August 25, 2025
SINGAPORE – When Ms Margaret Ho started chemotherapy treatment in May, she moved out of her Ghim Moh flat, where she had been living with her daughter.
She checked into Commune@Henderson to have home-cooked meals and basic healthcare.
The facility – located at the former Henderson Primary School – is the first inter-generational co-living concept introduced by the Singapore Land Authority (SLA) that houses seniors and youth.
The space, which officially opened in July, supports seniors who prefer an independent living environment with lifestyle amenities, while also encouraging bonding and social engagement.
With her daughter travelling often for work and Ms Ho’s low immunity, the arrangement was the most ideal for the 69-year-old retired bank executive.
“I find the staff very accommodating. I can go to the market to buy ingredients and ask them to cook for me,” said Ms Ho, who is one of six seniors living in the facility.
Among them is Ms Ho’s 90-year-old mother, who moved into a two-bedder unit with her on Aug 23. They pay $6,500 monthly for the unit, which they will stay in until October, when Ms Ho’s treatment ends.
Commune@Henderson is run by TSTAP, a joint venture between TS Group and The Assembly Place (TAP).
It is among different housing models that Singapore is exploring to help seniors age gracefully within the community. This was a point also raised by Prime Minister Lawrence Wong in his National Day Rally speech on Aug 17 when he announced the launch of Age Well Neighbourhoods, starting with Toa Payoh.
Under this scheme, seniors will have more support to age at home with dignity, with access to services such as home fixes, health checks and social activities.
Operators have already started a few options for seniors, ranging from living in one’s home to staying in a nursing home.
Community Care Apartments such as Harmony Village @ Bukit Batok combine senior-friendly features with integrated care and social services. These include basic health checks, home fixes and 24-hour emergency response.
“Retirement kampungs” like Kampung Admiralty combine public housing for seniors with healthcare, wellness and eldercare facilities, alongside childcare centres to encourage interaction with pre-schoolers.
Red Crowns Senior Living offers 40 shared rental homes with live-in caregiving services.
And in March 2025, SLA launched a price and quality tender for 20 black-and-white bungalows in Sembawang, to be repurposed as multi-generational and senior co-living apartments.
SLA said it is monitoring market response and considering letting a few more properties be used for such purposes.
Challenges of co-living
Running an inter-generational facility is more complex than managing purely senior or student housing as it brings together “people from two different worlds with different living habits”, said Mr Eugene Lim, founder and chief executive officer of TAP.
Nearly 200 foreign students from about 20 countries live at Commune@Henderson. Many educators and parents believe mixed-age housing teaches social and life skills, Mr Lim added.
Ms Yin Ruiying, 17, who is from China and is studying at private school Nanyang Institute of Management, said: “My mum chose Commune@Henderson for me as she said it’s better than student accommodation, where everyone may be playing a lot. She feels I will be more grounded with older people around.”
Commune@Henderson can house up to 228 youth and 50 seniors, with about 75 per cent students and 25 per cent seniors.
Seniors live on the ground floor, while students occupy levels two to four. Seniors can choose a twin bed or studio apartment with meals, an attached bathroom and basic healthcare for about $4,800 a month. Students share four-bedder rooms without attached bathrooms and pay around $880 a month, with no meals provided.
To get the young and old to mingle over activities like memory games, TAP organised Bridging Moments, an inter-generational networking session, in July.
On another occasion, Ms Ho was asked to share her banking experience with four students reading banking, finance and business management.
Mr Lim hopes to organise such activities monthly, along with outdoor excursions, by the end of the year.
In January, St Bernadette Lifestyle Village in Duku Road, a private assisted-living provider, started taking in seniors. Two seniors have moved in, although no youth have joined so far.
The strata-titled units can take in a total of 33 individuals, with a mix of single and twin en suite rooms.
Director and co-founder Belinda Wee said: “The idea of inter-generational co-living makes a lot of sense, both from the psychosocial and ethical aspects of care, but I think the practical aspect is harder to surmount.”
She added: “Young tenants may have moved out from their usual living environments to avoid naggy parents, so they will hesitate to move into another similar environment. However, young people are also idealistic, and may want to do good when convinced of the benefits of inter-generational co-living.”
For older residents who need care services, monthly rental starts from $4,000 and can go up to $5,000. Current fees for younger tenants range from $1,800 to $3,500 for single or twin rooms.
Ms Ho, the Commune@Henderson resident, said the current prices of inter-generational accommodation may be too steep for most. She suggested keeping it to around $3,000 a month to make it more affordable for seniors.
Mr Lim and Dr Wee said their prices are fair and competitive, given the full suite of services and quality care provided.
Dr Wee said: “While pricing is important, we should move away from purely financial considerations in eldercare in Singapore to also consider quality of the facility, adequacy of professional and trained staff, and the ability of the care staff to manage unforeseen and emergency situations.”
Dr Kelvin Tan, head of programme for applied ageing studies and senior lecturer at the Singapore University of Social Sciences, said operators must advise seniors to manage their existing homes and financial planning before moving out.
Another challenge is supporting the seniors if their health declines. Operators said the seniors may be moved to nursing homes if they become bedridden or require care beyond what the staff can provide.
Other places such as Japan, Taiwan and Hong Kong have larger inter-generational co-living spaces, Dr Tan said. “It is relatively new to Singapore, but if successfully done, dying alone will be mitigated.”
He foresees diverse living models becoming more common as Singapore ages – by 2030, one in four citizens here will be aged 65 and older, with many living alone.
Despite being in its infancy stage, operators are confident that inter-generational living will be a key part of senior housing.
Dr Wee, who has nine senior living facilities and a nursing home, said she has the blueprint to scale her operations.
With Singapore reaching super-aged status in 2026, all care models will be needed, she said. A public education drive could help seniors and their families choose the right option for their stage of life, she added.
Correction note: St Bernadette Lifestyle Village has clarified that for older residents who need care services, monthly rental starts from $4,000 and can go up to $5,000. Current fees for younger tenants range from $1,800 to $3,500 for single or twin rooms.