I understand the concerns of Associate Professor Gerald Koh and Dr Philip Yap ("Would you want to grow old in today's nursing homes?"; Tuesday) and the Ministry of Health ("Shelved: Plans for different model of nursing home"; Dec 21, 2015).

Such dilemmas are not uncommon, especially in an ageing society such as Singapore.

While it may seem vital to provide ample care and support for the elderly, the Government also has to take into consideration the viability of spending such a large amount of public funds on a special group of people ("Unwise to subsidise premium nursing care" by Mr Francis Cheng; Dec 25, 2015).

What I propose is to have rooms which are larger but still able to accommodate six to eight residents and include retractable doors to separate them. By doing so, residents can be given their privacy if needed and desired, but can also be in a room with other residents, where social interactions will help in their recovery.

Furthermore, it does not clash with the Health Ministry's funding strategies for subsidised residents.

It would be a waste to have a nursing home put on hold just because of a clash of ideals, and negatively affect those who truly require help, care and support.

Cheryl Chua Xing Jun (Miss)