Disc golf, balloon badminton: Adapted sports keep seniors active

Activities cater to people of differing abilities, including wheelchair users

A year ago, 75-year-old Mr Pak Chang Mang could not walk without a walking aid, and mostly got around on a wheelchair because he said his legs were weak.

Plagued by his mobility issues, he spent his days cooped up in his Pasir Ris flat with his wife.

Now, the retired tailor plays sports twice a week with other seniors at the active ageing centre near his home.

The group gathers for disc golf, which is normally played standing up with a frisbee. For Mr Pak and the other seniors, they sit down and toss a plastic ring to one another, and everyone then takes turns shooting the ring into a basket. Laughter and applause fill the space whenever someone scores.

Over the past year, playing sports adapted for seniors has improved Mr Pak's fitness. He now makes the 10-minute walk to the active ageing centre by himself without a walking aid, a stark difference from being wheeled there by his helper just eight months ago.

With an ageing population in Singapore, there has been an increase in the number of elderly folk with mobility issues.

According to the Singapore Department of Statistics, the number of residents in resident households aged 65 and over with mobility issues grew from around 25,500 to 50,000 between 2000 and 2020.