State executive councillor Jagdeep Singh Deo said this was part of a bigger plan to create an “all-age neighbourhood”, where services for the elderly are within reach and affordably priced.

He said apart from that, future infrastructure in the state would take into account the elderly, and that this would also apply to building standards for projects that need approval.

“These guidelines will be soon promulgated by the state because we want to do right by our senior citizens,” he said on the sidelines of an event here today.

“The elderly need proper medical care and better standards of living as they transition into their golden years with a better quality of life and care afforded to them.”

Earlier, Jagdeep and Chief Minister Chow Kon Yeow witnessed the signing of a joint-venture agreement between Eden-On-The-Park Sdn Bhd (EOTP) and Botanica Hills Sdn Bhd to build a “senior living resort” in Balik Pulau, modelled after the ones in Australia.

The low-density resort, named Botanica.CT, will have a nursing care residence as well as villas and a twin-block condominium.

Chow said the project would bring in RM180 million in domestic investment and benefit the elderly in the state.

The country has some 3,000 private nursing homes, with 17 centres under the government, according to EOTP managing director Victor Fong. EOTP currently operates a successful “resort for seniors” in Kuching, Sarawak.