Seniors in over 80,000 private homes can tap subsidies for ageing-friendly fittings from April

SINGAPORE – Seniors living in private homes can take their turn to tap a subsidised scheme to outfit their homes with ageing-friendly features like grab bars and slip-resistant flooring, starting from April 1.

The

Enhancement for Active Seniors (EASE) programme

will be gradually offered to more than 80,000 households in private homes, starting with those that have household members aged 80 and above, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat on Feb 22.

Those aged 60 to 64 who require assistance with at least one activity of daily living such as bathing, going to the toilet and eating can also tap the scheme in the first round.

Under the programme, previously available only to Housing Board flat dwellers, seniors can install ageing-friendly fittings in their homes with the amount of government subsidy provided dependent on the type of home they own.

Eligible private property households – at least one household member must be Singaporean – will receive $1,200 in vouchers to offset 75 per cent of the installation cost for seven types of fittings.

For example, if the total cost of installing grab bars and slip-resistant flooring treatment is $800, seniors would need to pay only $200 out of pocket.

“And the remaining $600 you can keep, and you can use when you decide to install more if you need it,” Mr Chee said at a Chinese New Year celebration with residents of Braddell View condominium, which is within his ward in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.

This proportion of subsidy is lower than what is offered to HDB residents, whose subsidies range from 87.5 per cent for those in executive flats to 95 per cent for those in one- to three-room flats.

The extension of the programme

to private home residents was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at

Budget 2025

, more than a decade since EASE was introduced. The scheme will be available to these residents for three years, until 2029.

The Ministry of National Development (MND) said on Feb 22 that the programme will be introduced in phases to spread out the installation process.

After the first group from April 1, it will be extended to seniors aged 70 and above from July 1, and seniors aged 65 and above from Oct 1.

Eligible households will receive a mailer on how to apply for the programme. If their application is successful, households can engage a pre-qualified contractor to install the senior-friendly fittings available.

Prices after subsidy range from $16.35 for a bidet spray to $158.05 for a handrail.

Retired surveyor Richard Su, 79, said he would most likely opt for the grab bars, and intends to install them in the three toilets in his Braddell View condominium apartment.

Mr Su, who viewed the fittings at the event, said he now uses the towel racks in his toilet for support.

“The proper ones here look very sturdy,” he said, adding that the subsidised price of $130.80 for eight grab bars seemed reasonable.

Madam Premila Krishna, 78, said the announcement came at a good time as she had been considering installing grab bars in her toilet and kitchen to reduce the risk of falls.

“Sometimes, when I use the bathroom and I’m tired, I look for something to hold for support,” she said.

The homemaker said she would opt for the subsidised grab bars, handrails and slip-resistant flooring treatment as a preventative measure, though she does not currently have mobility issues.

The EASE programme was launched in July 2012 for HDB residents. There are 11 fittings under the scheme, including some that are not currently offered to private homes, such as those involving the widening of toilet entrances and lowering of toilet entrance kerbs.

MND said the different offerings took into account the popularity of items under the EASE programme for HDB residents, as well as items that require less customisation, as private properties vary in size and layout.

As at January 2025, about 340,000 households had tapped the scheme.