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SINGAPORE: A new type of public housing with elderly-friendly features and subscription to care services would be an effective way to meet the different needs of the elderly under one roof, experts told CNA on Monday (December 14) .
It was announced last week that the Housing and Development Board (HDB) apartments in Bukit Batok, known as Community Care Apartments, are targeting home buyers 65 and older who want to live alone but receive care if necessary.
Residents will subscribe to a basic service package, giving them access to 24-hour emergency monitoring and response, basic health checks, and simple in-home arrangements.
These will be facilitated by an on-site community manager, who will also organize social activities.
READ: New apartments for the elderly will be launched in February BTO exercise, with subscription to care services
The flats fill a void in the senior housing market, said Huttons Asia head of research Lee Sze Teck.
With her extra care services, she said the apartments are a “step up” from the two-bedroom Flexi flats, which are short-lease units with senior features.
On the other hand, it is a notch below dedicated nursing homes or institutions, providing variety for older people who are between different stages of their lives, he said.
READ: With only one bidder, no tenders were awarded for Singapore’s first dementia care village
Mr. Lee also noted that a centralized care and service provider in the HDB block would solve space limitations for aging homes.
“In other types of senior housing, like two-bedroom Flexi apartments, the concern is: ‘If I need a helper, I don’t have space for him to live in my apartment.’ This addresses that, “he said.
Community Care Apartments will be designed with an open layout. There will be a sliding screen to separate the bedroom and the living room. (Photo: Housing and Development Board)
Dr. Angeline Seah, chief of Geriatric Medicine at Khoo Teck Puat Hospital, said the model “meets the physical, cognitive or psychological needs of older people.”
On the physical front, in addition to having non-slip floors and wheelchair-friendly doors, a new and renovated floor would be safer for residents, Dr. Seah said.
He added that this is because many older people can occupy old, large floors that are difficult to maintain, resulting in increased risks of electrical or fire hazards, for example.
The new housing model would also eliminate the potential stress of having to hire a foreign domestic worker or having to adjust to life with a roommate in rental flats, Dr. Seah told CNA.
“For older people with a lifetime of ingrained habits and expected challenges in learning due to aging, it is cognitively heavy and psychologically stressful to have to adjust and they may not have the resilience to re-balance.”
He added that additional “a la carte” services, such as personal care or meal delivery, also create flexibility to meet the needs of different people living in the same block.
The focus on active aging would also preserve or strengthen the “residual functional capacity or health reserves” of older people, he said.
The Community Care Apartments in Bukit Batok will be integrated with a street vendor center, activity center and community garden. (Photo: Housing and Development Board)
From an urban planning perspective, the facility’s location in Bukit Batok, with the new amenities and Build-to-Order (BTO) apartments looming in the area, was also strategic, said Professor Sing Tien Foo.
The director of the Institute for Real Estate and Urban Studies at the National University of Singapore said this would encourage adult children, with their young families, to live in the neighborhood to be close to their parents.
“That will create a more vibrant community… By having other types of housing options close by, it provides more variety and encourages interaction with other groups,” he said.
Professor Sing added that he expects demand for the 160-unit development to be strong, especially given the limited number of apartments available. Although the apartments cannot be resold or rented, owners who no longer need them can return them to HDB for a refund of the remaining contract value.
CHALLENGES AND POTENTIAL RECOMMENDATIONS
However, experts noted that there may be potential challenges, such as having to deal with the different abilities of older residents.
Dr. Seah said that older people can have “different communication needs” as they may speak unique dialects or have different communication skills.
This can lead to “insufficient or excessive provision of services, misunderstandings among staff or among older people,” he said.
Another aspect to take into account is that older people may have continence, audiovisual and cognitive problems.
For example, Dr. Seah noted that incontinence problems among the elderly may mean that the building will need more toilets, which will need to be cleaned more regularly.
To cope with the cognitive limitations, the facility would also need a “clear, well-organized environment with fewer distractions,” he said.
The Community Care Apartments will be designed with an open layout. There will be a sliding screen to separate the bedroom and the living room. (Photo: Housing and Development Board)
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Professor Sing also came up with the idea of making lease increases more flexible. Applicants are currently required to purchase their leases in five-year increments, starting with a minimum 15-year lease period.
“With shorter minimum increments, people can evaluate if they want to continue this and if not they can return it to HDB… Because it is a very new concept. People need to understand and get used to the system, ”he said.
He added that if the pilot is successful, perhaps it could be expanded to serve elderly residents with different needs and health problems.
Dr. Seah said that while the concept has been well designed, some problems can only be identified after the pilot starts.
She suggested placing a nursing or health coach at the center with “training and tools for continuous quality improvement”, working together with the community manager so they can “collectively act on issues as they arise.”
The Community Care Apartments will go for sale in the February BTO fiscal year.
