As the nation ages, Singapore offers more ways for seniors to live gracefully in the community

SINGAPORE – As Singapore’s population ages, the country is

diversifying the ways that senior citizens can be cared for,

with priority given to ageing in the community rather than institutions.

On Dec 10, the Government gave the green light to a

shared stay-in model for seniors,

in which several people can share a home and get support for daily living tasks, meals, housekeeping and social activities from a staff of caregivers.

An option like this offers an alternative to nursing homes, which look after seniors who need a greater level of care, or if they can no longer care for themselves but have no other living arrangements.

Ultimately, seniors should be able to transition from one care setting to another without too much delay or red tape. The Ministry of Health (MOH) will look into this, said Health Minister Ong Ye Kung.

One way, for example, is for service providers in various sub-regions to form an integrated community care provider scheme to better coordinate how seniors in the sub-region are cared for, said Mr Ong at the fifth anniversary of St Luke’s ElderCare’s (SLEC) Residential-based Services on Dec 10.

In addition, the Health Information Bill, which MOH will table in Parliament in January, will require data to be shared not just across clinical settings but also with community service providers, so seniors can be cared for seamlessly.

Here are some of the private and public options today:

Nursing homes

These offer a structured environment meant for seniors who require intensive medical care. While the homes may provide better living standards today, they remain institutions that necessarily limit the independence of seniors for safety reasons.

Singapore is increasing nursing home capacity from over 20,000 beds today to 31,000 beds in 2030.

The landscape of nursing homes is evolving, with an emphasis on creating spaces that feel less institutional and more homely.

SLEC’s first nursing home in Ang Mo Kio, for instance, has inviting communal areas – one with a wall of book-filled cases, and furnished with wooden pieces that evoke the Housing Board living-room style of the 1960s.

But while nursing homes continue to form a critical part of Singapore’s long-term care ecosystem catering to seniors with complex healthcare needs and severe disabilities, the Government’s objective is to reduce the reliance on them.

It now says that, wherever possible, seniors should get the support to lead active and independent lives in the community as the best way to delay frailty and promote well-being, said Mr Ong.

Assisted living

These are typically residential communities for seniors who can live independently with some help for daily tasks like bathing, dressing and taking medication, but do not need intensive medical care.

While assisted living in Western countries is usually part of a retirement community that also offers independent living, and nursing and palliative care, Singapore is keen to try assisted living in small groups through the Shared Stay-in Senior Caregiving Services.

MOH said these can be offered at existing public or private residential premises like HDB flats, condominiums or landed homes. In addition, they can be in purpose-built assisted living flats integrated with other social and wellness amenities.

The options offered by private operators typically involve several seniors sharing an HDB flat or a house. One is even located in a Joo Chiat Road shophouse.

The model was tested through a sandbox initiative that ran from 2023 with five companies – Red Crowns Senior Living, St Bernadette Lifestyle Village and its franchisees BlueAtria and Muein, and GROW. They served 232 clients as at end-September 2025, MOH said.

Depending on the operators’ model, the caregiving staff at assisted living facilities may live on-site or provide care through regular shifts.

More options are likely to emerge, now that interested companies can apply for support like additional foreign worker quotas for their assisted living operations.

Outside of the sandbox model, a luxury development offering 200 assisted living flats and 100 nursing home beds is slated to open by early 2026.

Assisted living models are a bridge between independent living and nursing homes, helping to delay entry into the latter.

Community care apartments

These are assisted living public housing blocks that pair senior-friendly housing design with on-site care services. They are meant for seniors aged 65 or older, who can choose to take up a lease ranging from 15 to 35 years, as long as it covers them till the age of 95.

Since February 2021, five of these HDB flat developments have been launched, of which one, in Bukit Batok, has been ready since October 2024. The second one, in Queenstown, is slated for completion in 2028.

Mr Ong said the Government has released land for the private sector to develop similar options.

Ageing at home

Seniors who live at home are generally cared for by family members or a foreign domestic worker.

In addition,

seniors may get various home care services

, including house visits by doctors, wound dressing and other care by nurses, meal delivery, rehabilitation, medical escort and transport.

Private home personal care, where a trained carer goes in to help a senior with daily tasks such as bathing, feeding and housekeeping, or conduct activities that help with mental stimulation, is also available.

Mr Ong said on Dec 10 that MOH will enhance the Home Personal Care service run by appointed providers, including certain social service agencies and private companies, to provide more frequent support to seniors who need help but choose to live in their own homes. This will be rolled out islandwide from early 2026.

In the community, other services include active ageing centres, community rehabilitation centres and daycare centres.