Palliative Care

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http://www.asiaone.com/Health/News/Story/A1Story20090216-122330.html
http://http://www.asiaone.com/print/Health/News/Story/A1Story20090216-122330.html
JB nursing homes draw some S'poreans
[Top: Leong Mew Peng, 80, a Singaporean at Spring Valley Homecare in Johor Baru.]     
By Melissa Sim     
     
WHEN civil servant Gordon Yong, 39, needed to find a nursing home for his mother following her stroke, he found the ones in Singapore too expensive.
     
They were charging between $1,200 and $1,800 a month - far more than he could afford on his salary of under $4,000, which also supports his three-child family. His working wife also has to look after her parents.
     
He did the next best thing and got his mother a place in a home in Johor Baru (JB) for $600 a month. This is how Madam Leong Mew Peng, 80, came to live in Spring Valley Homecare, less than half an hour's drive from the Causeway.
     
Fellow Singaporean Alison Low, 58, checked herself into Spring Valley over two years ago - also for cost reasons.     

The three-year-old home has 11 Singaporeans, making up one in five residents there. Of the 10 other homes The Straits Times inquired at in JB, eight said they had between one and 10 Singaporeans.
     Checks with their kin showed cost savings to be the main draw of these homes.     
     A plug for these homes came in Parliament on Monday from Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan, who said Singaporeans could save money by using JB nursing homes. For what it costs to board someone in a private nursing home here, 'you can stretch it easily to pay for at least 21/2 months of nursing home care in Johor Baru', he said. The facilities there typically charge between $450 and $1,000 a month, compared to those here which ask for between $1,000 and $4,000.
     Mr Khaw said another perk is that JB is 'near enough for relatives to visit'.     
     But 57-year-old supervisor Mohamed Waris, whose father is at Spring Valley, said he has problems finding a cab to go there. Nonetheless, he makes the journey every two to three weeks.
     Those who check out JB homes are also finding some with facilities that are comparable to those here.     
     Spring Valley, for example, follows Singapore regulations and provides one toilet for every four beds. Its high ceilings and large windows make its rooms airy.
     China Healthcare, previously known as Econ Healthcare, will open a 200-bed home in JB within two years, following its 100-bed facility in Kuala Lumpur. Its chairman, Mr Ong Chu Poh, said a home in JB would appeal to Singaporeans due to their familiarity with the town, its proximity to Singapore and the lower fees.
     Mr Yong would agree that JB is still the best choice for him now for those reasons. 'I'm just unable to afford the rates here. But I do wish I was able to bring my mother back.'
     simlinoi@sph.com.sg     

via : http://www.singsupplies.com/showthread.php?t=18217

==============

too expensive here. go JB. wow. just wow.

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something dark.

:s13:

http://www.mrbrownshow.com/2009/02/16/the-mrbrown-show-send-ah-kong/

direct mp3 download:
http://mrbrownnetwork.com/media/mb/tmbs-160209-send_ah_kong.mp3

SEND AH KONG

You know, Singaporeans, when it's to time to choose a nursing home, the gahmen has a place for you.

There's a place, Batu Pahat
Where the old folks can roam free
And this place, very cheap
Got many palm tree
Work whole life, in Singapore
But still broke until teng kor
Dowan you, go and die in another country
When it's time to mati
Don't pay 90 cents for a kopi
Send your dad and mum
They have chewing gum

Chorus:
Send Ah Kong
Find budget old folks' home
Health Minister say got discount across causeway
Since already dying
May as well make space for the living
Singapore too small
Please go to JB

You may think it is far,
sekali bad guy steal your car
Lagi worse if you drive BM or Honda
Don't be scared, not so bad
Just don't stop if tire flat
There's no jam if you choose to go on weekdays
When you go to Johor
You can also do some shopping
Seafood cheap and fresh
You can save some cash

Chorus:
Send Ah Kong
Move to a bigger place
Health Minister say that Malaysia Boleh
There got pirate movie
And power tongkat ali
Why choose Singapore
Better go to JB

Send Ah Kong
If he kena sick
Health Minister say ambulance on the way
Gahmen very caring
It's just an option they are sharing
Singapore loves you
Grow old in JB

Gahmen very caring
It's just an option they are sharing
Singapore loves you
Grow old in JB

For you and for me

Got no ERP

It's cheaper, you see

Go die in JB (Do it for your children)

via : http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=2272588

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http://newpaper.asia1.com.sg/news/story/0,4136,193677,00.html?

