Seamless Care for Seniors in Punggol with New Nursing Home by St Luke’s ElderCare
SINGAPORE, 20 May 2026 – When Lily Lim’s 85-year-old mother, Mdm Yeo Kim Lian was hospitalised for more than a month due to repeated falls, she was frail, had lost a lot of weight and was suffering from infected pressure wounds. In July 2025, Mdm Yeo moved into St Luke’s ElderCare (SLEC) Residence @ Punggol and within just two months, her condition improved.
“I can see a clear improvement in my mum’s condition. She has put on weight, her infection is under control, and her blood readings have stabilised. Most importantly, I have peace of mind knowing she is in good hands. It really takes a lot of stress off my shoulders,” said Lily, 57.
Seniors in Punggol can now access a comprehensive and seamless range of care services within their neighbourhood, with the official opening of St Luke’s ElderCare (SLEC) Residence @ Punggol today. The event was graced by Ms Sun Xueling, Senior Minister of State, Ministry of National Development and Ministry of Transport, Adviser to Punggol GRC GROs.
Bringing Care Closer to Home in Punggol
Punggol, while one of Singapore’s youngest towns, is home to a growing number of seniors, with about one in ten residents aged 65 and above. As residents age, their care needs will evolve and having a full continuum of care within the community becomes increasingly important.
SLEC Residence @ Punggol, a 201-bed nursing home, meets this need by providing residential care close to home, allowing seniors to remain near their families and familiar surroundings even as their care requirements increase. This proximity also enables families to stay actively involved in their loved ones’ care, offering greater peace of mind and convenience. Today, among the 200 elders in the residence, one out of five are Punggol residents, and about half were living in the northeast region.
Building Care with Community Partners
Beyond care delivery by its care team, SLEC is working closely with grassroots organisations to create opportunities for residents to volunteer with seniors and celebrate festive occasions together. We also aim to foster intergenerational bonds through partnerships with nearby schools such as Kidz Meadow Preschool, where children bond with seniors through meaningful activities.
Volunteerism and partnerships at SLEC Residence @ Punggol take many forms. For instance, Professor Ong Seow Eng, an academic at the National University of Singapore and an avid photographer, contributes through the SMILE@SLR programme. He captures portrait photographs of seniors living in the residence, preserving their stories and celebrating their individuality. Complementing his efforts, volunteer Hazel Huang offers her expertise as a hair stylist for the photography session. She also provides regular haircuts in the residence that help seniors look and feel their best with dignity and confidence.
Supporting a Seamless Care Journey in the Northeast Region
The new nursing home strengthens a growing network of integrated services in the northeast region. Since 2019, SLEC has expanded its presence as the pioneer eldercare service provider in this region, serving more than 16,000 seniors across six centres in Rivervale, Sumang, One Punggol, Anchorvale, Northshore and Fernvale, as well as one nursing home in Punggol. Together, these facilities enable seniors to receive the care they need — from active ageing and day care to rehabilitation, home care and residential care — near their homes.
With SLEC Residence @ Punggol, seniors can now experience a more seamless continuum of care within the community. As their needs evolve, they are able to transition smoothly across different care settings, for instance, from day care to residential care, with minimal disruption to their care journey.
With this continuum of care in place, SLEC helps to anchor the system of care to support the northeast region of Singapore. It collaborates with partners from both the healthcare sector and academia. In 2024, it signed a memorandum of understanding with SingHealth System to enhance care transitions between acute and community care. Since 2019, it also partners the Singapore Institute of Technology to provide students with hands-on learning opportunities in community care setting.
As a lead Integrated Community Care Provider (ICCP), SLEC works closely with partners such as Allkin Singapore, Methodist Welfare Services and Sengkang General Hospital to better coordinate care delivery, streamline processes and strengthen integration across services in the northeast region.
This integrated approach eases the burden on seniors and their families by reducing the complexity of navigating multiple providers, while ensuring continuity in care relationships, daily routines and support systems.
Expanding Network of Care in Other Towns
SLEC continues to expand its network of services in other towns to meet Singapore’s growing elder care needs. By end 2026, this will include two new Senior Care Centres in Sengkang (Fernvale) and Tampines (Temasek Polytechnic), a new Active Ageing Centre in Jurong East and a new integrated 3-in-1 care facility in Bukit Panjang (Jelapang).
The integrated facility in Jelapang is developed in partnership with New Life Community Services (NLCS). Under this collaboration, SLEC will operate the residence and senior care centre, while NLCS will lead the active ageing programmes.
This facility represents pioneering effort to co-locate services within a single site and integrate the programmes across the full continuum of care, including day care, day rehabilitation, nursing home and active ageing programmes. It also features integrated programmes that enable seniors of different abilities to participate together. This approach is expected to enhance social connection, sustain identity and purpose, deliver better functional and quality-of-life outcomes.
“As Singapore’s population ages, the need for more holistic and seamless care will grow. The new SLEC Residence @ Punggol is part of our broader effort to bring care closer to home, strengthen partnerships across the sector and build a more connected and sustainable model of care for the future,” shared Adj A/Prof (Dr) Kenny Tan, CEO of SLEC.
