The Methodist Church in Singapore

A website of The Methodist Church in Singapore

1 Nov 2026

Family

iPhone

Grandpa with dementia refuses daycare

My grandpa’s dementia is getting worse every day which results in problematic behaviours that rub our family the wrong way. I considered sending him to daycare to ease my grandma’s burden, but he refuses to be put in daycare. Is there an alternative to daycare that can reduce grandma’s caregiver burnout without sending grandpa away from home for even a minute?

Sue-Lynn Teo says

Dear iPhone,

It sounds like it’s been hard to convince your grandpa to go to daycare and this has led to a state of physical, emotional and/or mental exhaustion for your grandmother, presumably as his main caregiver. You clearly care a lot for both your grandparents and want to help.

Here are a few alternatives to daycare you can consider with your family

  • Discuss with your family members to see if any of them can take turns to care for your grandpa, ideally on a weekly basis, while grandma has a break.
  • Hire a domestic helper to help take care of your grandfather. If the household qualifies, you can help them apply for the Migrant Domestic Worker Levy Concession, offered by the Agency for Integrated Care (AIC).

https://www.aic.sg/Financial-Assistance/Migrant-Domestic-Worker-Levy-Concession

  • If the household qualifies, applying for AIC’s Enhanced Home Personal Care (HPC+) to have a trained care professional come to their house to help with daily or personal care activities. This service is available for seniors whose caregivers need support or a break.

https://www.aic.sg/Care-Services/Enhanced-Home-Personal-Care

  • Demetia Singapore also has a variety of caregiver support resources, including caregiver support groups and Caregiver Support Network Community Outreach Team-Caregiver Support Network (CREST-CSN), which aims to promote self-care by providing a platform for caregivers to nurture interests, learn skills and connect with other caregivers, among others. For more information, navigate to the caregiver tab on Demetia Singapore’s website

https://dementia.org.sg/

  • If your grandma is open, she can consider calling the Dementia Singapore (DSG) caregiver support service at 6377 0700 to access counselling services for caregivers looking after persons with dementia. Do be assured that all information is kept strictly private and confidential.

If you would like more information about the above schemes by AIC or have further queries, you can call AIC’s hotline at 1800-650-6060. Alternatively, the family member who accompanies grandpa for his next hospital visit can visit AIC link centre co-located at most government hospitals.