Grab bars are installed to make homes more age-friendly. (Photo: HDB)
The Housing and Development Board (HDB) has revealed that close to 88,000 households have applied for the scheme that improves the safety of seniors while at home since it was launched in July 2012, reported TODAYonline.
Of this, around 52,500 families have decided to take up both the Enhancement for Active Seniors (Ease) and Home Improvement Programme (HIP).
Under the Ease initiative, they can request the HDB to install a variety of fittings to help elderly family members move around their flats more easily and safely. These include treating floor tiles in one toilet to make them less slippery, and the addition of eight or 10 grab bars in one bathroom and / or other areas in the flat.
In August 2014, the Ease programme was expanded so that the slip-resistant treatment can be applied to a second bathroom. The age requirement was also reduced from 70 previously to 65, allowing more households with an elderly family member to take advantage of the scheme.
Since then, the scheme has benefited 41,800 families, noted the Housing Board. Of this, 70 percent have applied for both the Ease and HIP, enabling the agency to implement them at the same time.
Under the scheme, the authorities subsidise up to 95 percent of the improvement works. If a household chooses to install the full scope of fittings, the total cost for each flat stands at $2,500. But with the subsidy, they only need to fork out $125 to $312.50, depending on their unit type.
Romesh Navaratnarajah, Senior Editor at PropertyGuru, edited this story. To contact him about this or other stories, email romesh@propertyguru.com.sg
