Finding a helper for elderly care in Singapore: what to check before you hire
An agency profile that says "can take care of elderly" tells you very little. Daily care for an older parent means lifting and transfers, medicines on time, patience with refusals, and knowing what to do at 3am if something goes wrong. These are the checks families tell us they wish they'd done before signing.
1. Verify the experience, don't take the profile's word
Ask the agency for candidates with eldercare experience you can check: who she cared for, for how long, and their condition (bedbound, dementia, after a stroke, mostly independent). Ask for a previous employer you can speak to, not just a tick on the bio. Experience with a mostly independent grandparent is very different from full care of someone bedbound.
2. Interview with real scenarios
1. Walk me through moving someone from the bed to a wheelchair. Where do you put your hands?
2. Grandma refuses to bathe or eat today. What do you do?
3. You hear a fall at night. What are your first three steps?
4. How did you keep track of medicines and times in your last job?
5. How did you spot that someone was unwell before they said so?
6. What did you find hardest about elderly care, and how did you manage it?
Listen for concrete, step-by-step answers. "I can do it, ma'am" to every question is a sign to keep looking.
3. Plan for training
MOM notes that helpers need specialised training to care well for elderly family members; read MOM's caregiving training page. AIC's Caregivers Training Grant subsidises approved courses for caregivers, including helpers. Check AIC's page for the current amount and eligibility, then book a course in her first months.
4. Check the levy concession
If you live with an eligible elderly family member, you may qualify for MOM's concessionary levy of $60 a month instead of the full rate. The criteria are on MOM's levy concession page; follow MOM over anything here.
5. Write the care routine down for week one
Most early problems come from guessing. Write one page: medicine names and times, meals and any diet limits, mobility help needed (and how), toileting and bathing routine, warning signs, and who to call (you, a second adult, the clinic, 995). If her English is still new, give it to her in her own language too, and review it together at the end of week one and month one.
Time · Medicine / task · How (dose, help needed) · Done (initials)
Warning signs to call us: ________
Emergency: 995 ambulance · Our mobiles: ________ · Clinic: ________
6. Read the replacement clause before you sign
A first match that doesn't work out is common in eldercare, because the fit with one particular person matters so much. Before you sign, ask how many free replacements the agency gives and within what period, and get the answer in writing.
Free and paid help
Our free first-week checklist covers the basics for any new helper. If you'd like the care routine and house rules written up in English plus Tagalog, Bahasa Indonesia or Burmese, see the sample handbook.
You will have to send a first-time migrant domestic worker (MDW) for the Settling-in Programme within 7 days of her arrival in Singapore excluding Sunday and public holidays.Source: mom.gov.sg, Settling-in Programme. The handbook is a home guide. It does not replace the SIP or give legal advice.