STREET TALK
Nursing homes: My S'pore-style suggestion 
By Reggie J
 
February 23, 2009       
 
 
 
 
THERE has been a lot of talk about nursing homes since Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan's suggestion that some of our senior citizens could look at getting care in Johor Baru.

The Health Ministry's director of corporate communications wrote to TheStraits Times Forum saying that we should try to match the costs in JB, but that it would be a challenge.

Here is my suggestion for meeting that challenge: Take the approach we took in building flatted factories. Let's have flatted nursing homes.

 
And I hope not many fellow Singaporeans will consider the JB option.

My 86-year-old mother asked whether we would do it it to her. Of course not, we replied. I would never be able to look my mother in the eye again if we did. And I doubt she would forgive us, either.

Singapore, which leads the world with the best public housing, compulsory CPF savings, an efficient transport system and - heaven help me - the biggest ferris wheel, can surely look after its senior citizens in their twilight days.

After all, these are the people who, on their hands and knees, built this beautiful country, and who have now given a new generation and new Singaporeans so much to enjoy.

Yes, we can

Yes, it may be cheaper in JB than in Singapore. And space is limited here. But we worked with the same constraints in providing flatted factories, and should extend the concept to nursing homes.

We have the expertise and experience to plan and put up buildings in green and peaceful surroundings with common amenities and easy access to medical facilities. The Government can subsidise these care homes too, even if it is with means testing.

And think of the job opportunities it will bring.Plus, it'll be cheaper and more convenient to visit our loved ones here instead of having to clear immigration and go to JB.

As a nation, we have got used to living in high-rise flats, and my guess is that spending your last days in a high-rise nursing home will be like being at home for a lot of Singaporeans.

With an aging population, we have to ensure that no one will be lacking in care because they do not have the means. And flatted nursing homes may just be the answer.

As the minister's press secretary pointed out in this newspaper, if some find it useful to cross borders to stretch their retirement savings, there may be no need to stop them.

But it should not be for a lack of choices here that they consider such anoption.


The writer is a former Singaporean marketing professional.

via : http://www.singsupplies.com/showthread.php?t=18888

Nursing homes come in three forms:
[INDENT](1) those which require nursing care
 
(2) those which do not require nursing care and give the patients freedom to come and go
 
(3) those which do not require nursing care but supervise the patients so that they cannot venture out on their own, for example, patients with dementia
[/INDENT]The truth is that costs in singapore are just too high.
 
A colleague puts her mother in one of the more expensive nursing homes and her expenses were close to $3,000 per month. It represents a severe drain on her resources and she took on several jobs.
 
The problem is that costs under PAP Singapore has risen high, due to reasons which no one wants to say.
 
One of the alternative is to place the old folks in a lower cost country.
 
As PAP Singapore views life as "you can have all you want so long as you have the money", the only way out is to give you a lower cost option.
 
Besides such an option will objectively reduce the number of aged in the streets and with the advent of new foreign singaporeans, it will result in a younger and more vibrant singapore.
 
It will also reduce the amount of subsidies they need to give out.
 
..
 
May I suggest this: talk to your wife/husband about the issues of an extended family, live together on one flat and rent the other out to get extra money. Or move to a smaller flat and stay closer to each other, like a block away.
 
For those who have tried this, it is easier said than done because you are dealing with cultural norms and the expectations of older folks.
 
However I foresee that if the PAP Singapore continues its policies which they feel are the best, then such consolidations may no longer be choices but neccessities.
 
..
 
