When the Covid-19 pandemic reached Singapore five years ago and triggered a lockdown here, the Kok family had no choice but to halt the frequent social activities their dementia-stricken grandmother enjoyed.
The elderly woman, who was diagnosed with dementia in 2010, used to exercise daily, engage in activities with dementia care professionals and go on outings around the island with her family or a domestic helper.
It stimulated her mind and helped slow down the progression of dementia, her granddaughter Shervonne Kok told AsiaOne.
Then came the circuit-breaker in 2020.
Confined at home, the once “lively” senior deteriorated “drastically” within six months, recalled the 25-year-old.
Shervonne, who was a university undergraduate at that time, remembered how her grandmother eventually forgot basic actions such as walking and experienced emotional instability.
The elderly woman’s health went “downhill” after she later caught Covid-19 from a care professional after lockdown restrictions were lifted, and she died in December 2023, Shervonne’s father, Simon, added.
The Kok family in photos taken in 2019 (left) and 2023. PHOTO: Shervonne Kok
The ordeal is one of the reasons why the father-daughter duo decided to set up Sunlight Assisted Living this year, to cater to elderly persons who require assistance in everyday living, such as those with dementia or minor mobility issues, and also wish to maintain a level of independence.
The duo told AsiaOne that residents will be provided five meals a day with daily social activities planned, including round-the-clock caregiving support.
Aside from the assisted living care option, this facility — to be launched in the upcoming months — will also offer day care services, which will cost $315 a week or $1,250 a month.
Shervonne told AsiaOne she believes her grandmother would still be alive if she had received adequate social support during the Covid-19 pandemic.
“But unfortunately, Covid hit, so this inspired us to have this facility so that other families don’t go through the same thing as we did, and we can spread our knowledge and how we cared for her pre-Covid to slow down her dementia,” she explained.
“And so that other families [in similar situations] will not go through this journey alone.”
Helping lonely elderlies
Simon, 59, is no newbie to the healthcare industry, having set up private ambulance service Sunlight Ambulance a decade ago. Shervonne joined the business after graduating with a business degree in 2023.
As he ferried patients between hospitals, nursing homes and other institutions, Simon told AsiaOne he got a glimpse of facility operations and talked to patients and their families.
His interactions, coupled with his mother’s health condition then, sparked thoughts on the need for home-like senior care communities where residents are not restricted.
Shervonne also shared that many elderlies have told them they feel lonely and are not able to fully establish a personal connection with their caregivers.
“We really wanted to create a home, not an institution for the elderly. We don’t want to manage them by their conditions, but to see them as individuals through this safe space involving them together,” she added.
“Sunlight Assisted Living is not just a place for them to sleep. We want to stimulate their minds; we want them to have choices. We want to give them autonomy in this space, so they can spend their golden years well.”
Years in the making
The Koks have rented a four-storey landed property at 8 Beng Wan Road in Boon Keng, which boasts a home lift and 12 bedrooms, each with its own private bathroom.
They are hoping to welcome eight to 10 seniors into the space, with the top floor converted into an office where Sunlight Ambulance will operate from.
The hunt to find a suitable space for the assisted living community took years as the founders wanted a spacious home close to nature and greenery, located in a central and accessible location so residents can venture outside and their families could visit easily.
Simon added that he had been rejected by several landlords who did not want their homes to be used as an eldercare facility. They finally settled on the current landed property this March, and started work immediately.
Founders Simon Kok (left) and Shervonne Kok have been looking for a suitable property for about three years. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Darren Wong
With rental costing them a tidy five-figure sum, the duo admitted to AsiaOne that they had a little debate on fees due to the “very high” starting cost.
Prices for a room hence start from $4,500 per month, and is also determined based on the needs and amount of care support a resident requires.
“We didn’t cheap out,” Shervonne said candidly. “It’s a project out of love, but also a personally funded venture.”
