The recent Lien Foundation Report 2018 has addressed the woes and frustrations faced by many caregivers in getting formal care for their loved ones. Two key issues raised were the high cost and limited supply of Intermediate & Long Term services (ILTC). These are major barriers for older adults to receive quality care in Singapore. Many turned to foreign domestic workers as a cheaper option, but untrained FDWs often lead to poorer quality of care and life for our loved ones.
Agency of Integrated Care (AIC) reports that there is a growing number of referrals for centre-care services. They received about 7,500 referrals in 2015 for centre-based care services however, only 3,500 places are available. Despite the growing demand for formal centre care services, the capacity to cater to such demands are limited.
Home-Care Based Services are known to be expensive and many middle-lower income families are unable to tap into home care due to the high-cost factor. However, this article seeks to debunk and explain the value of our pricing.
Here are 3 reasons why home-care services are “expensive” but worth it:
- Personalised Care
As compared to day care centres, hospitals or nursing homes you are receiving one-to-one care and attention from an experience care aide/ nurse. The care needs for individual patients differs and therefore, with home care, you are able to receive personalised care from our experienced care aides or nurses. The type of care required for individual patients can range from simple medication reminders to assistance of activities of daily living (ADL) e.g. dressing, eating or toileting.
2. Experienced Nurses & Care Aides (Quality Care)
Our nurses or care aides have years of experience caring for patients and they are trained in handling difficult situations or emergencies. In addition, we are constantly providing training for our care aides or nurses. For example, we conducted dementia workshops and latest wound management dressing courses for our healthcare professionals to ensure that they are well-equipped in caring for patients.
3. Consumables & Medical Equipments
To make care possible in the home settings, medical equipments (air mattresses, beds or commodes) and consumables (syringes, gloves, catheters, tubings, needles, staples, masks and wound dressings) are needed to ensure that your loved one or yourself receive quality care. Therefore, there is not only manpower costs but other costs like transforming your home to make it friendly for your loved one or yourself to recuperate and ‘age-in-place’.
Home Care services are “expensive” on the surface level, but the benefits of receiving quality care at home and ultimately a better quality of life for your loved one goes beyond the monetary value.
Despite the benefits of home care, how do I use Jaga-Me’s services without breaking the bank?
To hire a nurse 24/7 is not a cost-effective way to care for your loved one or yourself and it is not an efficient use of our healthcare professionals’ expertise and time. To ensure that care is sustainable and effective for both healthcare professionals and patients, it is our mission to provide caregivers’ training to the patient’s caregiver (either family member or a foreign domestic worker). Caregivers’ training helps to ensure that caregivers are well-equipped to provide quality care for the patient. You can use our services when YOU need our medical expertise or an occasional respite from your caregiving responsibilities.
