​Fall prevention: Facebook, WhatsApp workout videos for Singapore elderly boost their confidence and improve their health

South China Morning Post and Asia One

SCMP, 9 Mar, https://www.scmp.com/lifestyle/health-wellness/article/3074185/fall-prevention-facebook-whatsapp-workout-videos

AsiaOne, 10 Mar, https://www.asiaone.com/lifestyle/singapore-elderly-use-whatsapp-video-workouts-avoid-falls

When it comes to his health, retiree Tang Chong Meng says it pays for him to be digitally savvy. The 72-year-old is one of 760-plus elderly Singaporeans who use the digital platforms WhatsApp and Facebook every day to access workout videos specially produced for 60- to 75-year-olds.

The video tutorials focus on strength, balance and flexibility (SBF) exercises, which become increasingly important as we age. “Since starting SBF exercises three months ago, I feel more confident and healthier,” Tang shares. “I used to experience knee pain when taking the stairs, but I don’t have that problem any more.”

The video tutorials – along with other health-related resources for the elderly – are part of “Ready, Steady, Go”, a non-profit health communication campaign that provides a fresh and interactive angle on fall prevention.

“Through this campaign, we hope to encourage older adults to take ownership of their health and incorporate SBF exercises into their daily lives,” says Yeo Sze-G, a final-year communications major at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore, and one of the team behind “Ready, Steady, Go”. The campaign is part of a final-year academic project at the university’s Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information.

The team was inspired to start the campaign after the great aunt of one of its members fell in a washroom. The 80-year-old woman was treated in hospital, but succumbed to her head injury two weeks later.

According to a report published in 2015 in the Singapore Medical Journal, Singapore’s Health Promotion Board (HPB) found that 63 per cent of falls that happen to older adults occur at home. Yeo says many elderly people think falling is a natural part of ageing, but after speaking to experts she and her teammates realised that this was not true.

They also learned that the elderly could reduce their risk of suffering a fall by doing SBF exercises regularly. However, they found that many had difficulty committing to a stipulated exercise programme. Their research showed that elderly people wanted to be in control of their own time and valued their independence more than conforming to a schedule.

“Our campaign hopes to increase older adults’ self-care competencies so that they remain healthy in their sunset years – this is especially important, seeing as more and more of them are living alone,” says Yeo. “With more seniors using smartphones and social media, this promotion of SBF exercises through digital platforms would allow them to integrate the exercises into their daily routines more conveniently, helping them sustain an active lifestyle.”

She adds that the campaign doesn’t involve carers because its main goal is to reinforce old people’s sense of independence when it comes to looking after themselves.

The “Ready, Steady, Go” team produced the videos and brochures with help from the Singapore Physiotherapy Association (SPA) and centres for the elderly in the community, which provided the exercise expertise. The SBF exercises were adapted from a programme of the HPB, the main driver of health promotion and disease prevention programmes in Singapore.

SPA president Lee Sin Yi says the campaign aims to raise public awareness of the importance of SBF exercises. Lee says most people have no idea how these exercises can help them age actively.

“From the age of 30, our body systems, including our musculoskeletal systems, begin to decline at a rate of 1 per cent to 2 per cent per year. Incorporating SBF exercises into our daily lives, coupled with eating sufficient protein, can help delay the onset of this decline,” Lee says.

She explains that falls the elderly suffer may be due to internal and external factors. The latter may include a wet floor or inappropriate footwear; SBF exercises target the former, which may include reduced muscle strength and poor flexibility.

“Strength exercises build muscle strength and are essential for supporting our body against gravity when we walk or climb the stairs, for instance. Balance exercises improve our postural reactions in response to environment changes – for example, walking on an uneven surface or keeping our balance when we’re on the bus and the vehicle moves erratically. And flexibility exercises increase our flexibility, thus improving our joints’ range of motion and balance response.”

Exercises in the video tutorials include side leg raises and standing hip extensions for strength, single-leg stand practice for balance and tricep stretches for flexibility. These and other campaign materials, such as fall prevention information, are provided free of charge.

Old people can access them through WhatsApp or Facebook. If they want to exercise with their friends, they can visit the campaign’s website to sign up for exercise programmes in the community.

Besides making such important information more accessible, the digital aspect of the campaign also makes it easy for elderly Singaporeans to share fall prevention information with their friends and remind one another to follow the video tutorials.

Tang, for one, appreciates that the regular WhatsApp messages and reminders feel so “personal” and “motivating”. He also likes the convenience of having the information and videos at his fingertips.

“I can do the exercises in my own time, and, if I come across any health-related resources that might benefit my friends, I forward it to them on WhatsApp and encourage them to check it out,” he says.