HomeWise › Caregiver Guides › Eldercare Products for Seniors Living Alone
Buying GuideUpdated September 2026 · 6 min read
In 2025, 88,400 Singapore residents aged 65 and above lived alone, more than double the number ten years earlier. If your parent is one of them, the question is different from other homes. It is not only how to prevent a fall, but how anyone would know if one happened. These are the eldercare products that matter most when nobody else is in the flat, what they cost in Singapore, and which ones a subsidy covers.
If you only do three things
1. A fall alarm they will actually wear every day.
2. Bathroom safety: grab bars installed under HDB EASE, plus a shower chair.
3. Night lights from the bed to the toilet.
| The need | Product | Price range | Who pays |
|---|---|---|---|
| Someone knows if they fall | Fall detection watch → | S$26 to S$449 | Self-funded |
| You can find them if they wander or get lost | GPS watch or pendant → | S$100 to S$238 | Self-funded |
| No trip on the way to the toilet at night | Motion sensor night light | S$9 to S$40 | Self-funded |
| Something to hold in the bathroom | Grab bars → | S$14 to S$139 | HDB EASE fitting |
| A safe way to shower | Shower chair and anti-slip mat → | S$10 to S$88 | SMF device (chair) |
| Warning if there is a fire | Home fire alarm device → | S$6 in a 1- to 3-room flat under EASE | HDB EASE fitting |
| No climbing or stretching for things | Long-handled reacher | S$9 to S$32 | Self-funded |
Price ranges are the lowest and highest listings HomeWise tracks, before any subsidy.
Worn on the wrist, it can call or message a family member after a hard fall. It only works if it is worn and charged, so choose one your parent will actually wear.
Shows location on your phone and usually has an SOS button. A pendant suits someone who will not wear a watch.
The cheapest item on this list and one of the most useful. Place them from the bed to the toilet.
In an HDB flat, apply through EASE and HDB's contractor installs them. A first set costs S$26.15 in a 1- to 3-room flat.
Sitting to shower removes the riskiest moment in the bathroom. Pair it with a mat or EASE slip-resistant treatment.
One of the items HDB installs under EASE. For someone who cooks alone, it is worth having.
Stops the chair-climb to the top shelf, which is a common way people living alone get hurt.
Many parents who live alone are proud of it, and a watch or a grab bar can feel like a sign they are not coping. It often goes better when the product is framed around what they want to keep doing, like going to the market on their own, rather than what might go wrong.
Practise that conversation first in a HomeWise practice room →
Most of these items are stocked by Singapore's specialist eldercare shops, and the smaller ones are cheapest on Shopee and Lazada. For a full comparison of 13 places to buy, with delivery terms and the subsidy to check before you spend, see our guide to eldercare products in Singapore.
For most families, a way to raise the alarm after a fall: a fall detection watch or an SOS pendant, worn every day. After that, bathroom safety, because the bathroom is where most home falls happen.
No. SMF covers assistive devices such as walking aids, wheelchairs, commodes and shower chairs. Fall detection watches and GPS trackers are self-funded.
88,400 residents aged 65 and above lived alone in 2025, 11.5% of seniors, up from 41,200 in 2015 (MSF Family Trends Report 2026).
Specialist eldercare shops such as The Golden Concepts, SeniorCare and Rainbow Care stock most of these items, and Shopee and Lazada are cheapest for small items like night lights. HomeWise compares 13 places to buy in its guide to eldercare products in Singapore.
Tell the HomeWise Advisor how they live and what worries you. It suggests what to look at first and which subsidies apply.
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