The problem is that the PAP has insulated themselves from the effects of their own policies. Thus high medical costs - but they are entitled to the best treatments, best doctors, best public hospitals under their own scheme. Thus high inflation - but they grant themselves regular salary increases. Thus worries about jobs - but theirs are guaranteed free of foreign competition. Thus transport policies - but they do not take bus or mrt; their car allowances are not known to me. Worries about retirement - but they have their ministerial and mp pension schemes.
 
As a result of their insulation from their own policies, everything becomes a paper exercise. They hear of human issues but they do not understand. Eyes that see, Ears that hear, but Hearts without understanding.
 
Therefore, this nursing home issue - let's just take it as an extra option available for us. (Political mileage aside).

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Hospice explains pay of ex-medical director

IN THE special report, 'Medical charities the best paymasters' (March 30), Dover Park Hospice was mentioned as having paid its former medical director a salary range of $200,000 to $250,000 per year.
Mr Paul Chan, in his letter last Tuesday, 'It can't be about top dollar for top talent', brought up the issue of good governance of publicly donated funds to these (medical) organisations.
We have always been transparent with our salary costs and would like to shed more light on the salary paid to our former medical director.
She was also the chief executive officer of Dover Park Hospice until her resignation in July last year. This means she was working full time with us and was responsible for hospice operations. She also oversaw medical governance of the hospice.
Her salary package was below what would be paid to someone in a restructured hospital of her seniority and with similar responsibilities.
She has since left Dover Park Hospice and has returned to work with a restructured hospital.
It is always difficult to find qualified people to be our medical directors. We currently have a service agreement with Tan Tock Seng Hospital whereby our medical director is assigned and paid for by the hospital.
Dover Park Hospice has all along been fortunate to have staff who are dedicated to our cause and share our vision. In the past, we have had medical directors who worked for free or lower than market rates. We wish we could always count on such individuals to come forward. But when they are not available, we have to pay market rates to secure their services. Teo Siew Hong (Ms)
Chief Operating Officer
Dover Park Hospice

http://www.singsupplies.com/showthread.php?t=24500

[Vorsprung durch Technik]

Song for the thoughts...

[youtube]kyEZII_MJDw[/youtube]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kyEZII_MJDw

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More defaulting on nursing home bills
Families say they are struggling to support themselves in recession
By Theresa Tan & Melissa Sim


Elderly residents of Ju Eng Home. Several homes say the recession has made non-payment worse. To ensure that defaulted payments do not become bad debts, homes first try to find out why the family is behind in payments. -- ST PHOTO: TERENCE TAN


SOME nursing homes are reporting a rise in the number of people defaulting on the bill for their parents' stay amid this recession.

'THEY DRIVE BIG CARS BUT REFUSE TO PAY'

SOME Singaporeans are using the recession as an excuse to avoid paying their parents' nursing home bills - even though they look like they can afford to, say the operators of these homes.


Take, for example, a man who claimed his business had failed and then, for three years, did not pay the Ju Eng Home for Senior Citizens, which was looking after his elderly mother.

