<TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR>March 8, 2009
special report: nursing homes
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Cheaper care in Malaysia
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->If you think a Johor Baru nursing home is a long way from home, Malacca is even farther.
Yet, in a week's time, Mrs Jenny Ong, 40, will be taking her bedridden father-in-law to a Malacca nursing home.
She can no longer afford to pay the $1,250 monthly charges at the Margaret Chio Nursing Home in Singapore. She will save at least $300 each month using the Malacca facility.
'In Malacca, the nursing home cost is $800 to $900 per month. The $300 that I save makes a lot of difference, especially since I still have to pay for my children's education,' Mrs Ong said.
She works as a part-time 4-D operator, earning about $300 a month. Her husband, a relief bus driver, earns $1,100 a month. They have two children, a son in Secondary 3 and a daughter in Primary 6.
Her father-in-law, who is in his late 70s, is bedridden after a fall five years ago.
He was mopping the floor when he slipped and fell. He was living alone at that time.
'It's not possible for me to look after him at home as he is too heavy for me to manage alone and I also have to work and take care of my children,' said Mrs Ong.
The Ongs have relatives in Malacca, a key factor in the decision to transfer him there. They felt more reassured with relatives there to visit him from time to time, she said.
'If we didn't know anyone there, I would be very worried,' she said.
'He used to have problems with his health, but now he's okay. If he was sick, I would be very worried about him being in Malacca all by himself. Singapore is still better in terms of health care.'
Next week, her father-in-law will transfer from Margaret Chio Nursing Home to the nursing home in Malacca operated by the same owner, Dr Tony Chia.
The Ongs plan to drop in at least once a month. They will travel by coach.
During the school holidays, they will take their children along.
Meanwhile, they are on the lookout for a cheaper nursing home in Singapore.
They said they do not know whom to approach for government subsidies.
Mrs Ong said: 'If our burden can be relieved, and if I can find a full-time job, in two or three months' time, we may bring him back from Malacca.
'We don't intend to have him there for long. We want to bring him back to Singapore eventually.'
Teo Wan Gek
special report: nursing homes
</TR><!-- headline one : start --><TR>Cheaper care in Malaysia
</TR><!-- headline one : end --><!-- show image if available --></TBODY></TABLE>
<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->If you think a Johor Baru nursing home is a long way from home, Malacca is even farther.
Yet, in a week's time, Mrs Jenny Ong, 40, will be taking her bedridden father-in-law to a Malacca nursing home.
She can no longer afford to pay the $1,250 monthly charges at the Margaret Chio Nursing Home in Singapore. She will save at least $300 each month using the Malacca facility.
'In Malacca, the nursing home cost is $800 to $900 per month. The $300 that I save makes a lot of difference, especially since I still have to pay for my children's education,' Mrs Ong said.
She works as a part-time 4-D operator, earning about $300 a month. Her husband, a relief bus driver, earns $1,100 a month. They have two children, a son in Secondary 3 and a daughter in Primary 6.
Her father-in-law, who is in his late 70s, is bedridden after a fall five years ago.
He was mopping the floor when he slipped and fell. He was living alone at that time.
'It's not possible for me to look after him at home as he is too heavy for me to manage alone and I also have to work and take care of my children,' said Mrs Ong.
The Ongs have relatives in Malacca, a key factor in the decision to transfer him there. They felt more reassured with relatives there to visit him from time to time, she said.
'If we didn't know anyone there, I would be very worried,' she said.
'He used to have problems with his health, but now he's okay. If he was sick, I would be very worried about him being in Malacca all by himself. Singapore is still better in terms of health care.'
Next week, her father-in-law will transfer from Margaret Chio Nursing Home to the nursing home in Malacca operated by the same owner, Dr Tony Chia.
The Ongs plan to drop in at least once a month. They will travel by coach.
During the school holidays, they will take their children along.
Meanwhile, they are on the lookout for a cheaper nursing home in Singapore.
They said they do not know whom to approach for government subsidies.
Mrs Ong said: 'If our burden can be relieved, and if I can find a full-time job, in two or three months' time, we may bring him back from Malacca.
'We don't intend to have him there for long. We want to bring him back to Singapore eventually.'
Teo Wan Gek
