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My Mother spent over 30 years of her life staying with and caring for her own mother. When she was no longer needed, she had to move out of the house in which she had stayed for almost half her life and suddenly learn to live alone. After so many years of being part of “a pair,” and doing many things together, suddenly staying alone in a new place would have been extremely difficult since she was already in her 70s. And, so, I moved back from London to live with her. Kicking and screaming, no doubt, and but nonetheless, I “dutifully” came home. This continued a cycle that many Singaporeans will be familiar with, in which people move in with their children in their old age.  This makes me wonder: as someone with no children, what will happen to me when I grow old? As Singapore ages, and more of us don’t have kids, this question is on many minds. (There have been a few at large.) This piece, by the way, is not meant to be a social commentary on whether having or not having children is “better” but rather an exploration of the housing alternatives open to a not-young person who is childless (or who does not want to live with one’s children), and still able enough to be independent, but wants more community and support. Bear with me, and I’ll explain why the situation is relevant and different from that of an elderly person with a family below (in case it’s not obvious.) According to my extended relatives, the outlook for a childless (or child-free, depending on how you look at it!) person is bleak:  Having lived in the UK for over a decade, where many elderly citizens lead rich and fulfilling lives alone, my outlook is somewhat different. For example, I know a lovely lady who, despite having children, CHOSE to stay on her own, half the country away from her kids, as she wanted to remain independent, even in her 90s – despite having lost her sight! (Her choice was, no doubt, facilitated by the fact that the UK provides such people as herself with a strong support system. For one, she was assigned a carer who would check in on her.) Nonetheless, I acknowledge that my relatives have a point. For most of us, there will, unfortunately, most likely come a time in life when one’s faculties, abilities, and even social circle start declining. The traditional model in Singapore is to stay with one’s children, have them watch out for you, and be included in their social activities. What are the options for the childless/child-free in Singapore, where the social structure is tailored to families? After many panicked calls to my friends later, these are the conclusions we arrived at. Sad to say, as with many things in life, most of these options will involve having substantial financial resources. As such, the article may be a little non-inclusive, but I do think it’s good for younger people who foresee being old and alone to have an idea of how much savings they will need to accumulate to live the kind of life they want when they age since they will not have financial support. Here are the “traditional” options in Singapore: Hence, the following different (and maybe more expensive) options that my friends and I came up with. You will need a degree of lucidity and physical ability to enjoy them, so they’re not for the extremely old and infirm. I was still pondering this issue, when I was in Bath, UK and saw this advertisement for apartments just for the elderly. Maybe this provided the answer to my future problem? (I am not affiliated in any way to the developer, by the way, it was purely serendipity that I came across it!) (If you’re single, you can’t get a BTO, and thus the cheapest accommodation you can buy is a resale HDB. To be exact, the £400,000 worked out to S$678,000 at the time of writing i.e. a little less than a resale 4-room HDB in prime areas (and definitely much cheaper than a condo.) Then: “£2,000 to rent? (i.e. about S$3,390 at the time of writing) Didn’t an HDB rent out for ?” And yes the $7,600 was for a 5-room flat in Tanjong Pagar. According to an HDB report, the lowest . Nonetheless, it’s always interesting to explore alternatives. Now, we’ve all known for years that property is often cheaper outside Singapore – though note that and the most beautiful setting – so the focus here isn’t so much on the pricing. Rather, it’s on the fact that there are (very nice) apartment complexes dedicated to the elderly.  Call me ignorant, but this blew my mind: of course, I knew that the UK had very good retirement villages, but I wasn’t expecting to see a complex only for those above-60s right in the centre of Bath (you can think of it as River Valley if Bath were Singapore) where the above-60s are enabled to live out their golden years independently in the middle of society, instead of being shuffled off to a corner. It’s somewhat similar to co-living, but with age restrictions. (Refreshing, since is more tailored to the young.) Now, Singapore has been working on something similar. There are for Singaporean citizens 55 and above, but an HDB of 32 square metres in size is hardly comparable to a riverfront apartment, in my mind. And, yes, a smaller space means less to clean as one ages but sometimes one wants/needs more space, even if it’s only as a buffer from the noise of one’s neighbours. After all, at 55, many are still fit enough to enjoy having a bit more space for one’s self. There are also a few Assisted Living facilities in SG but they’re usually oversubscribed and ) (if you want to live in private housing.) Hence, I duly scheduled an appointment with the developer to see what these Bath above-60 apartments were all about! By the way, I’m not promoting the sale of these apartments – as I mentioned in my earlier articles on London property, , and there are . Here’s a quick introduction to the Pegasus Bath Leat project: these are retirement homes, which can only be bought or rented if one is above a certain age. The Bath complex stipulates 60 years of age, but different projects have different entry ages. In my opinion, this is a great way for older people to have access to a community of like-minded people! To encourage community, there is an Owners Lounge where residents can relax and hang out with each other. (No obligation to visit the lounge if one is an introvert, of course.)  Events for the residents are held as well. For example, there have been a few painting and wine nights organized in the last year. Many of the complexes have active social committees (but it will vary from project to project) so resident’s social calendars can be filled up with away days and book club meetings. The homes are also built with an emphasis on wellness for seniors: the complex has a gym, sauna, steam room, spa, hydrotherapy pool, massage room, movement studio (with classes!) etc. It’s like the equivalent of a posh condo in Singapore, but designed to accommodate people above 60. (Different projects will have slightly different facilities offered.) There are even two guest rooms on site, which guests of residents can rent for a VERY modest fee. This strikes me as a terrific solution to the problem of hosting visitors when one’s flat is too small! I wish condominiums in Singapore would have such rooms to let out! It’s like having a communal guest room. And, of course, the apartments are designed to make life as convenient as possible for older people. There are the small details that make life more convenient, such as having the oven built at standing height (instead of below waist level and having to bend down to get things) Similarly, the dishwasher is top-down, so one doesn’t need to bend. Since hiring a helper is quite cost-prohibitive in the UK (not to mention, for some, intruding on one’s privacy), in case of emergencies, each apartment is equipped with a pendant to call for help. As the cost of hiring a helper in Singapore rises, this would be a good option to have in Singaporean condos, in my opinion. To make life more convenient for days when residents are not feeling up to a trek into town, the complex also has an on-site cafe. More importantly, the developer has relationships with care providers, so caregiving services can be arranged to enable older residents to continue ageing in place. (At an extra cost, of course.)  Sounds fabulous, doesn’t it? I wouldn’t mind growing out here (cost aside, that is.) However, there are also some things to note about retirement villages: If you’re child-free and have planned how to live well in your twilight years, do let me know in the comments! I would love to hear about more non-traditional housing options!