THREE MORE AGE WELL NEIGHBOURHOODS TO STRENGTHEN SUPPORT FOR SENIORS IN THE COMMUNITY

            Seniors in Singapore can look forward to three more Age Well Neighbourhoods (AWNs) in Bedok, Bukit Panjang and Tiong Bahru-Redhill. These follow the inaugural AWN in Toa Payoh announced last August. Over 110,000 seniors will benefit from the roll-out of the four AWNs.

2.            Building on ongoing Age Well SG efforts, AWNs will progressively be introduced from 2026 in towns with higher concentrations of seniors to bring enhanced care services and senior-friendly infrastructure closer to where they live. Led by the Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of National Development (MND), and Ministry of Transport (MOT), this national initiative aims to enable seniors to age independently within their communities.  

3.            AWNs will have a range of enhancements to four key Age Well SG components: Active Ageing Centres (AACs), enhanced Home Personal Care (HPC+), Community Health Posts (CHPs), and senior-friendly infrastructure.   

4.            In AWNs, seniors can participate in more active ageing programmes and receive health services at enhanced CHPs, conveniently co-located with some AACs. At home, seniors with care needs will have more timely support, including after-hours assistance. This care ecosystem, combined with senior-friendly infrastructure, will support seniors to age well within their communities while providing caregivers greater peace of mind.

More Accessible Community Touchpoints

5.            Seniors can look forward to even easier access to active ageing programmes, as we will further expand the number of AAC touchpoints in AWNs. AAC touchpoints are additional locations that seniors can enjoy AAC services at. This builds on our nationwide efforts through Age Well SG to better expand AAC coverage for our seniors. We have scaled up our network of AACs from 154 in 2023 to over 230 AACs today, enabling more than 80 per cent of seniors to live near an AAC touchpoint.

Greater Assurance for Frail Seniors who Need More Support

6.            Frail seniors in AWNs can also receive more comprehensive and timely support for care needs, building on the expanded suite of services available through HPC+. New features include care staff based within AWNs, who will assist eligible seniors with Activities of Daily Living needs. Seniors can benefit from unplanned help with care needs such as diaper changes or bathing; or planned after-hours routine care support like regular bed-turning. This allows for seniors to get the care they need when they need it, rather than waiting for the next scheduled visit.

Health Services Closer to Seniors in the Community

7.            Our network of CHPs is operated by the public healthcare clusters, with many CHPs located at or near an AAC. Within AWNs, selected CHPs will be enhanced to better serve residents by opening weekly and offering an expanded scope of health services, including teleconsultations.

8.            Beyond appointment booking, residents have the option to walk in for basic health assessments, health advice, or assistance with accessing healthcare schemes and services. The multi-disciplinary community health teams will also work with general practitioners and hospitals to support residents in achieving their health goals, including providing lifestyle coaching to help manage chronic conditions, support seniors living with frailty, and monitoring residents with more complex health needs.

Improve Our Senior-Friendly Infrastructure

9.            We will continue to roll out senior-friendly infrastructure upgrading programmes nationwide, including at AWNs. These include the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) and Enhancement for Active Seniors (EASE) programme for HDB households, and the EASE (Private) programme for seniors residing in private estates. EASE provides senior-friendly fittings within homes at subsidised rates, helping seniors to move safely and confidently within their homes. Seniors living in HDB flats may opt for EASE fittings when their flats undergo HIP.

10.         At the neighbourhood level, we will introduce senior-friendly features like fitness trails, barrier-free access, and dementia-friendly elements. Residents across Singapore can look forward to these enhancements when their estates undergo the Silver Upgrading Programme or Neighbourhood Renewal Programme for HDB estates, or Estate Upgrading Programme for private estates. We will also introduce therapeutic landscapes, such as therapeutic gardens and contemplative landscapes, in our parks, under NParks’ Parks for Health Framework.        

11.         Within AWNs, we will also identify roads which are near key amenities to be transformed into Friendly Streets, for seniors to have safer, more comfortable, and convenient commutes within the neighbourhood.

