Ageing in place – Lessons from Queenstown
Queenstown is Singapore’s first satellite town and has one of the oldest populations in Singapore, with almost one out of every four Singaporeans aged 65 and above living there. It was designated as the pilot site for the development of a health district in October 2021.
The Government has intended it to be a testing ground to trial integrated solutions that enhance the health and well-being of Queenstown residents throughout their various life stages.
These include the rejuvenation of existing precincts to create more senior-friendly neighbourhoods, with amenities like therapeutic gardens, exercise trails and new fitness equipment to promote active ageing, social interaction and intergenerational bonding.
With a growing preference among the elderly for ageing in place, the Government has also launched community care apartments (CCA) for home buyers aged 65 and above. This is an assisted living public housing option that gives seniors access to care services, social activities and amenities.
The first batch of such apartments, in Bukit Batok, went on sale in February 2021. In November 2022, about 240 apartments were launched in Queenstown as part of the Queensway Canopy Build-To-Order development situated in the Queenstown health district.
These are built alongside blocks of three-room and four-room flats and aim to promote intergenerational bonding and foster inclusivity within the wider community. They are paired with essential services such as 24-hour emergency monitoring and response, and basic health checks.
Seniors who require help with their activities of daily living, or household services such as meal delivery, laundry and housekeeping, may opt in for these services at additional cost. With care services that can be scaled according to the individual’s care needs, the CCAs will facilitate seniors to age in place independently. Queensway Canopy will also feature a Social and Wellness Hub, located beside the CCA block.
The Queenstown health district also established Singapore’s first Ibasho project, led by Associate Professor Emi Kiyota of NUS, in partnership with non-profit community care service, FaithActs.
Ibasho means “a place where you can feel like yourself” in Japanese, and advocates the recognition of older persons as valuable assets to their community.
A new Active Ageing Centre is being developed by FaithActs, integrating Ibasho’s eight principles: elder wisdom, normalcy, demarginalisation, community ownership, multigenerational, culturally appropriate, resilience and embracing imperfection.
Queenstown residents are actively involved in planning this centre’s development, giving them a purposeful life and motivating them to do things, such as encouraging them to volunteer and contribute to the community.
Mr Eric Chua, Senior Parliamentary Secretary for Social and Family Development, as well as Culture, Community and Youth, said social isolation will be a growing problem if older people are not engaged and seen as assets, or able to continue contributing to family and society.
“Several factors would need to be addressed – ageism, poor health, financial insecurity, weak social networks, not working, difficulty with accessing public transport, the digital divide and fear of using digital technology due to scams,” said Mr Chua, who is MP for Queenstown in Tanjong Pagar GRC.
Otherwise, Singapore’s fast-ageing population is likely to bring to mind the Beatles’ song Eleanor Rigby, with its plaintive questions:
All the lonely people
Where do they all come from?
All the lonely people
Where do they all belong?