Living Environment

Senior-friendly living environment

To promote active ageing and help seniors move about more safely and comfortably, we will enhance the living environment in both HDB precincts and private residential estates. This makes it easier and safer for seniors to engage in their daily activities and stay active.

Within homes

We are offering a wider range of senior-friendly fittings under the Enhancement for Active Seniors (EASE) programme, to enable seniors to move safely and confidently within their homes. These include bidet sprays, foldable U-profile grab bars and lowered toilet entrance kerbs.

Eligible HDB flat owners can apply for these fittings at highly subsidised rates when their flats undergo the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) or through direct application on HDB InfoWeb.

Singapore Citizen households living in private properties, with at least one senior, can apply for the EASE (Private) programme. Eligible households will each receive $1,200 in vouchers to offset 75% of the cost of selected senior-friendly fittings purchased from appointed contractors. Apply online by visiting the EASE (Private) website.

To better support low-income and vulnerable seniors who may lack family support, we will extend the wireless Alert Alarm System (AAS) to all seniors aged 60 and above living in about 170 public rental blocks. This was rolled out progressively since January 2025 and will benefit around 26,800 more seniors.

At HDB precincts and private residential estates

At the neighbourhood level, we will continue to build more senior-friendly amenities that will better support seniors to age in place.  

Possible enhancements include fitness trails, barrier-free access ramps and rest points, and dementia-friendly features to improve way-finding. These upgrading initiatives will complement Healthier SG to support seniors in leading an active lifestyle and will be gradually implemented over the next 5 years.

Residents across Singapore can look forward to these enhancements when their estates undergo the Silver Upgrading Programme (SUP) or Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) for HDB estates, or Estate Upgrading Programme for private estates. We will also introduce therapeutic landscapes, such as therapeutic gardens and contemplative landscapes, in our parks where possible, under the National Parks Board’s Parks for Health Framework.   

Housing options for seniors

HDB currently provides various housing options for seniors, such as 2-room Flexi flats with shorter leases and the Community Care Apartment, which is senior-friendly housing paired with care services to enable seniors with low to moderate care needs to age independently.

Seniors living in Community Care Apartments will be supported by a care team who will organise activities and provide basic health checks, assistance with simple household fixes, as well as round-the-clock emergency response service.

To find out more about the CCAs, click here.

Friendly Streets

The green road markings serve to remind motorists that they are entering a "Friendly Street" and they should lower their speed and look out for pedestrians.

Raised zebra crossings act as a hump to slow down vehicles. The added elevation also makes crossing pedestrians more visible to motorists

With the Friendly Streets initiative, MOT is doing more to further enhance safety and convenience for residents, especially seniors, to move around their neighbourhoods, and encourage more active lifestyles.

Launched in 2023 by MOT, the initiative aims to make the walking and cycling experience to markets, hawker centres and MRT stations in neighbourhoods even more comfortable, convenient and safe. All five pilot sites – Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Batok West, Tampines, Toa Payoh and West Coast - which are near key amenities and see high pedestrian flows, have been completed.

At Friendly Streets, speed limits are lowered to 40km/h and are complemented with traffic calming measures such as road humps and narrower roads to slow down vehicles. There are also pedestrian-friendly features like longer and more frequent green man time to cross roads, raised zebra crossings and barrier-free pedestrian crossings such as kerbless crossings. These features make it easier for our seniors and families with young children to get around.

Building on the positive feedback from our pilot sites, we are expanding the Friendly Streets initiative to all towns by 2030. We have completed engagements and are progressively starting infrastructure works for the  10 Friendly Streets announced in 2024 . We will take into account learning points from the pilot locations, and continue to work closely with the local communities as we implement Friendly Streets in more towns.  

In 2025, we launched 15 more locations islandwide. These locations include both public and private estates and have a higher proportion of seniors and/or young families who will benefit greatly from the convenience and having safer roads. 

Enhanced Commuter Infrastructure

In support of Age Well SG, we will enhance our commuter infrastructure, to make walking to key public transport nodes more convenient, comfortable and accessible, especially for seniors. Residents will benefit from more covered linkways, upgraded bus stops with senior-friendly features, and more pedestrian overhead bridges with lifts. Besides helping seniors stay socially connected and active, these will create more comfortable and safer commutes for all.

Senior-friendly bus stop at Ang Mo Kio

More bus stops will be upgraded with senior-friendly features such as seats with a backrest or arm rest. Other features such as wheelchair accessibility and back or side panels at the bus stop as rain screens for better weather protection will make it more comfortable for seniors when they are waiting for a bus.

More covered linkways to key transport nodes & amenities

LTA will be building covered linkways to connect MRT stations to Friendly Streets and key amenities that are largely within an 800-metre radius of major transport nodes. 

More lifts at pedestrian overhead bridges

LTA has been retrofitting lifts for pedestrian overhead bridges near major transport nodes and healthcare institutions. Going forward, we will expand our coverage to retrofit more POBs at areas with many seniors.