Written answer by Ministry of National Development on enhanced version of Estate Upgrading Programme for older provate estates to improve senior-friendly features

May 7, 2024

Question No: 5979

Question by: Ms Ng Ling Ling

To ask the Minister for National Development for older private estates which have completed the Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP), whether the Ministry can consider an enhanced version of EUP to further improve the living environment, including more senior-friendly features inside the homes for older residents in such estates, similar to the Home Improvement Programme II and Enhancement for Active Seniors Programme for public housing estates.

Answer:

The Age Well SG programme was launched last year to support seniors to age well in their communities and homes. As part of this programme, MND will enhance the living environment in both HDB precincts and private residential estates.

For private residential estates, MND will enhance the Estate Upgrading Programme (EUP) by expanding its scope to cover senior-friendly enhancements, such as rest points, barrier-free access ramps, active health fitness trails, and therapeutic gardens. This will allow older residents living in private estates selected for future batches of the EUP to enjoy an enhanced living environment and live a more active lifestyle. We will also introduce a new EUP for Silver Estates, where estates with a higher concentration of seniors, including those that have benefitted from EUP some time ago, may be selected for senior-friendly enhancements.

For common areas within private residential developments like condominiums, management corporations can tap on the Building and Construction Authority’s Accessibility Fund for co-funding to install senior-friendly features such as grab bars for toilets, wheelchair-accessible toilets, and ramps in common areas within their compounds.

For senior-friendly features within homes, HDB’s Home Improvement Programme (HIP) and Enhancement for Active Seniors (EASE) 2.0 programme cover a range of enhancements tailored for HDB flats, which are more standardised. In contrast, the designs and layouts of private homes vary greatly. As such, we will continue to study how seniors living in private homes can be better supported to age well within their homes.