http://http://www.straitstimes.com/Singapore/Story/BgSty_401158_1.html


The Straits Times spoke to five organisations which run nursing homes. Four are charities which say unpaid bills are a perennial problem, but the economic funk has made it worse.
They say this recession has made collecting payment especially tough, compared to previous downturns.
Another 10 groups contacted - a mix of homes run by charities and private outfits - declined comment, but those in the industry say the problem is widespread.
Mr Wee Lin, founder of the Sunlove Abode for Intellectually Infirmed, said the amounts owed to its two homes are 'surprisingly high' this recession.
In the first five months of this year, defaulted bills amounted to $50,100.
While comparative figures are not available, in March last year when its financial year ended, its residents owed the homes $38,400; in the same period in 2007, the amount defaulted was $21,600.
The picture was similar at the Salvation Army's Peacehaven Nursing Home: Unpaid bills came to $89,000 in March, but just two months later, the sum had ballooned to almost $200,000.
Mr Lawrence Ang, chairman of the Ju Eng Home for Senior Citizens, said: 'Some children say they can't even support their own families now; how are they going to support their parents?'
A 62-year-old courier who wanted to be known only as Madam Lim said she was now struggling to support herself and her ailing husband on their combined monthly income of under $2,000.
With her mother's nursing home fees biting an $850 chunk out of that, Madam Lim - who has no siblings with whom to share this expense - is already a few thousand dollars behind in payments.
She said: 'With the recession, sometimes my boss doesn't pay us on time, so that makes matters worse.'
Ju Eng Home's Mr Ang observed that even larger families may have problems, in that siblings pass the buck among themselves.
He said: 'I think with the stress of daily living, some children feel they have to take care of themselves first.
'And if the siblings are not close to each other, some try to distance themselves so they don't have to pay the bill.'
To ensure that defaulted payments do not become bad debts, nursing homes first go to the family to find out why they are behind in payments, and arrange for instalment payments or financial aid if necessary.
Charities say the rising amounts of owed payments mean they must find other ways to make up the shortfall - by either cutting costs or raising funds.
But with the outlook on fund-raising now bleak, cost-cutting seems the way to go, they say.
For example, Sunlove is now saving $1,500 every month by using diesel instead of petrol vehicles.
Operators like China Healthcare and Peacehaven Nursing Home hire debt collectors to track down families who have been difficult to reach, owe large sums, or who just refuse to pay.
Peacehaven executive director Low Mui Lang said: 'When people see that we mean business, they finally pay.'
theresat@sph.com.sg
simlinoi@sph.com.sg

via : http://www.singsupplies.com/showthread.php?t=32137

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Living with Dementia
http://www.celicasg.org/index.php?topic=6828.0

Euthanasia
http://www.celicasg.org/index.php?topic=4669.0

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For the benefit of forumers without a Business Times subscription. This article will be useful in understand palliative care in Singapore and in the debate over euthanasia.

The dollars and cents of caring

Hospices in Singapore, all of which run on public donations, are facing a strain on resources, reports MICHELLE QUAH

   SPEAKING recently with a volunteer at a local hospice, I was brought to tears by his tale of how an old man was brought in for treatment by his son. The son was later found to have left a fake contact number and address, which essentially meant that he had abandoned his aged and ailing father at the hospice.
Caring and sharing: The struggles faced by hospices are increasing every day as the need for end-of-life care grows with our fast-ageing population

Shaken by the man's callousness, I was also acutely aware that the hospice, which runs only on public donations, now had to care for this man and others like him, out of its own pocket.

These are just some of the struggles which hospices in Singapore - all of which run on public donations - face. And these are struggles and challenges which are increasing every day, as the need for end-of-life care grows with our fast-ageing population.

Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong noted just this month, at Assisi Hospice's 40th anniversary charity dinner, that the need has grown considerably in the last decade or so, with seven hospice and home palliative-care providers now serving 5,000 patients a year.

'The actual need is probably higher,' Mr Lee had said, as there are more who could benefit from such care but are not aware of it or find the subject taboo.

Patients are seldom, if ever, turned away because they cannot afford it.
All home hospice care provided by the VWOs are also free, borne by the VWOs and covered in part or in full by subsidies.

A Today newspaper report last October said that of the 17,000 deaths in Singapore in 2007, only 26 per cent received some form of subsidised hospice or home hospice care - indicating a sizeable unmet need.

Extending palliative care

Mr Lee also said that palliative care - which includes any form of medical care that concentrates on reducing the severity of symptoms and on improving the quality of life for those with serious and complex illnesses - should be extended beyond cancer to include diseases such as end-stage organ failure and advanced dementia.

The importance of palliative care cannot be understated. It is not just about pain management; it's about improving a patient's quality of life, while providing pain relief and the treatment of symptoms, along with emotional and spiritual support. It's also about providing counsel, support and relief to family members.

Whether at home or in the hospice, such care allows patients to live out their final days 'surrounded by love and not full of tubes, masks and drugs', Mr Lee had said at the Assisi Hospice dinner.

Need is growing

While there's no doubt the need is growing, the current strain on hospices - most of which run on full capacity - is also great.

