ST : Studio units a big hit with the elderly

Apr 4, 2010

Studio units a big hit with the elderly

Singapore may not have retirement villages, but studio apartments built by the Housing Board (HDB) specifically for the elderly have proved to be a hit.

More than 3,000 such flats have been launched since the scheme was initiated in 1998, of which about 1,200 have been completed so far.

More than half of the rest will be ready over the next two to three years.

Take-up rates have been 'close to 100 per cent', an HDB spokesman told The Sunday Times.

These flats are purpose- built for the elderly and come with grab bars, kitchen cabinets complete with gas stoves and cooker hoods, non-slip tiles, lever taps and an alarm system.

They are usually located near markets, food centres and transport nodes to enable the elderly to be independent for as long as possible.

Community facilities such as senior citizens' activity centres can also be found near most studio apartments.

These units have shorter 30-year leases to make them affordable.

In December last year, 105 studio units were offered for sale at an upcoming, unique project in Dawson estate, which allows parents and their married children to buy studio units paired with four- or five-room flats.

'These flats are designed as two separate units and have connecting doors,' the HDB spokesman said.

'They allow families to stay close yet maintain their privacy.'