The Ministry of Labor (MOL) on Saturday relaxed restrictions on hiring foreign caregivers for elderly people with minor disabilities, a move it said will benefit 35,000 senior citizens.
The ministry said it has expanded the criteria of those eligible to hire a foreign caregiver to anyone aged 85 or over who meets at least one variable addressed in the Barthel index, a scale used to measure the extent to which people can function independently in daily life.
As the health of elderly people can deteriorate quickly, leaving them more incapacitated in a relatively short period of time, the new measure can better protect them by making more caregivers and home aides available to help them, the ministry said.
Previously, senior citizens older than 80 had to be diagnosed as badly in need of home care and score below 60 on the Barthel index to be entitled to hire a foreign caregiver.
Those younger than 80 must be deemed to need full-time assistance at home and score lower than 35 on the Barthel index to be eligible for a foreign caregiver.
The factors considered in the index include the degree to which people can feed, bathe, groom and dress themselves, go to the bathroom, walk around or climb stairs.
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