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In Singapore’s evolving landscape of senior care, Red Crowns is redefining ageing with its innovative co-living facility. Recognised as Singapore’s inaugural senior co-living establishment, Red Crowns stands shoulder to shoulder with government initiatives such as the “Shared Stay-in Senior Care Services” sandbox.
In an exclusive interview with Joshua Goh, the founder and CEO of Red Crowns, we explore his insights on Singapore’s ageing population and the future of aged care housing facilities in the Lion City.
The beginning: Personal experiences and motivations
In the genesis of Red Crowns, Joshua Goh’s inspiration springs from a deeply personal source. “My father was my inspiration behind the creation of Red Crowns,” he shares. The challenges of finding suitable care for his father led to a stark realisation – the prevalent institutional setting of nursing homes was not the ideal environment for independent and dignified ageing. This realisation became the catalyst for Red Crowns, a co-living haven crafted to offer affordable, independent living for Singapore’s seniors.
Joshua articulates, “We believed that sending him to an eldercare facility would be beneficial for him, but most facilities were nursing homes with an institutional setting. Red Crowns emerged as an innovative response, leveraging Joshua’s extensive experience in operating backpacker hotels and co-living projects for millennials. “
The goal of Red Crowns is to provide an affordable home-like environment, giving seniors the ability to control their lives while also being provided with assistance when needed,” he explains, emphasising the essence of ageing in a place with grace and dignity.
Innovation in collaboration
Red Crowns is officially one of the companies within the government’s newly launched “Shared Stay-in Senior Care Services” sandbox. Joshua expresses gratitude for the government’s adaptability, recognising the sandbox as an avenue for exploring groundbreaking solutions to the challenges posed by an ageing population.
“One of our biggest concerns was employing live-in migrant workers as recognized caretakers for the seniors co-living in the apartment to ensure that seniors are well taken care of at all times,” Joshua reveals.
This innovative approach involves specially trained live-in foreign workers as caretakers, a departure from the typical household foreign domestic workers. The government’s initiative aims to assess the feasibility of such an approach, providing recognition for the skills of live-in foreign caretakers and establishing clear career advancement paths.
“This sandbox allows us to continue providing innovative solutions to overcome the challenges of an ageing population. It is times like these when the private sector should step up and continue to work collaboratively with the government,” Joshua underscores, highlighting the synergy required for effective solutions in the evolving landscape of senior care.
Enhancing lives through co-living
Red Crowns has developed a holistic approach to addressing the unique challenges faced by seniors. Joshua identifies three main challenges – independent living, memory care, and familiarity – and passionately expounds on Red Crowns’ innovative strategies to tackle each.
“In Singapore, we’ve done a great job at providing care services for the elderly who require full assistance,” Joshua observes. However, a crucial gap exists for seniors who need minimal assistance but still desire support for daily activities. Red Crowns bridges this gap by offering live-in caretakers, fostering an environment where seniors can maintain their independence while having assistance readily available.
Memory care, a pressing concern with conditions like Alzheimer’s prevalent among seniors, is met with a comprehensive approach at Red Crowns. “Red Crowns offers the support needed for individuals with early-stage and mid-stage dementia,” Joshua states. This involves tailored activities that enhance cognitive function, coupled with the extra care support required for individuals navigating the challenges of memory-related conditions.
The concept of familiarity is crucial to the senior experience at Red Crowns. The facilities are strategically located in HDBs and condominiums within common neighborhoods, fostering a sense of home. “Moving to an unfamiliar institutional setting can be scary and stressful for seniors, which is not how we want them to live their golden years,” Joshua emphasizes. The expansion of locations to more neighborhoods empowers seniors to choose a care center in a familiar environment, close to loved ones.
As co-living gains popularity among younger generations, Joshua sheds light on how Red Crowns adapts this concept for seniors. “Co-living provides the perfect balance for seniors who love interacting with others as much as they love their personal time,” he notes. By leveraging the benefits of co-living and providing live-in caretakers, Red Crowns offers an affordable option that ensures privacy while maintaining high-quality care.
Beyond providing housing, Red Crowns focuses on enhancing the overall well-being of senior residents. “The key point that truly sets us apart from traditional senior care facilities is the low caretaker-to-senior ratio – 2 caretakers for every 4 or 5 senior residents,” Joshua reveals. This personalized approach allows for highly tailored care services, wider food options catering to individual preferences, and a diverse range of social activities, from mahjong to technology classes.
Empowering independence is a core tenet of Red Crowns’ philosophy. Joshua underscores the importance of community engagement, stating, “Community engagement is very important to independent living and having a strong one will help senior residents feel less lonely while giving them a sense of belonging to the community.” Unlike nursing homes where residents are often dissociated from the wider community, Red Crowns encourages residents to continue their social interactions and involvement outside the care facility.
Technology plays a pivotal role in Red Crowns’ approach to senior care. “We currently use an app to streamline communications, activities, and performance of our caregivers,” Joshua explains. This app serves as a centralized hub where caregivers can update residents’ families on daily activities, meals, medicines, and vital signs. It also automates the caregiver performance review process, ensuring transparency and continuous improvement in care standards.
Future plans and aspirations
Joshua outlines his aspirations for Red Crowns and its role in the evolving landscape of aged care housing in Singapore. “I am constantly looking for ways to expand our business to help more seniors in the community,” he declares. Collaboration with the government on assisted living initiatives and the initiation of social impact projects to raise awareness for senior citizens to age in place are on the horizon.
On a global scale, Joshua envisions reaching out to other countries experiencing similar demographic shifts. “We are targeting other similar countries observing an ageing population, including Hong Kong, Japan, and Malaysia,” he reveals. The expansion into these markets is seen as an opportunity to share the innovative solutions Red Crowns has developed in Singapore.
Closing his reflections, Joshua extends an invitation to potential investors and like-minded partners. “As a growing enterprise, we would like to invite investors or other like-minded partners to come on board to improve the care standard and diversity of services of our business model,” he states, emphasising the collective effort required to elevate the standards of care for the elderly.
In its journey to redefine senior care, Red Crowns stands as a beacon of innovation and compassion. From the deeply personal motivation that sparked its inception to the collaborative endeavours with the Singaporean government, Red Crowns represents a paradigm shift in how society approaches ageing.
To learn more about Red Crowns, visit https://www.redcrowns.co
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