Concerted effort to help seniors age in place

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The Straits Times, 24 April 2017

Concerted effort to help seniors age in place

We agree with Mr Sum Kam Weng on the need to incorporate eldercare facilities in our public housing estates so that they can age in place (Make room for seniors in town planning; April 12).

We have been doing so in various ways. Since 2012, the Ministry of Health has expanded the number of daycare places from 2,100 to 4,000 places and homecare places from 3,800 to 7,500 places today.

We are on target to grow this to 6,200 daycare and 10,000 homecare places by 2020.

We have also enhanced the scope of formal home and community care services.

Last year, we started new Integrated Home and Day Care packages to allow seniors to benefit from a flexible mix of home and daycare services that can be tailored to suit their needs.

At the same time, we are integrating care within new housing precincts through Active Ageing Hubs.

These are one-stop day centres for seniors that provide active ageing services for ambulant seniors to daycare, day rehabilitation and assisted living services for seniors who are frailer.

In selected new housing estates, we are working to locate nursing homes and eldercare facilities adjacent to public housing precincts, so that we have a continuum of independent, assisted and nursing care facilities near the same precinct.

To build a City for All Ages, we are systematically improving our public transport system, refreshing our housing estates and parks.

Since 2006, all new public housing projects have been incorporated with Universal Design features to cater to the wide-ranging needs of the community, including those of seniors.

The Housing Board has also provided more housing options such as two-room flexi flats, and offered the Enhancement for Active Seniors programme for existing flats to improve the home environment of our seniors.

For transport, we have expanded the Silver Zones Programme to enhance road safety for seniors, made more crossings barrier-free, and improved access to public transport.

At the same time, the National Parks Board is also developing a network of "therapeutic gardens" to encourage seniors to visit our public parks and to stay active.

We thank Mr Sum for his suggestions. We will continue to provide a mix of options to meet the diverse needs of our seniors and, with community support, to enable our seniors to age with grace and confidence.

Soh Xin Yi (Ms)

Deputy Director (Successful Ageing)

Ageing Planning Office

Ministry of Health

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Forum Letter

The Straits Times, 12 April 2017

Make room for seniors in town planning 

Current population statistics show that one in eight Singaporeans is aged 65 years or older. In 12 years' time, this figure is going to change to one in four.

Plans to accommodate this growing group would require a shift in thinking in many areas of society.

For instance, the Government has announced large-scale housing development plans for areas such as Bidadari, Punggol, Tengah, Paya Lebar and Jurong Lake District.

To accommodate the ageing population, we should consider incorporating eight to 10 blocks of low-rise, nursing and retirement homes with full facilities in each of these massive new public estates.

Doing this would help us create a harmonious and civil society in a modern, pre-planned integrated township.

Even the Housing Board's Selective En bloc Redevelopment Scheme (Sers) projects could incorporate four to five blocks with elderly-friendly facilities to cater to this group.

This way, the elderly can cash out their old HDB flats and live in nursing or retirement homes with minimum disruption to their lives and in a familiar environment.

These nursing and retirement homes built by the Government can be managed by the town councils, which know their own constituencies well.

Currently, there are provisions for studio flats with shorter-term leases within upcoming and existing HDB estates, but long-term healthcare services or caregivers are still needed when the elderly owners or occupants are sick or immobile.

We must be socially responsible and share our space and resources with the elderly, the sick and those with physical or mental disabilities.

This will allow them to live out their remaining years with reasonable comfort, near to family members and within public subsidised housing estates.

Let us change our priorities on land usage and avoid the "not in my backyard" mindset.

Sum Kam Weng