SINGAPORE: Five times a day, a care worker visits 94-year-old Madam Ong to help her with showering and using the toilet.
The apartment is cleaned daily, her laundry is done thrice a week and the toilets are cleaned weekly.
This is a different lifestyle from what Mdm Ong and her husband, Mr Lam, were used to. Until nine months ago, they lived in a two-storey house in Katong. But their declining mobility and increasing care needs made things difficult.
So when the opportunity came to move into a community care apartment at Harmony Village in Bukit Batok, they took it.
Community care apartments are an assisted living public housing concept that integrates senior-friendly housing design with on-site care and services. The first units were launched for sale in 2021 and the residents collected their keys from October 2024.
In his National Day Rally speech on Aug 17, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said a new Age Well Neighbourhoods initiative for seniors will start in Toa Payoh, along with “one or two” other areas with a higher concentration of seniors.
He said community care apartments cannot be “the main solution”, as there is a limit to how many of such apartments can be built and many seniors do not want to move out of their homes.
But “essential elements” from community care apartments can be used in the new initiative.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Sunday (Aug 24) said that for areas with a higher density of seniors, the government is conceptualising permanent posts for home personal care services, with teams located there. The Age Well Neighbourhoods scheme will eventually be implemented islandwide.
Dr Tan Woan Shin, director of research at the Geriatric Education and Research Institute, said that seniors are “diverse rather than homogenous”, with different healthcare and social needs as well as preferences.
“Having a greater range of supportive services that cater to older adults across different housing types is key to ageing in place,” she added.
Mdm Ong and Mr Lam in their flat at Harmony Village on Aug 20, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Tan Wen Lin)
Singapore is likely to attain super-aged status – where 21 per cent or more of the population is aged 65 and above – by next year.
Associate Professor Wee Shiou Liang from the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) said the Age Well Neighbourhoods initiative is “another necessary option” to complement other types of elderly care.
“The challenge is to have the environment and care where people feel (they) belong and have autonomy, even when health declines and support needs increase,” he added.
The line between community care and residential care - for example, nursing homes - is blurring. Nursing homes provide the highest level of support for those who need help with three or more daily activities.
This is where community care apartments and Age Well Neighbourhoods differ from nursing homes.
In the first, seniors can move into such apartments and choose the services they need or want. In Age Well Neighbourhoods, care comes to your current home.
“Age Well Neighbourhoods try to provide a higher level of health and personal care in the home, but it may come to a point where moving to a nursing home becomes necessary,” said Assoc Prof Wee.
Harmony Village, the first community care apartments in Singapore, Aug 20, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Tan Wen Lin)
Residents at community care apartments can pick and choose the services they need, but it comes at a cost.
For Mdm Ong and Mr Lam, that amounts to about S$400 (US$312) a month. “We’re old already, our children have their own families and jobs. We try not to be a burden to them,” Mr Lam said.
The mandatory package for residents in such apartments includes basic health checks and 24-hour emergency service response.
There is a community health post on-site, supported by St Luke’s Hospital, where residents can get basic health assessments, chronic disease monitoring and medication reminders, among others, with no additional charges.
The sessions are held once every two weeks, and community nurses can help residents connect with appropriate services and support.
For emergency services, each apartment comes with two wireless emergency call buttons that residents can place anywhere at home.
In the past months, residents have triggered the emergency call for various reasons, such as falls, panic attacks, or giddiness, said Harmony Village operator Vanguard Healthcare.
“Touch wood, we’ve never had to use the emergency services. But we’re very lucky, everything is very convenient,” Mr Lam said. “When we have any concerns or worries, we know how to get help.”
Bathroom of a unit in Harmony Village on Aug 20, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Tan Wen Lin)
For retired healthcare worker Madam Ng, moving into her community care apartment six months ago was a “big adjustment” from her previous home in Simei.
Living alone with no help was no longer an option for her, especially following a fall that left her shaken.
But instead of engaging Vanguard Healthcare, which she felt was “too expensive”, Mdm Ng chose to arrange for cleaning services through the Agency for Integrated Care.
For S$4.50 an hour, she receives help with basic household chores such as washing the toilet, sweeping and mopping the floor.