At present, Dover Park Hospice (DPH), Assisi Hospice (AH), Bright Vision Hospital (BVH) and St Joseph's Home and Hospice (SJH) are the only full-time, in-patient hospices in Singapore. All four are voluntary welfare organisations (VWOs), depending on public donations - with subsidies from the government - as their primary source of funding.

DPH, which has 40 beds, has a waiting list of anything from two to 10 patients. AH, with 35 beds, says that it has a waiting list for its in-patient service almost all the time. BVH's 32 hospice beds are usually fully occupied at any time.

Over at SJH, half of its 22 beds are for hospice patients - and these are also fully taken up, most of the time.

Palliative day care is also provided by HCA Hospice Care, AH and BVH. Home care - where trained professionals provide palliative care to patients in their home - is provided by HCA, AH, BVH, Metta Hospice Care, Agape Methodist Hospital and the Singapore Cancer Society.

Data provided by these hospice-care providers as to their annual running costs illustrate just how much it takes to keep a hospice going: DPH says that its operating cost averages $4 million per annum; AH chalked up a running cost of $4.9 million in 2008; SJH's running cost is $2.7 million a year; HCA's running cost is about $4.2 million a year; Metta's running cost is $500,000 a year.

Part of the cost of providing hospice care is funded by the government, through subsidies extended to patients. Patients pay what is not covered by the subsidy. But, for those who cannot pay - for example, the old man who was abandoned by his son - the cost is borne by the hospice, along with all other operating and administrative costs. Patients are seldom, if ever, turned away because they cannot afford it. All home hospice care provided by the VWOs are also free, borne by the VWOs and covered in part or in full - depending on the sum - by government subsidies.

For most of the hospices, especially the larger ones, this means that the bulk of their operating costs are funded by public donations - which makes fund-raising such an integral concern for them. For the four in-patient hospices, for example, the Ministry of Health (MOH) has estimated that their 1,600 patients received a total of $3 million in subsidies in 2008 - far short of the operating costs of these hospices.

Recognising the growing demand for hospice care - and, perhaps, the current strain on hospices - the government recently announced the release of Medisave for the payment of home hospice services. When asked by BT for more details, MOH said that it was 'working with providers of palliative care on the implementation details and will share these at a later stage when ready'.

R Akhileswaran, CEO and medical director of HCA - the largest hospice home care service in Singapore, and a hospice day-care centre - explained that 'as all the hospice home care services run by VWOs in Singapore is free of charge, the release of Medisave . . . might help only those patients under private hospice home care services who pay a fee for the service'.

He went on to say that 'those patients under home care services funded by either MOH or NCSS (National Council of Social Services) or both will be means tested' to determine the level of subsidy that they will receive. In other words, they will not be fully subsidised and will receive less if they belong to a higher income bracket. Either the patients or the home-care providers will have to make up the shortfall.

Dr Akhileswaran said that MOH funding for home hospice care has been raised recently to $153 per nurse visit and $207 per doctor visit - with the exact amount of funding depending on the patient's income level. He added that NCSS funds 25 per cent of the MOH funding per visit, ie $38.25 (25 per cent of $153) per nurse visit and $51.75 (25 per cent of $207) per doctor visit.

MOH also recently raised the level of subsidies provided to patients at in-patient hospices. It increased its subsidy tiers from four to nine in September, estimating that half of the subsidised patients will get more subsidies as a result of the change.

The level of subsidy will also depend on the patient's total family income. Those with a total family income of less than $1,440 will have 75 per cent of their in-patient bill subsidised, those with an income level of between $1,441 and $2,200 will get 70 per cent, and so on.

The subsidies are based on an increased estimated norm cost of $259 a day for in-patient services, up from $242 a day previously.

Patients can also withdraw up to $160 per day from their Medisave for hospice stays.

Still, the bulk of the funding for hospices comes from public donations.

For example, DPH has to raise the bulk of the $4 million that it needs each year to provide subsidised and often free care for its patients. In March 2009, before MOH increased the level of subsidies for hospice care, a DPH taskforce estimated that the MOH subsidy covered only 33.2 per cent of the hospice's running cost, with patients paying 11.8 per cent and donations accounting for the remaining.

