Specialised gym for stroke patients to be set up as part of $6.59m rehab initiative

SINGAPORE – A new gym to help rehabilitate stroke patients will be launched in the first quarter of 2026 as part of a new $6.59 million initiative to enhance their care.

The gym is part of the Stroke Rehab Ecosystem launched on Aug 26. The initiative will benefit more than 2,000 stroke survivors by cutting the waiting time for community rehabilitation and providing mental health and post-rehabilitation wellness support.

The Lien Foundation will commit $5.09 million to the four-year initiative, and $1.5 million for the gym.

Designed for stroke survivors to further their recovery, as well as maintain and improve their physical abilities, the gym will be set up and operated by non-profit organisation Stroke Support Station (S3) at a 3,500 sq ft space in the AMK Hub shopping mall in Ang Mo Kio.

It will feature specialised equipment for people with disabilities, and will be staffed by qualified trainers who will customise routines for stroke survivors.

The aim, said S3 executive director Ng Rei Na, is to help stroke survivors “build strength, regain independence and grow in confidence”.

Adjunct Associate Professor Loh Yong Joo, who heads the rehabilitation department at Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH), said there is a need for a gym for stroke patients as cardiovascular conditions are among the leading risk factors for strokes.

“When they get a stroke, they also have high risk of getting a heart attack. So that’s why it’s very important to maintain their cardio fitness,” he said, noting that 15 per cent of survivors risk another stroke within five years of the first one.

The Stroke Rehab Ecosystem will see Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and TTSH work with community partners to develop personalised rehabilitation programmes for stroke patients.

Community partners include Awwa, NTUC Health and St Luke’s ElderCare.

This will create a “more coordinated pathway from hospital care to community-based rehabilitation and beyond”, said Lien Foundation chief executive Lee Poh Wah, adding that many survivors do not receive the necessary therapy.

He noted that no more than 40 per cent of stroke survivors referred to community rehab take up the service due to reasons such as poor coordination between agencies and transportation challenges.

“We need to invest in more rehab services to make rehab accessible, affordable and truly transformative for patients,” he said at the launch event held at Novotel Singapore On Stevens.

Singapore records about 10,000 stroke cases a year, with one in four expected to experience a stroke during their lifetime.

Without timely and adequate rehabilitation, one in five stroke survivors may face deteriorating mobility that will affect their daily activities, according to a study by the People’s Hospital of Deyang published in peer-reviewed journal Topics In Stroke Rehabilitation in 2023.

To cut waiting time for rehabilitation from several months to no more than two weeks after discharge from treatment, Awwa will provide home therapy services for stroke survivors with high rehab potential, as well as those with limited rehab potential, while they await enrolment into a day rehab centre.

Suitable patients with high rehab potential will also be offered home therapy services even after securing a place in a rehab centre.

At SGH and TTSH, dedicated care coordinators will help stroke survivors manage their rehabilitation during their first year of recovery.

This will help ensure that the patients attend at least two to three rehabilitation sessions per week for the first six months, dubbed the “golden window” for rehabilitation, after which they will receive weekly guided support for up to a year after the stroke.

A multidisciplinary team – comprising neurologists, physiotherapists, psychologists, psychiatrists and others – will be set up to train community therapists and provide support for more complex cases. This includes managing mental health issues, focusing on early assessment and intervention for psychological and neuropsychiatric symptoms.

The Stroke Rehab Ecosystem aims to meet the unique needs of each stroke survivor, noting a “one-care-fits-all” approach does not best support them, said Prof Loh.

Mr Kelvin Loon, 47, who suffered a stroke in 2021, said greater cooperation between organisations and support from care coordinators can help ease the burden on patients, who often have to navigate the rehabilitation process on their own.

“I feel like it will help us alleviate the mental load of having to navigate this journey on our own,” said the general manager of a business management consultancy.