The initiative seeks to analyse the challenges caregivers face, provide deeper insights into caregiving, and identify gaps in Singapore’s support systems, with the aim of raising public awareness and shaping policy recommendations to strengthen the nation’s caregiving infrastructure.
The first phase of Caregivers’ Wishes will gather primary data from caregivers and the wider public on their experiences, sentiments, and challenges. After the collection phase concludes, the project team will analyse the findings and publish them in curated reports in subsequent phases.
The initiative is led by Dr Ong Lue Ping, a practising clinical psychologist. Caregivers’ Wishes will be broadly organised into following four caregiving categories:
- Elderly and/or dementia care
- Neurodevelopmental disorders and/or intellectual disability
- Physical disability and other medical conditions
- Mental health conditions
To commemorate the launch, the Workers’ Party is hosting a free screening for the public of Lady!, a local independent documentary about the struggles of Siti, a wife and primary caregiver, to her husband with early-onset dementia. The screening will be followed by a sharing session with the film’s production team and a caregiver.
Dr Ong Lue Ping, Project Lead, Caregivers’ Wishes, said: “We want to let our informal caregivers know that they are not alone in their caregiving journey. While caregiving can be profoundly fulfilling, we also hear their challenges, see their struggles and feel their anxieties. Caregivers deserve to be seen, heard, and supported. We want to provide a platform for caregivers and anyone who is concerned with caregivers’ issues. We strive to amplify their voices, raise public awareness of their challenges and champion the need for better caregiving support in Singapore. Together, we aim to build a more inclusive, compassionate and caring Singapore for generations to come.”
MP He Ting Ru added: “The launch of this project reflects our belief that caregiving must be recognised as a collective responsibility. Too often, households or even individuals are left to shoulder care needs on their own, relying heavily on limited family resources and personal networks. We need to rethink this model. Supporting caregivers requires building stronger care infrastructure and fostering an ecosystem where caregiving is shared and supported by both society and the state.”
The Workers’ Party has consistently raised caregiver issues in Parliament, informed by ground feedback, including, among others, speeches by MP He Ting Ru in 2020 and 2023 calling for better measurement and recognition of unpaid labour, MP Gerald Giam’s Budget 2024 proposal on Licensed Childminding Services and a recent speech by NCMP Eileen Chong during the debate on the President’s Address in 2025. The Workers’ Party aspires to do more, in its capacity as a responsible opposition party in Parliament, to propose feasible, well-considered policy proposals that empower caregivers.
Through Caregivers’ Wishes, the Workers’ Party seeks to shed light on the unseen struggles of caregivers and advocate for policies that will strengthen Singapore’s caregiving ecosystem.
