In Singapore, policy makers expect families to remain actively involved in the care of their frail older relatives, as manifestly expressed in its Many Helping Hands approach to long-term care. To enable families to fulfill this expectation, the government has enacted policies that encourage the hiring of foreign domestic workers (FDWs) to complement or supplement informal caregiving efforts. Using the Andersen Behavioral Model, we were interested in identifying caregiver and care receiver characteristics that might predict the hiring of FDWs. With data from a convenience sample of 488 informal caregivers, we ran logistic regression regressing the hiring of an FDW on various predisposing, enabling, and need factors. Of interest, enabling factors such as household income, housing type, and educational level were predictive of hiring an FDW in the home. Only one need factor, time spent in caregiving, was predictive of the increased likelihood to hire an FDW. Policies that encourage the marketization of care are likely to favor those with financial means and inadvertently ignore the caregiving burdens of lower income families. In addition, we suggest research and policies to ensure the well-being and protection of FDWs who have become a key component of the long-term care policy and practice in Singapore. © 2019, © 2019 Taylor & Francis.

Andersen model Singapore Informal caregiving Foreign domestic workers

governance approach psychological model Frail Elderly Caregivers convenience sample demography long term care human wellbeing middle aged statistics and numerical data Singapore [Southeast Asia] Aged housing Logistic Models Residence Characteristics Cross-Sectional Studies interview cross-sectional study migrant family Humans worker Interviews as Topic male labor migration Emigrants and Immigrants Aged, 80 and over Socioeconomic Factors very elderly female socioeconomics Article household income Independent Living Singapore statistical model policy making caregiver policy analysis elderly care immigrant population