After living with a domestic worker in a condominium for 12 years, Lopez moved to St Bernadette in March last year. “Anything can happen once you are old; I decided I might as well come into a safe haven. I couldn’t take a chance because I have no family here. So I thought, all my life I’ve looked after others, now let someone look after me,” she says. “Here I can retain more independence. It’s safe and well-managed. So, all that’s left to do is to just live fully day-to-day.”
SINGAPORE (Jan 8): Beatrice Lopez, 85, was among the first batch of medical social workers trained in Singapore. Now retired and having lost most of her eyesight, she still takes pride in maintaining an active lifestyle: she sometimes has friends over and enjoys shopping at Bukit Timah Plaza.
Lopez is one of eight residents at St Bernadette Lifestyle Village, an assisted-living facility (ALF) where seniors enjoy their independence while staff help with chores and monitor their health. The facility is housed in a single-storey bungalow in the upscale Bukit Timah neighbourhood, and boasts a room for each resident and a common living room. Residents pay $3,650 a month.
