Seniors in over 80,000 private homes can tap subsidies for ageing-friendly fittings from April

[SINGAPORE] Seniors living in private homes can soon take their turn to tap a subsidised scheme to outfit their homes with ageing-friendly features such as grab bars and slip-resistant flooring, from Apr 1.

The Enhancement for Active Seniors (Ease) programme will be gradually offered to more than 80,000 households in private homes, starting with those that have household members aged 80 and above, said National Development Minister Chee Hong Tat on Sunday (Feb 22).

Those aged 60 to 64 who require assistance with at least one activity of daily living, such as bathing, going to the toilet and eating, can also tap the scheme in the first round.

Under the programme, previously available only to HDB flat dwellers, seniors can install ageing-friendly fittings in their homes, with the amount of government subsidy provided dependent on the type of home they own.

Eligible private property households – at least one household member must be Singaporean – will receive S$1,200 in vouchers to offset 75 per cent of the installation cost for seven types of fittings.

For example, if the total cost of installing grab bars and slip-resistant flooring treatment is S$800, seniors would need to pay only S$200 out of pocket.

“And the remaining S$600 you can keep, and you can use when you decide to install more if you need it,” Chee said at a Chinese New Year celebration with residents of Braddell View condominium, which is within his ward in Bishan-Toa Payoh GRC.

This proportion of subsidy is lower than what is offered to HDB residents, whose subsidies range from 87.5 per cent for those in executive flats to 95 per cent for those in one-room to three-room flats.

The extension of the programme to private home residents was announced by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong at Budget 2025, more than a decade since Ease was introduced. He said the scheme will be available to these residents for three years, until 2028.

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The Ministry of National Development said on Sunday that the programme will be introduced in phases to spread out the installation process. After the first group from Apr 1, it will be extended to seniors aged 70 and above from Jul 1, and seniors aged 65 and above from Oct 1.

Eligible households will receive a mailer on how to apply for the programme. If their application is successful, households can engage a pre-qualified contractor to install the senior-friendly fittings available.

Prices after subsidy range from S$16.35 for a bidet spray to S$158.05 for a handrail.

The Ease programme was launched in July 2012 for HDB residents. There are 11 fittings covered under the scheme, including some that are not currently offered to private homes, such as those involving the widening of toilet entrances and lowering of toilet entrance kerbs.

As at January 2025, about 340,000 households had tapped the scheme.