Seniors urged to tap subsidies for handrails and other safety fittings

List of accessibility equipment eligible for subsidies expanded under refreshed scheme

- Osmond Chia

Seniors living in HDB flats and their caregivers are urged to install handrails, wall-mounted shower seats and other accessibility equipment offered at heavily subsidised rates under a refreshed national scheme.

Wheelchair users can also apply to widen doorways and install ramps to make manoeuvring around the home safer, as part of the Enhancement for Active Seniors (Ease) 2.0 programme, which was launched on April 1.

National Development Minister Desmond Lee on April 6 encouraged seniors to tap the subsidies, in a speech at a fund-raising concert held at the Chui Huay Lim Club in Newton. The event was organised by Kampung Senang, a charity that promotes healthy and eco-friendly lifestyles.