Most of us are either caregivers or know someone who is. They are all around us, quietly caring for loved ones who are ill, old or living with a disability.
Singapore is projected to become a super-aged society in 2026, where at least 21 per cent of the population is aged 65 or older. By 2030, about one in four Singaporeans will be in this age group.
As the population grows older, more seniors are becoming caregivers to other seniors.
The proportion of informal caregivers – those who provide unpaid care to family members and friends – among adults aged 67 and above rose from 6 per cent in 2019 to 7.4 per cent in 2023-2024, according to a national survey of older adult residents conducted by the Centre for Ageing Research & Education (CARE) at Duke-NUS Medical School.
While caregivers across all age groups face similar types of challenges, including physical, economic, social and psychological strains, these are more pronounced for older caregivers.
For instance, on top of caregiving, they may be managing their own health challenges, says Mr Steven Yeo, executive director of Caregiving Welfare Association (CWA). “Many may also be less likely to seek support as they often see caregiving as a personal responsibility.”
The Straits Times spoke to seven different caregivers to find out more about their challenges. Let’s find out what a day looks like in their shoes.
Caregiving is often invisible work, but it is essential to how our society functions.
“Across many societies, including Singapore, caregiving continues to fall disproportionately on women due to longstanding social norms and expectations around family roles,” says Dr Mary Ann Tsao, chairwoman of non-profit organisation Tsao Foundation.
“Many women are balancing caregiving with careers and this can affect their workforce participation, financial security and long-term well-being. At a societal level, this also has implications for productivity and gender equity,” she adds.
The caregiving load differs for each individual. For some, like Madam Annie, it is a weight that they must carry physically.
Let us take a look at Madam Annie’s story and see how her caregiving duties impact her physically.
Living with chronic back and leg pain means that Madam Annie, 80, limits her movement to reduce fatigue when caring for her 91-year-old husband, Mr Kong.
“I can’t push his wheelchair – it’s heavy and I’m worried I might get injured pushing it,” she says.
Like Madam Annie, many older caregivers face strain with caregiving tasks that are more physically demanding. Ageing is accompanied by a decline in physical strength and function, explains Associate Professor Rahul Malhotra, executive director and head of research at CARE.
Some caregivers face other physical challenges, such as having low vision.
Ms Ruth Tan, who takes care of her 99-year-old mother, Madam Teo Guak Wah, has low vision due to a car accident when she was 12. This makes it hard for her to navigate around obstacles.
Her mother used to be able to venture out independently, but a fall in 2025 left her with chronic pain in her leg. Now, she has to use a wheelchair, which Ms Ruth, 78, pushes slowly.
I’m her eyes and she’s my legs. She will push my wheelchair and I will tell her if there’s a drain ahead.
“Physically, the demands of hands-on care – broken sleep, lifting, constant vigilance – accumulate quietly until many caregivers only notice the toll when they themselves fall ill,” says Mr Adrian Tan, co-founder of social enterprise SG Assist.
One way that caregivers choose to ease their physical burden is to seek support from the Government or organisations.
For Madam Annie, that support comes from CWA. Four times a week, 47-year-old CWA community caregiver Patricia Tee comes by Madam Annie’s home. She accompanies the couple on strolls at a rooftop garden, leads them in some light exercise for muscle maintenance and does some chores.
She also watches over Mr Kong if his wife goes out to meet her friends, allowing Madam Annie to lead a life outside her four walls with peace of mind.
For other caregivers, their burden is not just physical, but also financial.
Let’s take a look at Madam Nancy’s story and see how she juggles her caregiving duties with part-time work.
With additional subsidies from the Government, the Tsao Foundation and non-profit organisation Thye Hua Kwan, the 78-year-old feels they have enough. “Don’t be so greedy,” she adds.
For other caregivers, government subsidies are helpful, but barely enough.
Some, like Madam Mahedah Manaf, have stopped working and are living off their savings while looking after loved ones.
“For women who quit to be caregivers, the Government should give more allowance to help them,” says Madam Mahedah, who left her job as a security officer in a condominium to care for her husband.
Still, the couple do receive some support. The Jia Ying Active Ageing Centre near their home recommended subsidies that they are eligible for. They can also purchase home healthcare items, like adult diapers, at a 20 per cent discount due to the Seniors’ Mobility and Enabling Fund administered by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC).
The Government has also increased financial support for caregivers, such as through the Home Caregiving Grant – a monthly cash payout to help families caring for seniors or people with disabilities – which was enhanced in Budget 2026.
Eligible households can also benefit from reduced levies with the Migrant Domestic Worker Levy Concession, says Ms See Yen Theng, chief of the caregiving and community mental health division at AIC.
Financially, many caregivers quietly drain their savings on out-of-pocket costs without knowing that subsidies and schemes exist to help them.
Financial concerns can be one contributor to the mental stress that caregivers face, among other issues.
Let’s take a closer look at how Madam Mahedah handles stress in her daily life as she takes care of her husband, Mr Shafiee Omar.
Madam Mahedah, 67, looks after every aspect of Mr Shafiee’s life, from changing his clothes to cutting his hair. Her main worry, especially after her cancer diagnosis, is that no one will take care of the 73-year-old if something were to happen to her.
