Living Environment

Senior-friendly living environment

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

Within HDB flats

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

Eligible flat owners can apply or opt for the new improvement items together with the Home Improvement Programme (HIP) or through the e-Service on HDB InfoWeb.

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 will benefit around 26, 800 more seniors.

The roll-out will commence from January 2025, and will cover three rental blocks per month, starting with those that have a higher number of seniors, such as in Bukit Merah and Kallang-Whampoa.

Within private residential properties

To support ageing-in-place, we also want to do more to allow our seniors living in private residential properties to engage in their daily activities safely and comfortably. Hence, MND will expand the EASE programme  to private residential properties.

Singapore Citizen households living in private properties, with at least one senior, ill be eligible to engage a contractor, to supply and install senior-friendly fittings that will be made available under the EASE (Private).

EASE (Private) will be rolled out as a three-year programme, and it is targeted to be launched by the first quarter of 2026. More details can be found on MND’s website.

At the HDB precincts and private residential estates

We will extend the fifth phase of the Neighbourhood Renewal Programme (NRP) to older HDB estates comprising blocks built up to 1999. This will benefit over 100,000 more flats. Under this new phase, we will also build more senior-friendly amenities that will better support seniors to age in place.

For older precincts that already underwent upgrading and are no longer eligible for further upgrading under the NRP, we will roll out similar senior-friendly enhancements to over 20 of such precincts in Ang Mo Kio, Bukit Merah, Queenstown and Toa Payoh over the next 5 years.

Possible enhancements include therapeutic gardens, 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.

Similar upgrading works will be carried out at selected older private residential estates, under the Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP). Additionally, we will identify and select estates with a higher concentration of seniors, including those that have benefited from EUP some time ago, for senior-friendly enhancements.

To provide more assisted living options for seniors to age in place, we will ramp up the supply of Community Care Apartments (CCAs). Seniors living in CCAs can enjoy convenient access to various amenities.

CCA is a public housing typology that pairs senior-friendly housing with on-site social activities and care services that can be customised according to the senior’s care needs. Seniors living in CCAs will be supported by a community manager who will facilitate light social programming, basic health checks, assistance with simple household fixes, and round-the-clock emergency response service.

The first CCA at Bukit Batok (Harmony Village) was completed in 2024.

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.