More seniors aged 65 and older to get help to combat frailty

A programme to prevent the onset of frailty in seniors aged 65 and older, reverse its progression, and even improve seniors' long-term health outcomes will be extended to all National Healthcare Group (NHG) polyclinics in the central region by end-2025, the group announced on Oct 24.

- Judith Tan Correspondent

The programme focuses on three key parts frailty intervention, referral to community exercise programmes, and the tapering off or stopping of medication.

In the pilot of the Frailty Programme launched in 2022, more than 7,100 patients from NHG polyclinics were screened, and 3,600 of them received interventions to prevent the onset of frailty or reverse the process.

Through the collaborative efforts of the multidisciplinary team - which included doctors, care coordinators and clinical pharmacists NHG polyclinics successfully improved frailty outcomes of the 3,600 patients, said Dr David Ng, deputy director of clinical services at NHG polyclinics and lead of the group's Frailty Programme.

These patients seen at the polyclinics in Toa Payoh, Hougang and Ang Mo Kio were found either to be managing well or living with very mild frailty.

"The good news was, at the 12month follow-up after intervention programmes, almost half (48 per cent) of the patients who were managing well and about three in 10 (31 per cent) of those with mild frailty showed improved hand grip strength of 1kg or more," added Dr Ng.