Enhancing Community Mobility Rehabilitation

11 Mar Enhancing Community Mobility Rehabilitation

On 26 Feb 2025, NTU’s Rehabilitation Research Institute of Singapore (RRIS), Lions Befrienders, Lumens-Lylo, and the Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab came together to provide an engaging and insightful session on “Enhancing Community Mobility Rehabilitation,” which explored challenges of mobility recovery for individuals at home and within the community, and how innovation can help address these challenges.

We would like to extend our heartfelt gratitude to our three distinguished speakers:
1)     A/Prof Shawn Soh, Health and Social Sciences Cluster, Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT);
2)     Ms Karen Wee, Executive Director at Lions Befrienders Service Association; and
3)     A/Prof Wei Tech Ang, School of Mechanical & Aerospace Engineering, Nanyang Technological University,
who provided valuable insights from diverse viewpoints.

𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗛𝗶𝗴𝗵𝗹𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:
1. 𝘖𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘗𝘴𝘺𝘤𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘪𝘤𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘰𝘧 𝘍𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨:
One of the major hurdles for seniors is the fear of falling. Strategies to help them overcome this fear are discussed, allowing them to lead more active and fulfilling lives while maintaining their safety.

2. 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘱𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘤𝘦 𝘰𝘧 𝘛𝘦𝘤𝘩𝘯𝘰𝘭𝘰𝘨𝘺 𝘪𝘯 𝘙𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯:
How to help seniors accept and adapt to technology, such as machines and devices, that can aid in their physiotherapy and rehabilitation processes.

3. 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘵𝘺-𝘉𝘢𝘴𝘦𝘥 𝘙𝘦𝘩𝘢𝘣𝘪𝘭𝘪𝘵𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯:
How innovators, community care centers and other service providers can come together in taking rehabilitation directly to the community, making mobility recovery more accessible and sustainable for seniors.

4. 𝘊𝘰𝘭𝘭𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘈𝘤𝘤𝘦𝘭𝘦𝘳𝘢𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘗𝘳𝘰𝘨𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘴:
The event reinforced the importance of collaborative efforts, as it truly “takes a village” to engage the rehabilitation community and promote/deploy innovation to a wider audience.

𝗗𝗲𝗺𝗼 & 𝗙𝘂𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝘀:
The session concluded with an exciting demonstration, where participants witnessed firsthand how the DRBA (Data-driven Robotic Balance Assistance) assists individuals to regain mobility and how Lumens-Lylo’s retrofitted vehicle transported DRBA and offers safe ride for wheelchair bound individuals. Thank you to Lylo’s Jaimy Teo and Perlyn Cheong for their relentless support.

The next step is for this consortium to conduct 𝗰𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆-𝘀𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗿𝗲𝗵𝗮𝗯𝗶𝗹𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗹𝘀 with DRBA, providing essential support for seniors in their mobility rehabilitation journey.

Thank you to all participants, speakers, and organizations involved. Together, we can continue to make strides toward enhancing community mobility rehabilitation.