“At least I don’t have to do so much housework,” the 74-year-old said, rubbing the wrist she injured three months ago.
The experts noted that seniors have varying preferences regarding the type of care they receive.
Some elderly people are open to moving early to residential care, such as nursing homes or community care apartments, while others prefer to stay where they are and access services instead, said SUSS’ Associate Professor Wee.
“With declining health, it may get harder to get used to the necessary adjustments when moving to a less familiar environment. So Age Well Neighbourhoods can be timely to meet the needs of these people,” he added.
Dr Tan said that seniors can choose the housing option that best suits them depending on their health conditions, family situation and the type and level of assistance needed.
“It could also depend on whether they are ready to move since such transitions can be significant, involving both practical and emotional adjustments,” she said.
“Different long-term care arrangements can be suitable at different times and for different groups.”
Vanguard Healthcare said Harmony Village’s residents span a wide age range and care profiles – some are healthy and independent, while others require additional support.
A majority of them live alone, but some have family members staying nearby.
“Currently, most residents are relatively healthy, but as they age, their care needs are expected to evolve, and the community care apartment model provides the flexibility to support them in continuing to live comfortably in their own homes,” it said.
The basic service package includes basic health checks and 24-hour emergency response. It also gives residents access to communal spaces and organised activities.
The basic package also covers arranging add-on care and support services, as well as simple home fixes, but additional charges may apply.
Residents can pay on a monthly basis, but they will need to put down a one-year security deposit at the start of the lease. This deposit is refundable.
The monthly payment is S$159 to S$169.
They can also choose to pay every three years, on an advance basis. This comes up to S$5,940 to S$6,300 for three years.
For residents who require care support or assistance with daily activities, there are two packages under the Shared Caregiving Service.
The first comes with up to 12 hours of services per week, at S$1,100 per month before subsidy, while the second offers up to 24 hours of services per week, at S$2,200 per month before subsidy.
The Health Ministry provides up to 80 per cent subsidy for this service, subject to the national means test.
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Mdm Ching takes her blood pressure in her flat at Harmony Village on Aug 20, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Tan Wen Lin)
One difference between Age Well Neighbourhoods and community care apartments is a sense of familiarity.
Age Well Neighbourhoods will allow seniors to continue living in their community, but residents in community care apartments are strangers when they first move in.
Vanguard Healthcare told CNA that community building is a “core component” of its work.
There is a calendar of activities, from exercise sessions and wellness talks, to board games and festive celebrations.
“We also weave in ice-breaking and social bridging elements within these activities, so that residents can form interest groups, explore new hobbies, and build lasting friendships,” said the operator.
“For those who are less active or at risk of isolation, our team also conducts home visits and regular check-ins, encouraging them to stay engaged and connected.”
Mr Lam said he keeps himself busy with daily activities, which include playing carrom, mahjong and other games.
Exercise sessions have aided Mdm Ng’s recovery from a wrist injury she suffered. It also gives her a chance to socialise with neighbours from other floors.
When announcing the Age Well Neighbourhoods initiative, Mr Wong said the government does not want seniors to live in “separate isolated places”.
People would like to age in an environment that continues to “provide connectedness, autonomy, meaning and joy”, said Assoc Prof Wee.
At a residential care facility such as a nursing home, services tend to be operationally easier, timely and more cost-effective, compared to a person’s home.
However, Age Well Neighbourhoods can be organised with better coordination and a wider range of home health and personal care while leveraging on technology, he added.
“This is a gradual paradigm change in that care goes to the people rather than people move into residential care,” he added.
For years, 76-year-old Madam Ching rented a room in a flat. But she now has her own home at Harmony Village. Since moving in nine months ago, she said she has felt “very good (and) very happy”.
Her social circle has expanded, and her days are filled with exercises, reading newspapers and playing board games.
The strong community spirit has also given her a deeper sense of belonging, she said, highlighting that there’s a “kampung lunch” every week where neighbours cook or buy food to share.
Dr Tan said it is important to study different community-based care models, alongside housing models such as community care apartments, so that “we can better understand how to build and sustain supportive environments for our older adults”.
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The apartment is cleaned daily, her laundry is done thrice a week and the toilets are cleaned weekly.
