Stroke is one of the leading causes of adult disability in Singapore. The number of cases has gone up by 58 per cent to nearly 10,000 in 2021, as compared to about 6,000 a decade ago, according to the Ministry of Health.
S3’s executive director Ng Rei Na told CNA that the organisation was set up to fill the gap left by a lack of exercise and activities that stroke survivors could participate in, once they finished rehabilitation after leaving hospital.
GYM WITH ADAPTIVE TOOLS
Ms Ng said an adaptive gym at Ang Mo Kio Hub will open by the end of the year, with all stroke patients – regardless of whether they were a part of S3’s rehabilitation programmes – welcome to use it.
Participants will be assessed physically by the specialists on site, and if cleared, they will be allowed to use any of the equipment, just like in a commercial gym.
Stroke survivor Kelvin Tan said he is looking forward to using the gym to aid in his recovery process.
“A lot of stroke survivors, they are worried about how other people will look at them … if you’re walking, like limping … I believe this will give them confidence that they can actually … be like a normal human being,” said Mr Tan.
Ms Ng noted: “For the adaptive gym, it was really from the voices of some of our members who said that after rehabilitation, they actually do want to continue and to push themselves to a higher level of fitness … in order to prevent a second or even third stroke from happening.”
Ms Michelle Neo, a senior physiotherapist at S3, said its clients do not usually know where to go or what they should do after they are discharged from rehab.
“The adaptive gym is designed (for them) to continue their fitness journey,” she added.
HELPING SURVIVORS REMAIN INDEPENDENT
S3’s innovation lab is also looking at how to adapt items such as clothing for people who have mobility challenges or only have one functioning side of the body.
Ms Ng said that some members have raised issues with putting on regular clothing or having difficulty with very simple activities, including brushing their teeth, washing the plates or cutting their nails.
“Similarly, for the innovation lab, we realised that beyond just rehabilitation and ensuring that you can move well in our clinical setting, we also want our members to be able to move well in their own homes and in the community,” said Ms Ng.
