To cater to patients suffering from dementia in Singapore, two nursing homes will be opened in Bukit Batok and Bukit Panjang by 2020. These new nursing homes will have a total capacity of 570 beds.
Through a press release, Ministry of Health (MOH) said, “Wards will be designed in smaller clusters with communal facilities such as living rooms to encourage interaction among residents.”
The nursing homes will be operated by Vanguard Health.
Both homes will also be co-located with senior care centres within Housing Development Board (HDB) estates. “This will provide a continuum of options for our seniors, ranging from day care to residential care in the same precinct,” said MOH.
Bukit Batok Care Home (BBCH) will have a capacity of 220 beds, with its care centre offering 60 day care places. It will be opened in the middle of next year.
The home will feature a ‘fenceless boundary’, where residents from nearby HDB estates will be able to walk through the home to the nearby park or a future school for better integration with the community.
Meanwhile, another nursing home christened Senja Care Home (SJCH) will offer 350 beds. It is expected to open by the end of 2020
The home will also be co-located with a polyclinic in a 12-storey Integrated Healthcare Facility.
“This co-location allows synergies between the different healthcare services through sharing of community rehabilitation and physiotherapy services to support polyclinic patients and seniors as their care needs evolve,” said MOH.
“MOH will continue to invest in aged care services, and build more communities of care, to ensure that our seniors are well-supported to age gracefully within the community, close to their loved ones,” it added.