Vulnerable Adults Bill welcomed but concerns about financial abuse

Various groups in Singapore have welcomed the Vulnerable Adults Bill, which was passed in Parliament last week, although some flagged concerns that it did not protect against financial abuse.

The Bill, which was passed more than three years after it was first mooted, allows the Government to step in and protect seniors and people with disabilities from abuse and neglect.

Among other things, it protects vulnerable adults from physical, emotional or psychological abuse.

The Straits Times spoke to representatives of several groups who agreed that state intervention as a last resort was necessary in some cases.

Mr Raymond Yeo, co-chair of the Family Law Practice Committee at The Law Society of Singapore, said: "This Bill is well overdue, given that seniors and people with disabilities may require the state's assistance to protect them against abuse and neglect if such assistance is not forthcoming from their own families or they have no families to begin with."

Ms Wang Jing, assistant director of Hua Mei Counselling and Coaching at Tsao Foundation, said that the Bill empowered social workers and other care professionals.

"In the past, we have had situations where we knew intervention was necessary but because the vulnerable adult did not have the capacity to allow it, and it was not in the caregiver's interest to cooperate, we had been unable to act as swiftly as desirable," she said.

The new law will also accord protection to whistleblowers and professionals to encourage people to help vulnerable adults.

The Association of Women for Action and Research (Aware) shared similar sentiments, adding that the state should intervene only as a last resort and as long as the welfare and best interests of the victim guided all such interventions.

Ms Shailey Hingorani, head of advocacy and research at Aware, said the proposed Bill was important to women "who are disproportionately likely to be vulnerable adults".

"In 2009, women formed 71 per cent of the population of older adults diagnosed with cognitive impairment. Women are also likely to face limitations in performing their daily activities," said Ms Hingorani.

"These facts, combined with the gendered nature of ageing - women live, on average, five years longer than men - means that the Bill has the potential to make a real difference to the lives of vulnerable adults, especially older women," she added.

Ms Hingorani raised concerns about financial abuse not being covered in the Bill.

She said that the Bill can protect vulnerable adults from physical, emotional or psychological abuse.

"However, it does not protect vulnerable adults from financial exploitation, such as cases where elderly parents are deceived or coerced to sign a will or deed, or where money is regularly taken from elderly parents without providing support in return," she added.

A 2016 National University of Singapore study on elderly financial abuse found that such abuse by family members was a pressing concern.

Over a two-year period, the study found that nearly half of the elderly abuse cases analysed involved financial exploitation.

Ms Wang said: "Older persons do run a risk and it has an adverse impact on their well-being and their care. We hope that the Government will continue to study the matter and, eventually, include protection against it in the law."

Minister for Social and Family Development Desmond Lee addressed such concerns in Parliament last Friday, saying that MSF could step in when such abuse occurred alongside other forms of abuse and neglect covered under the new law.