SINGAPORE: The government will spend more than S$500 million over the next five years to build more eldercare facilities to support the needs of an increasing ageing population.
Sites to build 10 nursing homes, 21 Senior Care Centres (SCCs), and 45 Senior Activity Centres (SACs) by 2016 were revealed on Friday in a joint release by the Health Ministry and the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports.
The Health Ministry said it's important to plan ahead for aged care facilities to serve every neighbourhood, in the same way that childcare, community centres and other amenities to support the population's needs.
Mr Tan Tau Tin takes five minutes to walk from his home to visit his mother at the Man Fut Tong Nursing Home in Woodlands.
The close proximity allows him to visit his mother daily and he said having a nursing home is very important to elderly residents like himself who needs it.
Like Mr Tan, more Singaporeans will also benefit from having more eldercare facilities in their neighbourhood.
Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong said: "Our goal is to eventually make every neighbourhood a senior friendly neighbourhood, by having aged care facilities that can provide accessible care to seniors living all over the island. Many of these seniors are our pioneers, our parents and our grandparents. We too will age. So this investment in aged care facilities is for Singapore and for our future."
A population trend report showed that the proportion of elderly aged 65 years and over was generally higher among Singapore residents staying in older estates.
And so the new nursing homes will be in areas such as Yishun, Jurong West, Geylang, Hougang and Queenstown which will also have senior activity and senior care centres.
The 10 nursing homes will add an estimated 3,300 beds to Singapore's existing nursing home capacity of 9,000.
The government hopes that by locating the nursing homes within the community, it would make it more convenient for families to visit seniors in these nursing homes. It will also help to better complement the range of healthcare services within the community such as hospitals, clinics and day rehabilitation centres......
Sites to build 10 nursing homes, 21 Senior Care Centres (SCCs), and 45 Senior Activity Centres (SACs) by 2016 were revealed on Friday in a joint release by the Health Ministry and the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports.
The Health Ministry said it's important to plan ahead for aged care facilities to serve every neighbourhood, in the same way that childcare, community centres and other amenities to support the population's needs.
Mr Tan Tau Tin takes five minutes to walk from his home to visit his mother at the Man Fut Tong Nursing Home in Woodlands.
The close proximity allows him to visit his mother daily and he said having a nursing home is very important to elderly residents like himself who needs it.
Like Mr Tan, more Singaporeans will also benefit from having more eldercare facilities in their neighbourhood.
Minister for Health Gan Kim Yong said: "Our goal is to eventually make every neighbourhood a senior friendly neighbourhood, by having aged care facilities that can provide accessible care to seniors living all over the island. Many of these seniors are our pioneers, our parents and our grandparents. We too will age. So this investment in aged care facilities is for Singapore and for our future."
A population trend report showed that the proportion of elderly aged 65 years and over was generally higher among Singapore residents staying in older estates.
And so the new nursing homes will be in areas such as Yishun, Jurong West, Geylang, Hougang and Queenstown which will also have senior activity and senior care centres.
The 10 nursing homes will add an estimated 3,300 beds to Singapore's existing nursing home capacity of 9,000.
The government hopes that by locating the nursing homes within the community, it would make it more convenient for families to visit seniors in these nursing homes. It will also help to better complement the range of healthcare services within the community such as hospitals, clinics and day rehabilitation centres......
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