Abandonment of Elderly Parents

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah asked the Acting Minister for Social and Family Development (a) what was the number of cases of elderly parents being abandoned over the past three years; (b) how were these cases resolved; (c) whether the Ministry will review the current law to impose harsher penalties on those who abandon their elderly parents; and (d) what were the reasons given by the children who abandoned their elderly parents.

Mr Chan Chun Sing: The number of abandonment cases referred to my Ministry has remained low over the past three years, totalling fewer than five. Figures of abandonment cases obtained from social service agencies and hospitals are also low, averaging less than 10 cases annually over the past three years.

According to social workers who handle such cases, most of these children end up neglecting, abusing or abandoning their elderly parents due to reasons, such as caregiver burnout and poor family relationship. In managing such cases, the caseworker will counsel the family and link them to support services like home help or day care. In a minority of cases, the elderly may be placed in an alternative living arrangement. If the elderly was abandoned overseas, my Ministry works closely with MFA to bring them back and will work with the families to re-establish their care arrangements.

For the most vulnerable elderly, laws are in place to protect their well-being. The Mental Capacity Act criminalises ill-treatment and abandonment of a mentally incapacitated person by his caregiver or nominated or Court-appointed decision-maker. Under the Maintenance of Parents Act, the elderly can also apply to the Tribunal for the Maintenance of Parents to obtain financial support from their children.

There are also measures in place to support caregivers of elderly parents. Caregivers can approach the Agency for Integrated Care for information and referral on a range of community- and home-based support services for the elderly. To alleviate the cost of caring for the elderly at home, the Government also introduced measures, such as the Foreign Domestic Worker Grant last year.

The Government will continue to review our policies and programmes to promote strong family ties and support families in caring for our elderly members.