care for eligible households |
How to Apply Through the Agency for Integrated Care
If you take one practical step from this guide, make it this: start with the Agency for Integrated Care. AIC is the national body that helps families navigate care services and the support that funds them. Rather than applying scheme by scheme on your own, you can ask AIC to assess your loved one’s needs and your household situation, then guide you to the grants and subsidies that fit.
A typical path looks like this:
- Get an assessment. Many grants require a functional assessment of how much help the senior needs with daily activities. This is often arranged through AIC, a doctor, or a hospital medical social worker.
- Prepare documents. You will usually need identity documents and information about household income for means-testing, plus quotations for equipment or services where relevant.
- Apply and follow up. AIC or the relevant agency processes the application and tells you what you qualify for. If a senior is being discharged from hospital, the medical social worker can start referrals for you.
Applying early, before a crisis, gives your family more options and less stress. And because rules and amounts are revised periodically, always confirm the current position with AIC or the official benefits portal rather than relying on figures you have seen quoted informally. This article is general information, not financial advice.
Explore More
Money is only one part of caregiving. To look after your own wellbeing as well, read our guide to caregiver support and respite in Singapore, which covers the emotional and practical help available. If you are weighing up what level of care your loved one needs, our guide to long-term care options in Singapore maps the choices from home care to nursing homes. Starting with the Agency for Integrated Care keeps both the care and the funding clear.