MOTIVATE: Empowering Stroke Survivors through Fitness and Collaboration

15 Oct 2024 Stroke support

MOTIVATE is an inclusive initiative designed to support stroke survivors in Singapore by promoting physical fitness and community engagement. The program was developed by Singapore Institute of Technology and Singapore General Hospital in collaboration with the Singapore National Stroke Association (SNSA), National Neuroscience Institute and Republic Polytechnic.

At its core, MOTIVATE is a randomised controlled trial aimed at promoting physical activity for stroke survivors through a behaviour change intervention. This trial, led by Singapore General Hospital, is currently recruiting across the community in Singapore. However, the program is much more than a research study. The intervention was co-designed with stroke survivors, caregivers, and healthcare professionals, ensuring that the intervention is practical and addresses the real challenges that survivors face in maintaining an active lifestyle.

A key part of the program is a working together with SNSA to improve their website to offer stroke survivors access to training materials, information on adaptive exercise equipment, and tools to improve fitness. This resource is designed to make exercise more accessible and empowering.

Building on this success, MOTIVATE has also expanded into a movement to build an inclusive ecosystem to enable people affected by stroke to lead their best lives. The findings of the co-design phase of the project highlighted the need for public awareness, the need for inclusive environments in gyms and the need for supported transitions from hospitals to gyms. A multi-sector collaboration, funded by the Singapore Institute of Technology and SNSA, has partnered with major hospitals in Singapore, Stroke Support Station, Exercise is Medicine Singapore, and Sports Singapore to launch a public awareness campaign.

The campaign complements and reflects the current WSO #GreaterThan campaign and focuses on people and organisations coming together to work towards fewer incidences of stroke and creating better quality of life after stroke. The campaign highlights stroke survivors in Singapore who are thriving through sports and fitness, in a series of bold and inspiring posters. This initiative aims to inspire the community by showcasing real-life stories of recovery and also featuring the social initiatives and sports volunteers who support stroke survivors’ empowerment.

Additionally, a training program for fitness instructors has been introduced by SIT, SGH and SNSA to equip them with the skills needed to assist stroke survivors in fitness centres, promoting inclusivity across Singapore’s gyms. SGH together with other major hospitals in Singapore are also improving their exercise testing and supported transition exercise programmes for stroke survivors.

Through its multi-sector collaborations and public outreach efforts, MOTIVATE is reshaping the stroke recovery landscape in Singapore, helping survivors not just survive but thrive.

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