One-stop portal to cater to seniors

One-stop portal to cater to seniors

Seniors will get the chance to test out a pilot one-stop portal that plans to provide the services they would like or need, to enable them to continue living at home as they age.

This follows similar schemes overseas, largely based on the one in Beacon Hill in the United States, which has proven successful over the past decade.

By calling a phone number, members can get a range of support services and goods - usually at discounted prices - be it groceries, plumbing, carpentry, computer repair, hair-styling or medical services.

Often referred to as a "virtual retirement village" - because people do not need to live near one another and connection is through the Internet or phone - they are becoming increasingly popular in countries with rapidly ageing populations.

At On Lok in California, which serves a largely Chinese clientele, the village provides regular health screening, medical, dental, food delivery and other services for around 15,000 members.

It also ferries those who need to go to day-care centres, where they are taken care of and brought home at the end of the day.

For its more active members, On Lok organises monthly excursions, exercise regimes and a range of craft and other classes.

There is usually an annual membership fee.

At Beacon Hill, the 375 members pay US$640 (S$790) a year for each single and US$925 a year for couples - but most, like On Lok, are non-profit organisations with volunteers to assist elderly members.

But commercial ones have also surfaced, like the one by local firm Ageing Asia, which will launch the virtual retirement village "Aspire55" on Nov 1.

Its six-month pilot scheme will target those aged 55 years and above. It wants to find out what older people want from such a village.

It will waive the annual $800 fee for the first 100 people who sign up at its www.aspire55.com portal.

Ms Janice Chia, managing director of Ageing Asia, told The Straits Times: "The annual membership fees go towards programme development and a basic suite of services that will enable social inclusion, support network in the community like a second family, and access to discounted products and services that support ageing in place."

Speaking at Digital Healthcare Week 2013 on Tuesday, Ms Chia said that by 2017, people here aged 60 years and older will have an estimated US$37 billion in household savings.

So they have the money to get the services they want or need. She encouraged delegates to cater to this wealthy market.

Ms Chia said that Aspire55 aims to "create awareness for products and service providers who would like to come together to address the needs of our older adults".

Another speaker, Mr David Lane, chairman of ThomsonAdsett, an Australian company that provides architectural expertise in eldercare, spoke of how having "smart cities", where residents can have easy access to a range of service providers within an 800m radius from their homes, can make it easier for seniors to continue living in the community.

He added that there is potential for the smart city concept to take off in Singapore due to its population density.

salma@sph.com.sg

www.facebook.com/ST.Salma


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