Privately operated senior living facilities with luxury amenities are becoming popular in Malaysia. Many lifestyle-forward eldercare residences having popped up in Penang, Klang Valley, Seremban and Kuala Lumpur over the past few years. One of the latest facilities to join this bumper crop is Sunway Sanctuary, a senior living residence operated by the Sunway Healthcare Group.
The 470-room facility opened its doors at half-capacity last June in Petaling Jaya, Selangor, from levels 15 to 30 of Sunway Medical Centre’s Tower D.
It caters both to fully independent seniors looking for an upmarket, worry-free lifestyle in retirement, as well as those who need a higher level of medical support, with studios, one- and two-bedroom suites ranging from 406 to 845sqft.
There’s no need for residents to worry about housekeeping, laundry or meals, as those are all part of the deal. They won’t want for entertainment either, seeing as how Sunway Sanctuary boasts a slew of fancy amenities like a heated infinity pool, gymnasium, yoga deck, sauna, karaoke room, billiard room and library.
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Medical needs are also part of the deal, whether it be consultations with a nutritionist to trim some excess belly fat, a physical rehabilitation plan for someone recovering from surgery, or regular check-ups to ensure one’s vital readings are in order.
For those with the means, rooms start at RM8,800, or RM9,600 if it’s an assisted living unit with extra sensors and monitoring systems. A second occupant can live in the same room for a 30% surcharge.
That doesn’t sound like much, but only because you’ve probably accounted for that juicy MYR to SGD exchange rate, which puts the bill at less than S$3,000 a month in either case.
The sum is a lot heftier for Malaysians. The median monthly wage in Kuala Lumpur is RM3,800 – and that’s already a full third higher than the national median wage of RM2,600, according to a 2023 report by the Department of Statistics.
Nevertheless, Sunway Sanctuary’s occupancy rate now sits at around 35% of its current 235-room capacity after almost a year in business.
Promising response to Sunway Sanctuary
Leonard Theng, general manager of Sunway Sanctuary, speaking to SilverStreak at the World Ageing Festival 2024, avers that this “promising response” is proof that the market for luxury senior living in Malaysia is growing quickly.
A gradual shift in attitudes across the generations have also fuelled this growth.
While he admits that it remains difficult to shake off lingering stigma associating senior living residences with nursing homes – a sentiment echoed by others in the residential eldercare industry – he says that Sunway Sanctuary and other operators like it in Malaysia are making headways.
They receive about “30 to 40 visitors a month” for their short-stay packages, which start at RM1,200 (S$341) for a 3D2N stay in a studio room for two. Meanwhile, longer 8D7N stints at a fancier premium suite go for S$1,758.
Not many Singaporeans biting
A purpose-built luxury senior living facility less than half a day’s travel from Singapore, at just a fraction of the price – sounds like a hit with Singaporeans. But Leonard tells us that only a couple of them have signed on to stay at Sunway Sanctuary long-term thus far.
“I’m sure that such a facility in Johor Bahru, which is much physically closer to Singapore, would be receiving far more attention.”
That said, he can’t confirm where Sunway Healthcare Group plans to open its next luxury senior living residence.
