What’s New About Growing Old in Singapore
Senior citizens in Singapore want to stay healthy, independent, and with a better quality of life in their sunset years. Companies here are rising to the challenge of meetings these needs
Thanks to improved educational levels and greater affluence, senior citizens of today have different wants and needs from those of yesteryear. According to Aging Asia’s Ms. Janice Chia, this group of elderly, educated and affluent individuals want to look after themselves. They don’t want to be a burden on their children. They want freedom; they don’t want their children to question where they go,” she says. “The baby boomer generation have the savings, and they are taking the time to manage their health. They are focused on longevity and about their quality of health.” That is why Ms. Chia set up Aspire55, which she described as a virtual retirement village. The idea is to create a community around a club. Aspire55 operates a 900-sqft clubhouse in Commonwealth Lane, which has floor-to-ceiling windows and a balcony where herbs grow from pots. The clubhouse has a gym with equipment from Finland that is designed for older users. It also has trainers who are focused on helping seniors get fit. The gym, however, is really a Trojan horse, according to Ms. Chia. The aim is to attract older people to the gym so that friendships form and communities develop.
The concept appears to be working. The club organises over 100 activities a year, with food-related things being very popular. “We have a lot of pot lucks,” she says. Some of the club members also conduct cooking lessons so that they can earn money by teaching others. Ageing baby boomers are also interested in travel. “Baby boomers travel three to four times a year,” notes Ms. Chia. In addition to sightseeing, they are also going on holistic wellness holidays as well, such as yoga retreats. To date, Aspire55 has organized trips to Okinawa, as well as a food tour to Malacca.
BETTER FACILITIES, BETTER ACTIVITIES
Of course, these activities are aimed at those who are still able. For those who are less able but are well-heeled, there are premium services that are springing up to meet their needs. Hovi Club is a senior activity center that takes up a 2,000-sqft space in Turf City and offers clients the option to groom and feed horses or do aqua therapy. Meals are individualized to the taste of clients, who also have the freedom to choose which activities to take part in and when. “With our Finnish roots, we believe that the difference in care comes from the individual attention,” says Mr. Jussi Peltonen, the founder of Hovi Care
Singapore. “Our aim is to facilitate a host of choices: the clients can choose from a variety of activities they enjoy. Choice is an important feature of self-determination, and our role is to facilitate that decision making to the fullest.” Some long-term care facilities are offering a higher quality of life for those who want and can afford it. St. Bernadette’s offers an assisted living facility for those who need some assistance with activities for daily living, but who don’t need nursing care. The facility is set in a single-storey bungalow which has a living area, a dining area and an outdoor space. The dining area also has a kitchenette, which allows residents to do light cooking. The eight air-conditioned ensuite rooms offer modern conveniences such as WiFi and television sets. Dr. Belinda Wee, the founder of St Bernadette’s, is particularly proud of the fact that each room has an attached bathroom. “After people have worked all their lives, it’s not too much for them to expect to have a toilet attached to their room, especially in a first-world country like ours,” she says. Residents are not trapped within the facility either. “We bring them on the MRT to shop at Toa Payoh Hub, and to the Botanic Gardens to exercise.” In addition, the residents have also gone on holidays abroad; they have travelled as far as Kuala Lumpur and Cameron Highlands. Allium Healthcare Holding’s 129-bed nursing home will open in 2019, and promises more privacy than the traditional nursing home.
“We have single rooms, companion rooms and executive rooms, which come with their own living room and open terrace for clients to entertain friends, family and enjoy greater privacy,” says Mr. Bernie Poh, Allium’s chief executive. “Our clients will enjoy dining menu options and an all-day snack bar, partake in communal cooking if they wish, rooftop gardening, scheduled excursions and recreational activities they choose to have. We will also organize programs in a more intimate group settings.”
THE IMPACT OF TECHNOLOGY
In their quest to provide better services, companies in the industry are embracing technology. At its Adam Road facility, St. Bernadette has found Amazon’s Alexa devices to be valuable for clients. “We have blind seniors who use Alexa for music, to reach the nurse or to call their families. They feel connected thanks to the technology,” says Dr. Wee. Apart from smart speakers, the Adam Road facility is also leveraging on sensors, which have been installed in the toilets and rooms. There are even bed sensors that can monitor respiratory rates. These sensors are customizable so that they can be tailored to the specific habits of their clients. Sensor technology is not restricted to highend nursing homes though. Australianlisted HomeStay Care has built an Internet-
of-things platform to create an intelligent home that monitors seniors in a non-intrusive manner. The company has rolled out its platform in Australia, and it is now doing trials in Singapore. In Australia, the sensors are sold as a way to enable seniors to age in place and live independently. Mr. Aga Manhao, the chief executive, says that even in multi-generational homes in Singapore, there is a lot of demand. “When they are at work, the monitors provide peace of mind for families,” he says. Technology is also being deployed in the home care sector. Apart from making it easier to find a caregiver, companies such as Homage have created a platform where caregivers can provide real-time updates on how a client is doing to the rest of the family. This provides peace of mind. Caregivers can also use an app to clock in, to provide care summaries, and access case notes. All this helps them to provide better care.