Enhancements to Age Well Neighbourhood in Toa Payoh

12.          Seniors in the Toa Payoh AWN can expect the following enhancements to be implemented gradually at their neighbourhood from 2026. See Annex A for the map of Toa Payoh AWN, and Annex B for the implementation of services within AWNs.

a.    Three new AAC touchpoints will be added by December 2026, and four additional AAC touchpoints will be completed by March 2027. See Annex C for the locations of the new AAC touchpoints. 

b.    Expanded HPC+ offerings, including more comprehensive and timely support, will be available from second half of 2026, operated by TOUCH Community Services.

c.    Three enhanced CHPs operated by NHG Health have commenced services in January 2026, providing seniors with access to healthcare services closer to their homes. See Annex D for locations of enhanced CHPs.

d.    Physical infrastructural improvements, such as the Silver Upgrading Programme at Lorong 1 and 2 Toa Payoh, are slated for completion in the second half of 2028, and an additional Friendly Street is slated for completion by 2028. In addition, three Pedestrian Overhead Bridges connecting to the upcoming Toa Payoh Integrated Development will be enhanced with lifts and works are expected to be completed by 2030.

e.    The ongoing Neighbourhood Renewal Programme at Lorong 1, 2, 3 and 5, as well as the Home Improvement Programme for 37 blocks in Toa Payoh, where households can opt for senior-friendly EASE fittings in their homes, will also contribute to making the town more senior-friendly.

f.     Therapeutic landscapes will be incorporated in parks, such as the upcoming sensory garden at Block 149 Lorong 1 Toa Payoh to be completed in 2027, and a therapeutic garden at the rejuvenated Toa Payoh Town Park, which is expected to be completed by 2030 as part of the Toa Payoh Integrated Development. See Annex E for artist’s impression of the sensory garden.

Age Well Neighbourhoods in Bedok, Bukit Panjang, and Tiong Bahru-Redhill

13.         Features for the next three AWNs – Bedok, Bukit Panjang, and Tiong Bahru-Redhill, will be implemented progressively from this year. Enhanced CHPs have started operations in Bedok and Tiong Bahru-Redhill, with Bukit Panjang to follow in September 2026.

14.         Similar to Toa Payoh, seniors in these AWNs will benefit from improved accessibility to active ageing programmes with the opening of additional AAC touchpoints in the next two years. Expanded HPC+ offerings in AWNs will be available from the first half of 2027 in Bukit Panjang and Tiong Bahru-Redhill, and from the second half of 2027 in Bedok. Seniors can expect to benefit from all four components of the three AWNs in 2027. See Annex F for maps of the three new AWNs.

Housing Options for Seniors

15.         Beyond AWNs, which enhance community-based support for seniors, we have been increasing the range of care and housing options for seniors. This includes the Shared Stay-in Senior Caregiving Services, which was formalised last year. HDB also provides various housing options for seniors, such as 2-room Flexi flats with shorter leases and Community Care Apartments (CCAs), which are housing paired with care services to enable seniors with low to moderate care needs to age independently. HDB has launched five CCA projects in Bukit Batok, Queenstown, Bedok, Geylang and Sengkang, and the next CCA at Toa Payoh will be launched in October 2026.

16.         With more assisted living options and improvements to community care for seniors, MOH and MND plan to slow down the launch of CCAs. Currently, CCA residents pay a fee for the Basic Service Package (BSP), comprising curated active ageing programmes and on-site care services. As there are similarities between subsidised long-term care services and the CCA BSP, we will align subsidies, thereby improving the affordability of the BSP for eligible CCA residents. More details will be shared when ready.    

17.         Further information on AWNs can be found at www.agewellsg.gov.sg. Together with the efforts of the community and the family, we will continue to make Singapore a place where seniors can age well in their homes and communities, while staying connected to their loved ones.

MINISTRY OF HEALTH

MINSTRY OF NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT

7 MAY 2026

Annex A - Map of Toa Payoh AWN

Annex B - Implementation of services within AWNs

*Infrastructural upgrading benefitting seniors will be completed progressively over the next few years.

Annex C – Locations of new AAC touchpoints

Annex D - Locations of Enhanced CHPs:

Annex E - Artist’s impression of upcoming sensory garden at Block 149, Lorong 1 Toa Payoh (Credit: NParks)

Annex F - Map of Bedok AWN

Map of Bukit Panjang AWN (as of May 2026)

Map of Tiong Bahru-Redhill AWN (as of May 2026)

Legend for Maps