Bedok, Bukit Panjang, Tiong Bahru-Redhill designated as Age Well Neighbourhoods. See what’s coming up

SINGAPORE – Bedok, Bukit Panjang, and Tiong Bahru-Redhill have been designated as Age Well Neighbourhoods (AWNs), where seniors can access enhanced care services and senior-friendly infrastructure to help them age independently and comfortably, with a sense of purpose.

AWN features will be rolled out progressively from 2026 in towns with a higher proportion of seniors.

This follows the announcement of the first AWN in Toa Payoh by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at the National Day Rally in August 2025.

The four AWNs will benefit more than 110,000 seniors, a joint statement by the Ministry of Health, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Transport said on May 7.

The three ministries lead the AWN national initiative, which builds on ongoing Age Well SG efforts aimed at enabling seniors to age independently within their communities.

This is the start of an effort to make every neighbourhood a place to age well in – by strengthening the outreach to seniors to keep them active and socially connected; coordinating the work across different care providers to offer seniors one touchpoint in the community; and bringing healthcare closer to where they live.

Mr Ong Ye Kung, Singapore’s Coordinating Minister for Social Policies and Health Minister, said on May 7 that the AWNs will be supported by healthcare clusters.

NHG Health is supporting the Toa Payoh AWN, SingHealth will be supporting the Bedok and Tiong Bahru-Redhill ones, and the National University Health System will support Bukit Panjang.

“That way, our healthcare clusters can quickly build up the experience and capabilities to support AWNs, and work with the community care sector, and then once they learn the ropes, (the clusters) can scale up (AWNs’) work even further,” he said during the Agency for Integrated Care’s (AIC) Community Care Work Plan Seminar 2026 at the Sands Expo and Convention Centre.

AWNs are designed to bolster community-based support for seniors. They will feature a variety of improvements across the four main Age Well SG components: active ageing centres (AACs), enhanced Home Personal Care (HPC+), community health posts (CHPs) and senior-friendly infrastructure.

The AACs in AWNs will offer more active ageing programmes and open satellite centres, or so-called AAC touchpoints, to bring services closer to seniors’ homes. There are more than 230 AACs today. They are no longer just centres that run activities for seniors, but places where seniors step up to lead.

“In many AACs, seniors are the ones who open and close the (centre). They help to keep it going, even after office hours. They deliver meals. They serve as medical escorts and befriend those who need extra help,” he said.

“Volunteering to help others... is one of the best forms of active ageing, and a key focus area for us.”

At home, frail seniors can benefit from the expanded suite of services available through HPC+. New features include care staff based within AWNs, who can assist eligible seniors with activities relating to daily living needs.

Mr Eugene Yuen, deputy group head of TOUCH Elderly Group at TOUCH Community Services, which provides HPC+ services in Toa Payoh, said the new service will be piloted in Toa Payoh, with a team of four staff working in shifts.

“Seniors in Toa Payoh will have the added benefit of receiving 24/7 unscheduled personal care support, which might include diaper changes or bathing. They will also receive timely help,” he added.

Seniors in AWNs can also access health services like chronic disease management and medication reviews at CHPs, which are manned by health teams led by nurses and often located at or near an AAC.

Selected CHPs will be enhanced to better serve residents by opening weekly, instead of fortnightly or monthly, and offering an expanded scope of health services.

Mr Ong said that in this initial phase, the CHPs’ work is focused on population and preventive health. The healthcare clusters are trying out different initiatives, such as delivering health talks, giving general health advice, providing medication management support, and conducting geriatric assessments like frailty tests.

Residents can schedule an appointment or walk in for basic health assessments, health advice, or assistance with accessing healthcare schemes and services.

AWNs will undergo infrastructure upgrades to ensure environments are more senior-friendly and accessible for older residents.

Within AWNs, roads that are near key amenities will be transformed into “Friendly Streets” to make them safer and more convenient for seniors. Such roads will have 40kmh speed limits and road humps, be narrower to slow vehicles down, and even have longer “green man” pedestrian crossing times.

The three ministries also highlighted the enhancements to the Toa Payoh AWN, such as expanded HPC+ offerings like more timely support from the second half of 2026.

Active Ageing Group at Care Corner operates the majority of the AACs in Toa Payoh and is adding six satellite locations or touchpoints there.

Ms Sharon Tang, the group’s deputy director, said it aims to add the first AAC touchpoint by December, while working on drawing seniors to the AACs.

“We want to get like-minded seniors with similar interests to form micro-communities at the AACs. They can also invite their friends to grow the group, and then we can guide them to run the group on their own,” she said.

One centre has already started a brisk walking group, which attracted 30 seniors earlier in 2026, she added.

The three ministries said the features for the Bedok, Bukit Panjang and Tiong Bahru-Redhill AWNs will be implemented progressively from 2026. For instance, enhanced CHPs have started operations in Bedok and Tiong Bahru-Redhill, with Bukit Panjang to follow in September.

Additional AAC touchpoints will open in the next two years, and expanded HPC+ offerings 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.

In his speech, Mr Ong said that the Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Health will slow down the launch of community care apartments (CCAs) because of reduced demand for these purpose-built HDB apartments that are paired with care services and social activities. Previously, there were plans to launch up to 30 such projects across Singapore by 2030.

“When they were first launched, (CCAs) were very popular, with many applications. However, over the years, with more assisted living options and improvements to community care for seniors, the demand has come down and moderated very significantly,” he said.

HDB has launched five CCA projects in Bukit Batok, Queenstown, Bedok, Geylang and Sengkang, and the next CCA in Toa Payoh will be launched in October.

Currently, CCA residents pay a fee for a basic service package comprising curated active ageing programmes and on-site care services.

As there are similarities between subsidised long-term care services and this package, the subsidies will be aligned, which will make this package more affordable for eligible CCA residents. More details will be shared when ready, Mr Ong said.