PUBLIC RENTAL HOUSING AND HOME MODIFICATIONS : IMPROVING LIFE SATISFACTION AMONG THE ELDERLY

Abstract

There are 44,000 public rental units across Singapore, of which, 40% are occupied by elderly households and 28.4% are occupied by future elderly households. Satisfaction with life among the elderly residing in public rental housing deserves comparably more attention as social housing is not a luxurious choice of accommodation, but the last safety net for a basic shelter. Therefore, this paper attempts to ascertain the home modifications required by the elderly living in public housing, as well as factors which are significant in affecting their life satisfaction. The research extends to determine if home modifications made to public rental housing can improve the life satisfaction among the elderly.

After a review of the relevant literature and statistical analyses of a survey of 403 elderly residing in public rental housing, it was found that “non-slip flooring” and “grab bars along the corridors and void decks” are the top two most favored home modifications. In addition, “elderly features within living unit”, “elderly facilities in the vicinity”, “social inclusion”, “workmanship” and “physical health” are significant in affecting the life satisfaction among the old folks. However, it was also revealed that few elderly are satisfied with these factors. Lastly, the results show that there will be a rise in satisfaction levels across most aspects of the life if home modifications were to be carried out in the social housing estates. This implies that there is a need for relevant authorities like HDB, Town Councils and BCA to extend and improve their policies to social housing in order to achieve a barrier-free status and improve life satisfaction among the elderly.