SINGAPORE — Like their younger countrymen who do National Service, senior citizens in north-eastern Singapore can now sit for an individual physical proficiency test (IPPT).

The IPPT for Seniors, or IPPT-S, will check if they are frail. It consists of nine short tests that take about 60 minutes to complete, as well as a half-hour questionnaire on their nutritional status, performance of daily living activities and psycho-social risks.

Developed by doctors and allied health professionals from Singapore General Hospital (SGH) and Sengkang General Hospital (SKH), the programme aims to reach out to at least 2,000 individuals aged 55 and above over the next three years. 

The participants should be able to walk independently (with and without walking aids) and have passed a pre-screening test measuring their body mass index and blood pressure, among other statistics.

The hospitals will work with community partners such as senior activity centres and senior care centres.

Frailty is not a disease, but the result of ageing and underlying medical illnesses. It puts seniors at a higher risk of falls and hospitalisation, and is marked by symptoms such as unintentional weight loss of at least 4.5kg in the past year and slowness in walking. 

“The development of frailty as one ages is very subtle and often goes unnoticed until a health crisis occurs,” said Associate Professor Ng Yee Sien, senior consultant at the department of rehabilitation medicine at SGH and SKH.

If detected early, frailty is reversible with lifestyle changes, he said.

The IPPT-S assesses flexibility, balance, strength, power and cardio-respiratory endurance through physical tests such as sit-and-reach, back scratch, grip strength, as well as a 10m walk. All tests will be carried out by the SKH care team or trained volunteers.

Elderly participants who complete the programme will receive a health booklet with their results, and a Gold, Silver or Pass award. If they do not obtain at least a "Pass", their condition will be determined as frail or pre-frail.

Test scores will take into account individual factors such as the participant’s age and gender, said a spokesperson for Sengkang Health.

Follow-up assessments will be done six and 12 months after the first assessment. 

The pre-frail and frail may be referred for further interventions at primary care or specialist centres.

A pilot run of the IPPT-S was conducted at the Comnet Senior Services at Rivervale Crescent over eight days in June and July. 

It found a third of nearly 100 participants to be pre-frail and 2 per cent to be frail, while 22 per cent were at risk of malnutrition.

The IPPT-S is the second major effort announced to tackle frailty in less than a month.

Last month, the National University Singapore’s Yong Loo Lin School of Medicine (NUS Medicine) announced a programme adapted from Japan to delay dementia and frailty among seniors in western Singapore.

The Healthy Ageing Promotion Programme For You (Happy) programme aims to reach more than 1,000 seniors in the next two years.

In a study on Bukit Panjang residents concluded last year, NUS Medicine found a third of some 1,000 senior citizens aged 65 and above were on the edge of becoming frail, while another 6 per cent were frail.