This is a different lifestyle from what Mdm Ong and her husband, Mr Lam, were used to. Until nine months ago, they lived in a two-storey house in Katong. But their declining mobility and increasing care needs made things difficult.
So when the opportunity came to move into a community care apartment at Harmony Village in Bukit Batok, they took it.
Community care apartments are an assisted living public housing concept that integrates senior-friendly housing design with on-site care and services. The first units were launched for sale in 2021 and the residents collected their keys from October 2024.
In his National Day Rally speech on Aug 17, Prime Minister Lawrence Wong said a new Age Well Neighbourhoods initiative for seniors will start in Toa Payoh, along with “one or two” other areas with a higher concentration of seniors.
He said community care apartments cannot be “the main solution”, as there is a limit to how many of such apartments can be built and many seniors do not want to move out of their homes.
But “essential elements” from community care apartments can be used in the new initiative.
Health Minister Ong Ye Kung on Sunday (Aug 24) said that for areas with a higher density of seniors, the government is conceptualising permanent posts for home personal care services, with teams located there. The Age Well Neighbourhoods scheme will eventually be implemented islandwide.
Dr Tan Woan Shin, director of research at the Geriatric Education and Research Institute, said that seniors are “diverse rather than homogenous”, with different healthcare and social needs as well as preferences.
“Having a greater range of supportive services that cater to older adults across different housing types is key to ageing in place,” she added.
Mdm Ong and Mr Lam in their flat at Harmony Village on Aug 20, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Tan Wen Lin)
COMMUNITY CARE VS NURSING HOMES
Singapore is likely to attain super-aged status – where 21 per cent or more of the population is aged 65 and above – by next year.
Associate Professor Wee Shiou Liang from the Singapore University of Social Sciences (SUSS) said the Age Well Neighbourhoods initiative is “another necessary option” to complement other types of elderly care.
“The challenge is to have the environment and care where people feel (they) belong and have autonomy, even when health declines and support needs increase,” he added.
The line between community care and residential care - for example, nursing homes - is blurring. Nursing homes provide the highest level of support for those who need help with three or more daily activities.
This is where community care apartments and Age Well Neighbourhoods differ from nursing homes.
In the first, seniors can move into such apartments and choose the services they need or want. In Age Well Neighbourhoods, care comes to your current home.
“Age Well Neighbourhoods try to provide a higher level of health and personal care in the home, but it may come to a point where moving to a nursing home becomes necessary,” said Assoc Prof Wee.
Harmony Village, the first community care apartments in Singapore, Aug 20, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Tan Wen Lin)
DIFFERENT CARE NEEDS
Residents at community care apartments can pick and choose the services they need, but it comes at a cost.
For Mdm Ong and Mr Lam, that amounts to about S$400 (US$312) a month. “We’re old already, our children have their own families and jobs. We try not to be a burden to them,” Mr Lam said.
The mandatory package for residents in such apartments includes basic health checks and 24-hour emergency service response.
There is a community health post on-site, supported by St Luke’s Hospital, where residents can get basic health assessments, chronic disease monitoring and medication reminders, among others, with no additional charges.
The sessions are held once every two weeks, and community nurses can help residents connect with appropriate services and support.
For emergency services, each apartment comes with two wireless emergency call buttons that residents can place anywhere at home.
In the past months, residents have triggered the emergency call for various reasons, such as falls, panic attacks, or giddiness, said Harmony Village operator Vanguard Healthcare.
“Touch wood, we’ve never had to use the emergency services. But we’re very lucky, everything is very convenient,” Mr Lam said. “When we have any concerns or worries, we know how to get help.”
Bathroom of a unit in Harmony Village on Aug 20, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Tan Wen Lin)
For retired healthcare worker Madam Ng, moving into her community care apartment six months ago was a “big adjustment” from her previous home in Simei.
Living alone with no help was no longer an option for her, especially following a fall that left her shaken.
But instead of engaging Vanguard Healthcare, which she felt was “too expensive”, Mdm Ng chose to arrange for cleaning services through the Agency for Integrated Care.
For S$4.50 an hour, she receives help with basic household chores such as washing the toilet, sweeping and mopping the floor.
