Considerations in Selecting Gibraltar Crescent Site as Singapore's First Dementia Care Village

27 Mr Leon Perera asked the Minister for Health what are the considerations behind selecting the Gibraltar Crescent site as Singapore's first dementia care village given that the state bungalows on the site are required to remain intact and given the cost of retrofitting those bungalows to make them elder-friendly residences.

Mr Gan Kim Yong: The dementia care village at the Gibraltar Crescent site is intended to be a pilot to experiment with new community and housing models for seniors with dementia to age in place, supported by a model of care that is less medicalised and promotes independence and autonomy.

In land scarce Singapore, suitable sites to test such pilots are not always readily available. The Gibraltar site was shortlisted by agencies as a suitable site as it allows a home-like environment that offers opportunities to innovate care for seniors with dementia. The learnings from the pilot could then be applied to existing as well as future facilities to improve dementia care for our seniors.

State-owned bungalows have been retained to preserve the heritage of the area and are leased for a variety of uses, including social use. The use of bungalows at the Gibraltar site for dementia care is in line with this approach. Retrofitting is allowed based on guidelines of Additions & Alterations and prospective tenderers will bear the cost of retrofits and take that into account in bidding for the site.