Ageing in place-is home modification a viable solution for Singapore?

Abstract

According the 1990 population census of Singapore, 9.5% of Singapore's population are aged 60 and above. By the year 2030, this proportion will increase to about 20%. Hence, it is pertinent to address the multifarious issues arising from Singapore's rapidly ageing population, especially in the area of housing. Although new housing options such as studio apartments are being provided by the public sector while a recently formed housing cooperative is developing retirement villages, hitherto both public and private initiatives to provide a safe and elderly-friendly living environment have been limited. Owing to the scarcity of land and resources in Singapore, it is unlikely that sufficient numbers of elderly-friendly housing could be provided for the rapidly aging population. Furthermore, with the majority of the elderly in Singapore preferring to age-in-place, it would appear that home modification, rather than new-built elderly housing, may be a more pragmatic and meaningful solution to the elderly Singaporeans' housing problems. Since 85% of the population of Singapore live in public housing, this paper examines the types of home modifications that could be carried out to the existing stock of public housing so as to create a suitable living environment for the elderly. In addition, the paper considers the housing finance predicaments of the elderly Singaporean and explores possible financing instruments that could be implemented to support home modifications for Singapore's greying population.