“At least I don’t have to do so much housework,” the 74-year-old said, rubbing the wrist she injured three months ago.
The experts noted that seniors have varying preferences regarding the type of care they receive.
Some elderly people are open to moving early to residential care, such as nursing homes or community care apartments, while others prefer to stay where they are and access services instead, said SUSS’ Associate Professor Wee.
“With declining health, it may get harder to get used to the necessary adjustments when moving to a less familiar environment. So Age Well Neighbourhoods can be timely to meet the needs of these people,” he added.
Dr Tan said that seniors can choose the housing option that best suits them depending on their health conditions, family situation and the type and level of assistance needed.
“It could also depend on whether they are ready to move since such transitions can be significant, involving both practical and emotional adjustments,” she said.
“Different long-term care arrangements can be suitable at different times and for different groups.”
Vanguard Healthcare said Harmony Village’s residents span a wide age range and care profiles – some are healthy and independent, while others require additional support.
A majority of them live alone, but some have family members staying nearby.
“Currently, most residents are relatively healthy, but as they age, their care needs are expected to evolve, and the community care apartment model provides the flexibility to support them in continuing to live comfortably in their own homes,” it said.
Residents' basic service package
The basic service package includes basic health checks and 24-hour emergency response. It also gives residents access to communal spaces and organised activities.
The basic package also covers arranging add-on care and support services, as well as simple home fixes, but additional charges may apply.
Residents can pay on a monthly basis, but they will need to put down a one-year security deposit at the start of the lease. This deposit is refundable.
The monthly payment is S$159 to S$169.
They can also choose to pay every three years, on an advance basis. This comes up to S$5,940 to S$6,300 for three years.
For residents who require care support or assistance with daily activities, there are two packages under the Shared Caregiving Service.
The first comes with up to 12 hours of services per week, at S$1,100 per month before subsidy, while the second offers up to 24 hours of services per week, at S$2,200 per month before subsidy.
The Health Ministry provides up to 80 per cent subsidy for this service, subject to the national means test.
Collapse Expand
Mdm Ching takes her blood pressure in her flat at Harmony Village on Aug 20, 2025. (Photo: CNA/Tan Wen Lin)
FINDING A NEW COMMUNITY
One difference between Age Well Neighbourhoods and community care apartments is a sense of familiarity.
Age Well Neighbourhoods will allow seniors to continue living in their community, but residents in community care apartments are strangers when they first move in.
Vanguard Healthcare told CNA that community building is a “core component” of its work.
There is a calendar of activities, from exercise sessions and wellness talks, to board games and festive celebrations.
“We also weave in ice-breaking and social bridging elements within these activities, so that residents can form interest groups, explore new hobbies, and build lasting friendships,” said the operator.
“For those who are less active or at risk of isolation, our team also conducts home visits and regular check-ins, encouraging them to stay engaged and connected.”
Mr Lam said he keeps himself busy with daily activities, which include playing carrom, mahjong and other games.
Exercise sessions have aided Mdm Ng’s recovery from a wrist injury she suffered. It also gives her a chance to socialise with neighbours from other floors.
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When announcing the Age Well Neighbourhoods initiative, Mr Wong said the government does not want seniors to live in “separate isolated places”.
People would like to age in an environment that continues to “provide connectedness, autonomy, meaning and joy”, said Assoc Prof Wee.
At a residential care facility such as a nursing home, services tend to be operationally easier, timely and more cost-effective, compared to a person’s home.
However, Age Well Neighbourhoods can be organised with better coordination and a wider range of home health and personal care while leveraging on technology, he added.
“This is a gradual paradigm change in that care goes to the people rather than people move into residential care,” he added.
For years, 76-year-old Madam Ching rented a room in a flat. But she now has her own home at Harmony Village. Since moving in nine months ago, she said she has felt “very good (and) very happy”.
Her social circle has expanded, and her days are filled with exercises, reading newspapers and playing board games.
The strong community spirit has also given her a deeper sense of belonging, she said, highlighting that there’s a “kampung lunch” every week where neighbours cook or buy food to share.
Dr Tan said it is important to study different community-based care models, alongside housing models such as community care apartments, so that “we can better understand how to build and sustain supportive environments for our older adults”.
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