Over at AH, according to its annual report last year, its almost $5 million in operating costs was funded primarily by donations, with government subsidies amounting to $1.2 million and patient fees totalling some $816,000.

HCA gets the bulk of its funding from subsidies. According to its latest annual report, its total expenditure amounted to $4.12 million, of which $3.81 million came from MOH and NCSS funding. But donations from the public fell, due to the economic downturn, to $930,000, from $1.21 million the year before.

'Nearly 85 per cent of the patients at our hospices are heavily subsidised,' said Tan Kee Wee, chairman of the Singapore Hospice Council, the umbrella body for all organisations actively providing hospice and palliative care. 'Although the government provides the subsidies, they are insufficient to meet the hospices' annual budgets. Any shortfall has to be raised through donations and fund-raising activities,' he said.

'I am extremely gratified that the hospices work very hard to raise funds on their own through activities like charity dinners, charity fun days, and walkathons. Just last month, the Voices for Hospices concert, organised by BVH, helped raise nearly $100,000. And this Sunday, we have a walk organised by Dover Park Hospice.'

It's clear that the various hospice-care providers in Singapore could do with more support and financial help, especially with demand for such end-of-life care increasing with an ageing population. The need for alternative forms of palliative care, not currently provided here, will only add to the demand.

'The demand for palliative/ hospice care will continue as our population ages and live longer. It is through such generous donations from the public that our hospices are able to provide the excellent care and services to our patients,' Dr Tan said.

For more information on hospice and palliative care, please visit the Singapore Hospice Council's website at www.singaporehospice.org.sg

The Dover Park Hospice (DPH) is raising funds this weekend, through its inaugural SUNday Walk, which will kick off from Raffles Place Park and end at Clarke Quay. Funds raised through the walk and its joint activities will be channelled towards continuing and expanding DPH's service offering and capacity, and the provision of subsidised care for those terminally ill patients who are unable to pay for their stay. Please visit DPH's website (www.doverpark.org.sg) or its SUNday Walk page (doverpark.org.sg/sunday/) for more information

via : http://www.mycarforum.com/index.php?showtopic=2645389

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ASIA'S elderly population is a ticking economic time bomb with the number of people aged over 60 poised to quadruple to 1.2 billion by 2050 - that is, the same as China's population today.

This dire warning came from the Life Insurance Association's deputy president, Mr Tan Hak Leh, who was speaking in Singapore on Monday at a major conference on ageing.

Another speaker, Mr Yves Guerard, secretary-general of the International Actuarial Association, said the global ageing issue is an 'immediate risk' with Asia at the epicentre.

Many countries face critical economic problems as people live longer - thanks to medical advances - and fewer young people enter the workforce, as birth rates stagnate.

The key issues are: How to keep the economic engine running with a diminishing proportion of workers and taxpayers, and how to pay for the care of the growing ranks of the elderly.

Mr Guerard said: 'Increasing longevity has been with us for a long time but with the multiplier effect of decreasing fertility, it is becoming a demographic crisis as dependency ratio curves turn up.'

http://www.straitstimes.com/BreakingNews/Money/Story/STIStory_485242.html

via : http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=2660081

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By Hoe Yeen Nie/Ting Kheng Siong, Channel NewsAsia | Posted: 04 March 2010 2132 hrs

SINGAPORE: The government will be pumping in S$100 million over the next five years to tackle the problems of an ageing population.

The bulk of it will go towards taking care of the physical, social and emotional needs of the elderly and avert the social isolation of the elderly.

Walking has been difficult for 82-year-old Fong Foon Yee since she fractured her hip in 2008. A year later, she was diagnosed with intestinal cancer.

But she's been able to get by, thanks to her friend, Lim Ah Lek. Madam Lim cooks for her and helps her with her groceries.

For this, Madam Lim was given a Good Neighbour Award by Hong Kah Division in 2009.

But she said that she was just returning a kind deed.

