SINGAPORE — A site at Gibraltar Crescent has been put up for sale by public tender on behalf of the Ministry of Health (MOH), to pilot a dementia care village. 

The dementia care village is intended to be a new residential option for individuals with varying stages of dementia, which will complement the home-based care and dementia day-care services available now, MOH and the Urban Redevelopment Authority (URA) said in a joint statement on Tuesday (July 16).

Located near Sembawang Park, the site has a lease of 30 years and comprises a cluster of 10 state bungalows. 

Spanning two plots of land with an area of 26,350.7 sqm and 1,756.3 sqm, at least 60 per cent of the maximum permissible gross floor area for the development is to be set aside for residential use — excluding serviced apartments and hostel spaces.

MOH and URA said that the remaining 40 per cent of the gross floor area can be developed for any of these uses: Residential use, shopping and dining, health and medical care (such as a nursing home or centre-based aged care services), and other ancillary institutional uses. 

The height of new buildings should not exceed that of the existing bungalows.

“The site’s location and layout will provide a conducive environment for persons with dementia,” both agencies said. 

“The pilot dementia care village could also present opportunities for the successful tenderer and community partners to collaborate on active ageing programmes and provide other eldercare services for residents.”

DEMENTIA CARE VILLAGE

MOH hopes that the pilot will offer insights into market demand for such facilities and the community needs of persons with dementia. 

This will contribute to the “development of suitable dementia care models in the future,'' it said.

Dementia in Singapore is on the rise. 

It is estimated that there are 82,000 people in Singapore with dementia, and the number is expected to go beyond 100,000 by 2030, according to the Alzheimer’s Disease Association (ADA).

In the first national survey on dementia by the ADA and Singapore Management University, three in four people with dementia here say they experience rejection and loneliness. The survey also found that more than half of the general public feel uncomfortable interacting with them, but nearly eight in 10 want to do more to improve the lives of people with dementia.

The dementia care village will be specially designed to provide a safe, home-like environment where residents are assisted to live independently. 

It will provide tailored services and programmes to create meaningful participation and social interactions among its residents, said the MOH. 

Through collaboration with nearby community partners, the village is also expected to provide better access to support services and amenities in the wider community for persons with dementia and their families. 

The tender will close at 12pm on Nov 19. 

A concept and price revenue tender will be adopted to evaluate the tenders received for the sale site at Gibraltar Crescent to ensure that the selected concept proposal aligns with the vision of the dementia care village, said URA. 

Under this system, tenderers are required to submit their concept proposals and tender prices separately. 

The concept proposals will be first evaluated against a set of criteria specified in the tender. The criteria includes an assessment of the suitability of the proposed overall model of care for persons with dementia, as well as the quality of the care programmes and services. 

Only concept proposals that are shortlisted will proceed to the second stage for evaluation, which will be based on price only. The site will then be awarded to the tenderer with the highest bid price among those with acceptable concept proposals.