Singapore nursing homes face bed crunch

The over 60 nursing homes in Singapore, especially those run by voluntary welfare organizations, are facing a bed crunch, local daily Straits Times reported on Sunday. The newspaper found in a check with 20 homes that more than half of the nursing homes were running at full or almost full capacity. Homes run by voluntary welfare organizations, where there are subsidized beds, have long waiting lists. The average waiting time for a bed in nursing homes run by voluntary welfare organizations rose from 50 days in 2008 to about 60 days early last year, the newspaper said. It is easier to get a bed in a privately run home, though only slightly and if you can afford it. Econ Healthcare Group, which runs eight nursing homes in Singapore, said the occupancy rate is 99 percent and it has waiting lists of up to 20 people at some branches. Demand for nursing homes in the city state can only grow given the aging population. By 2030, the number of people aged 65 or above is projected to reach 900,000, or one in every five residents.