Amenities / facilities / infrastructure that are designed for the elderly in my neighbourhood

Previously, lifts in older HDB only accessed certain levels of the HDB flats, as shown in the above picture. If one wanted to reach a floor which is not accessible by the lift, one had to climb either up or down the stairs. As a result, old people who have difficulties walking around would have to take the trouble to ascend and descen

d the stairs should they want to leave and return to their homes. Therefore the lift upgrading programme was to achieve direct access to every floor, to improve convenience for the elderly. An example of upgraded lifts can be shown in the picture below.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- In addition to the lifts, such non-slip tiles in HDB flats as shown in the picture below are indeed designed to help the elderly in Singapore who stay in HDB flats not

to slip and fall too easily in their houses. There are grooves on the tiles which increases the friction between one’s foot and the floor, thus it would reduce the chance of the elderly falling down in their houses.

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There is a park(Pasir Ris Park) very near my neighbourhood as shown in the above picture. They have more slopes or more stairs which are less steep to cater to the elderly who have difficulties moving from one place to another. Elderly people could also meet up there to talk to each other. There are also elderly people practising their “tai chi” in the park

together as shown in the second picture below.

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In community centres, classes are also held for the elderly to allow different elderly people in the neighborhood to interact with each other and establish a good relationship between each other. For example, there are ballet classes held for the elderly in the community centre in my neighborhood, as shown in the picture below. In addition, there are also classes that enable the elderly to pick up technological skills too.

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I feel that the government could also help by providing more facilities to the elderly to allow them in the same neighbourhood to interact each other. More slopes should also be built near the HDB flats area to allow more mobility in between the elderly. There are still too many steep staircases in our neighbourhood, such as the ones leading to the bus stop and to the nearby supermarket. Mobility for the elderly might hence still be considered as difficult.

Policies catered to the elderly

Policies that are set up to cater to the elderly	When is it set up in?
A special insurance scheme, known as the Eldershield, provides coverage for disability in old age. The rationale behind this type of scheme is that in the productive years, one should be able to put aside some savings for old age disability.	September 2002
Government is providing subsidized health screening for the elderly. For a nominal fee of S$5, a person aged over 60 can access a basic health-screening test. This service has been promoted by the Ministry of Health using neighbourhood organizations, such as community centres/clubs as venues .	N/A
A great deal of money is spent on the education of healthcare by the government, so as to look into the well-being of the elderly in Singapore. In addition, there was a announcement of the forming of an organization known as Health Promotion Board	February 2001
The CPF Housing Grant Scheme allows a married first-time applicant who buys a resale flat from the open market in order to stay near his or her parents or vice versa, to apply for a housing grant ranging between S$30,000–S$40,000	N/A
Multi-Tier Housing Scheme gives priority allocation to extended-family applicants	N/A