KUALA SELANGOR, May 4 — The Healthy Ageing: Frailty Prevention Among Senior Citizens programme kicked off in September last year, aiming to increase awareness about frailty issues among senior citizens and prepare Malaysia to become an ageing nation in 2030.
Project director Dr Ahmad Munawwar Helmi Salim said the initiative also seeks to determine the health status of senior citizens in the community to allow early interventions that could enhance their independence and quality of life.
He said 600 elderly people in Klang have received the programme’s benefits, which the Selangor government funds under the Selangor Health Partnership Programme (Selhep) initiative.
The programme, led by non-governmental organisation BeVital, has been expanded to Kuala Selangor through two phases: screening for frailty levels and special interventions for those aged 60 and above.
Dr Munawwar said participants are screened to gauge their frailty levels before attending a health talk and learning specially designed exercises conducted by sports medicine experts from the Health Ministry (MOH) and other parties.
“They will be provided with a resistance band and exercise diary so they can do the exercises at home,” he told Bernama at the Senior Citizen Health Festival today.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Youth and Sports Minister Hannah Yeoh also attended the event.
He added that participants must attend a health talk twice a week, participate in exercise activities, and undergo physiotherapy examinations, among other things, during the programme’s second phase.
“The programme is carried out for three months, and at the end, participants will be re-screened to assess its effectiveness. Based on the results of participants in Klang, their frailty levels dropped,” Dr Munawwar said.
The initiative received help from volunteers under the Youth and Sports Ministry and experts from District Health Offices and health clinics under MOH, with an estimated 1,800 elderly people in four districts expected to benefit from the programme.
— Bernama