Madam Lim added: "She came to visit me when I had an operation. It was in the morning and she was there that afternoon. She's so old yet, she went to the hospital. Now she needs help. I must think of her help in the past."

They're now constant companions but there are many others who have no one to turn to.

And numbers show those who are isolated get depressed more easily.

According to the Ministry for Community Development, Youth and Sports, those who live alone and have weak social networks have a 25 per cent chance of suffering from depression while those who have friends and family to rely on, have a nine per cent chance.

With more senior citizens living alone, the government wants to ensure that there are enough community networks to support them.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/singaporelocalnews/view/1041554/1/.html

via : http://forums.hardwarezone.com.sg/showthread.php?t=2692276

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the news of the malaysia nursing props up on the news recently again.

It's across the Causeway, to be launched in three months' time

by Joanne Chan joannechan@mediacorp.com.sg
05:55 AM Apr 06, 2010

SINGAPORE - While plans for a purpose-built retirement village here have yet to get off the ground, a new project launching in three months' time across the Causeway is hoping to lure Singapore retirees over, with promises of "state of the art", old-age friendly living.

A Malaysian developer is building Platinum Residence (picture) as part of the $2-billion Lakehill Resort City in the Iskandar Malaysia special economic zone.

An hour's drive from Singapore, the condominium-style retirement village will be staffed by nurses who conduct daily medical checks, said Mr Bill Ch'ng of Lakehill Resort Development. "It's built near the hospital, so it's convenient in case of emergency ... All the facilities in (the city's) public park will be old-age friendly," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Ageing Asia Investment Forum. He declined to say how many units would be available or the price tag, saying plans are still being finalised.

Would Singaporeans bite, giving the experiences some have had with development projects in Johor that failed to deliver as promised?

An official of the developer gave MediaCorp the assurance that "the project will not fail and should meet the expectation of Singapore buyers". "We are a public-listed company and Amanah Raya, a property investment arm operating under the jurisdiction of the Malaysian Finance Ministry, has shares in this project," he added.

In 2008, a plot of land in Jalan Jurong Kechil was released for the development of a retirement community, as Singapore grappled with meeting the needs of an ageing population. But to date, the land has not been taken up by a developer.

Developer Daniel Teo, who has been championing for a retirement village here, said high land costs and the "too short" lease of 30 years offered by the Urban Redevelopment Authority presented hurdles. Also, the allowable built up area for a retirement village is significantly smaller than that for a condominium, making it more of a risk for developers.

"I think we also need some guidelines to facilitate this kind of retirement village concept. For instance, under condominium guidelines, you can have an efficiency ratio up to 90 per cent. While for retirement village, the best is maybe 60 to 70 per cent," he added.

via : http://singsupplies.com/showthread.php?t=56085

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saw an article on an expert that Singapore shouldn't be building more of those palliative care housing.

was something about those pulau ubin nursing home etc.
and something about even if the family visit them 1 hour everyday. the rest of the 23 hours, they will still be lonely.

food for thought.

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a very interesting IP looking at this thread.

NIPT
http://www.ip-adress.com/ip_tracer/152.226.7.202

152.226.7.202 IP address location & more:
IP address [?]:   152.226.7.202 [Whois] [Reverse IP]
IP country code:    SG
IP address country:       Singapore
IP address state:    n/a
IP address city:    Singapore
IP address latitude:    1.2931
IP address longitude:    103.8558
ISP of this IP [?]:    TEMASE
Organization:    TEMASE

[zuoom]

"Iskandar malaysia" pops up on my radar once again.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iskandar_Malaysia

Iskandar Malaysia
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Iskandar Malaysia (IM), formerly known as Iskandar Development Region (IDR) and South Johor Economic Region (SJER) is the main southern development corridor in Johor, Malaysia. The Iskandar Malaysia was established on 30 July 2006.[1] The project is administered by Iskandar Regional Development Authority (IRDA) and was named after the late Sultan of Johor, Almarhum Sultan Iskandar.[2]

hmm, how do you guys think about spending your retirement in Iskandar IDR?

[zuoom]

[tags] Palliative