The Case For Growing Old At Home In Super-Ageing Singapore

Having Age Well Neighbourhoods means better use of resources and land

- Linette Lai

At assisted living flats for seniors in Bukit Batok, there is round-the-clock emergency help, basic health checks, social activities and access to gathering spaces.

It's a new housing concept for fast-ageing Singapore, with the first keys given out 10 months ago.

Such homes, known as Community Care Apartments (CCAs), will also feature in Queenstown, Bedok and Geylang. And there will be more to cater to seniors who want to live independently, but with some help.

No matter how quickly these flats are built, though, it's unlikely to adequately meet the needs of our super-ageing nation. One in five Singaporeans is already aged 65 or older.

By 2026, it is likely that at least 21 per cent of the population will fall into this category, making us officially super-aged by international standards.

In fact, there are already super-aged towns in Singapore, like Toa Payoh, where nearly one in four people is 65 and above.

That more options are needed to supplement the CCA scheme, launched in 2021, was clearly articulated by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his National Day Rally speech on Aug 17.

"There is a limit to how many new CCAs we can build," he said. "Furthermore, many seniors don't want to move out... They prefer to age where they are, and we will need to provide for them as they get older."