While the couple have two sons and a daughter, she rarely asks them for help nor does she expect them to offer it. “We don’t want to trouble our children,” she explains.
Madam Puasa Ludin, 71, is another caregiver who worries about her own health on top of her 82-year-old husband’s. She is a cancer survivor, having undergone two operations in 2020.
While both of them have diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, Mr Haji Abdul Rahman also has swollen feet, making it hard for him to walk. He moves around the house with a walking stick.
“He’s quite independent, but I don’t want him to fall down. This is my responsibility,” Madam Puasa says.
Worry is not the only form of mental stress caregivers face. Sometimes, it can mean navigating tension and even grief.
Madam Divakaran Prasanah, 71, cared for her mother, Madam Lekshmanan Bharathy, until she died in mid-April from pneumonia. While they had a good relationship, Madam Prasanah says the toughest part of caregiving was the 98-year-old’s insistence on being independent and doing things her own way, such as wanting to eat sweet things despite having diabetes.
She is not alone in her struggles.
Madam Betty Tan is concerned that her mother, Madam Ng Boh Tan, 96, has become less active.
“She has quietened down over the years,” the 76-year-old says. “Last time, she was chatty and talkative and would call her children to chat over the phone.”
Since the start of 2026, Madam Tan has sought help from Hua Mei Mobile Clinic, run by the Tsao Foundation, to provide routine check-ups for her mother.
The grief of watching someone you love change can be an emotional challenge for caregivers, says SG Assist’s Mr Tan.
Some also struggle quietly, finding it difficult to ask for help despite having the option to.
“Many caregivers are also, by nature, people who worry about burdening others, who feel ‘paiseh’ about taking up space or asking for too much,” he adds.
On top of that, many caregivers do not see themselves as having taken on a role that may need additional support.
They may consider the tasks they are doing a natural extension of being a loved one, and so are less likely to seek out support or training that will alleviate their caregiving burden, says Prof Malhotra.
There is a common perception that caregiving is intuitive or simply an extension of familial duty. In reality, caregiving today can be quite complex.
Caregivers have to handle healthcare systems alongside emotional and relational challenges, Dr Tsao says. Training can equip caregivers with practical skills and help with communication, decision-making and managing stress.
When caregivers are better equipped, it improves outcomes not just for them, but also for the care recipients, adds Dr Tsao.
Madam Mahedah experienced this when she learnt from the hospital nurses how to change the dressing on Mr Shafiee’s leg. She also received caregiver training at Sunlove Abode for Intellectually-Infirmed, a charitable organisation that provides services for various vulnerable groups, on proper wound care techniques and how to manage a diabetic diet.
“The nurses told me that his leg healed very fast because of my care,” she says.
To support caregivers, AIC offers subsidised training courses through the Caregivers Training Grant. E-learning modules will be launched soon, allowing caregivers to learn in their own time.
Support for caregivers should be holistic – it should include not just financial assistance and training, but also counselling and community-based support networks, says Dr Tsao.
Having an established social support network will also greatly benefit caregivers, according to a study by Duke-NUS’ CARE, The Caregiving Transitions Among Family Caregivers Of Elderly Singaporeans. Informal primary caregivers of older adults with a diverse social network are more likely to have stronger support systems and bounce back better from difficult situations.
The seven caregivers we spoke to have a wide range of social networks, allowing them to stay positive as they give care to their loved ones.
The seven caregivers we spoke to have a wide range of social networks, allowing them to stay positive as they give care to their loved ones.
The future of caregiving: Should it rest on more shoulders?
Singapore is still very much dependent on the family to care for its vulnerable members, says Professor Paulin Straughan of Singapore Management University’s Centre for Research on Successful Ageing. There is an urgency to develop community-based care to support those who may be dependent on only one family member for care, or those who are ageing alone.
Mr Tan says caregiving should be a shared responsibility.
“It is the kampung spirit reimagined for a modern city, a self-sustaining community ecosystem where people look out for one another rather than relying solely on a shrinking pool of family caregivers or overstretched formal services,” he says.
Leading this effort is AIC, which has adopted outreach methods such as in-person support as well as assisted engagement through its hotline, where people can call to get advice on caregiving support.
It is building more active ageing centres to provide older caregivers with easier access to support services, social activities and care information closer to home.
In addition, it is working closely with community care partners to strengthen manpower capabilities and improve care quality through staff training and leadership development.
In gerontology, you’re either a caregiver today, becoming a caregiver or going to be receiving caregiving.
As Singapore reaches the super-aged milestone, more people will step into the caregiving role. Earlier intervention is necessary to help individuals and families, says Dr Tsao.
“We take the “to the left” approach, which means intervening earlier – before crises occur – by helping individuals and families plan ahead for ageing, build capabilities and put in place support systems early,” she adds.
“While many people plan for careers and housing, far fewer plan for how they want to age. We believe it is just as important to start conversations early and have a care plan in place.”
Mr Tan notes that the most sustainable caregiving relationships are built on mutual respect, not on one person doing everything for another.
“My hope is that Singapore continues moving in the direction of treating caregiving as a genuine societal priority – one that cuts across government, employers, communities and families,” he adds. “The best time to start is now.”
