On 8 November 2016, more than 50 residents gathered at TOUCH Home Care (THC) at Ang Mo Kio to learn about the benefits of exercises targeted at functional fitness and how they can improve stamina and strengthen muscles for daily tasks and activities including housework and marketing.
Organised by TOUCH Caregivers Support and conducted by coaches from RedX Games and Team Strong Silver - fitness specialists in functional training, participants were taught stretching techniques and muscle training. They also learnt the importance of using correct techniques when lifting a heavy item, carrying a baby or squatting when washing clothes. The fitness coaches highlighted exercises targeting specific muscles that are suitable for seniors with osteoporosis and other health ailments.
"You need functionality and strength when you do your daily tasks. The risk of injury is real as many seniors are ignorant of the correct techniques of bending and squatting. Seniors need to be assured that they are still capable of doing strength training safely despite their prevailing health woes. Through regular exercise, we hope these seniors can enjoy a better quality of life as they learn to encourage one another to take responsibility for their own health,” said Mr Robert Ho, Fitness Coach.
“We are encouraged by the overwhelming response to our first community engagement activity with the residents in Ang Mo Kio. It is great to see them coming out of their homes, interacting with one another and learning something useful. We hope such exercise sessions will be a good starter in initiating a wider range of activities that will inject life and meaning to the community experience of senior residents in the Ang Mo Kio precinct,” said Mr Kavin Seow, Director of TOUCH Home Care and TOUCH Caregivers Support.
“It is convenient for us to come here as I live nearby. I brought my mother to attend today’s talk because she is so bored at home. It is nice to see other seniors here too. I do not mind trying out the exercises as I do a lot of housework at home,” said Mdm Ong Yeen, 58, who attended the talk with her mother, Mdm Koh Ah Kwee, 82.
The session ended with a dialogue conducted by COLOURS, a community space design consultancy, on the kinds of mental, social and physical activities residents look forward to. The feedback gathered will inform the design and location of THC’s TOUCH Community Wellness Hub at Ang Mo Kio, scheduled to be completed by the end of 2017.
Subsequently, more than 40 residents attended the inaugural exercise programme on 15 November 2016 - the first of a twice-weekly, eight-week exercise session conducted at the void decks of Blk 433 and 445 at Ang Mo Kio Ave 10. Participants are registered and screened to assess their physical condition before the exercises.