Simon emphasised they are not looking to make profit, and that they’ve calculated for the monthly fees to be “just enough” to cover their expenses.
The space
Assisted living is not the same as a nursing home, which typically charge lower fees, pointed out Simon.
Some key differences are having a private space and the autonomy to choose and participate in preferred activities, they shared.
“We wouldn’t restrict them (the seniors) to a rigid schedule… they are free to do whatever they want, and we support their choices,” said Shervonne.
“For all our caregivers we tell them to respect their choices, we will push and motivate them to do activities, but if they want to do a certain activity we will definitely support them, which is something that you don’t see in traditional care.”
She added that the staff to senior ratio at Sunlight Assisted Living will be one to two or one to three, which is smaller than the average ratio in nursing homes.
The duo have also been intentional in renovating the home, including varying the theme colours of the bedrooms to help residents with dementia better remember the environment.
Hand bars and anti-slip mats have been installed in every personal bathrooms, as well as handle bars on beds to assist elderlies in sitting up. An alarm system has been set up on every floor, so residents can receive timely assistance by pressing an alert button to be carried with them.
The property has been retrofitted with elderly-friendly features. PHOTO: AsiaOne/Darren Wong
With Sunlight Assisted Living set to officially open on May 31, the dad-daughter duo is raring to go but there’s a catch — finding suitable residents is turning out to be a bit of a tall order.
It’s a “waiting game”, as Shervonne puts it. They have received enquiries from seniors, but some purportedly shared that they are “waiting to sell their house”, or are currently still receiving medical treatment elsewhere.
Rising demand for eldercare services
Adam Ang, assistant programme chair for the Diploma in Integrated Community Care course at Republic Polytechnic, told AsiaOne that Singapore will see a rising demand for aged care services due to a growing senior population and increased life expectancy.
According to SingStat data, the proportion of seniors aged 65 years and above in Singapore increased from 17.3% in 2023 to 18.0% in 2024. The life expectancy at birth for females rose to 85.6 years in 2024, and 81.2 years for males.
He pointed out that aside from public assisted living facilities such as senior group homes and community care apartments, Singapore is exploring alternative care models to “meet the varied needs of different cohorts of seniors”.
“One such example is a sandbox initiative by the Ministry of Health and the Agency for Integrated Care to pilot a private assisted living model with live-in caregivers in shared apartments,” he said.
Ang added that public and private assisted living providers foster healthy competition, drive improvements in service quality, and ensure cost-effectiveness.
“This variety empowers seniors to make informed decisions and select care options that align with their preferences, lifestyle, and specific needs, which is a crucial factor in enhancing their overall well-being.”
He also noted that nursing homes and assisted living facilities cater to different needs, with the former for seniors who require more medical care and continuous monitoring approach and the latter for those who need assistance in daily activities and personal care services, but prefer to live independently.
So, are there other care options for seniors who need basic care, but do not wish to stay in assisted living facilities for other reasons?
In this regard, Ang shared with AsiaOne that seniors with a higher degree of independence can explore centre-based services such as Active Ageing Centres, day care, night respite, and the Integrated Home and Day Care (IHDC) Package.
For seniors facing mobility challenges, they can explore home-based services such as therapy sessions, personal care, medical services, and nursing care.
‘Work from the heart’
Despite the challenges which the dad-daughter duo have faced so far, Shervonne told AsiaOne her late grandma is a source of motivation for her to push on.
“Whenever I take patients in the ambulance, I listen to their stories and I feel personally connected with them. It makes me relieve the memories with my grandmother,” she shared.
“I still remember one time I took a patient with dementia [in the ambulance]. She was very cute and gives off the same positive vibes like my grandma. And I think I was tearing up in the ambulance as a medic, because she really, really reminded me of my grandma.
“The main motivation for doing all this is really because I feel that I am taking care of other people’s grandparents.”
Simon chimed in: “This is work from the heart, that sincerely touches you.”
Republished with the permission of AsiaOne