Teaming Up with Lions Befrienders to Grow Wellness
More residents in Queenstown can now enjoy wellness programmes closer to home, thanks to collaboration between Health District @ Queenstown (HD@QT) and its community partners.
Through simple strengthening exercises and guided movement, residents are building mobility while staying socially connected within the community.
To encourage more residents to be active, KOPI Fit Strong and Steady exercise sessions organised by Happy Village @ Mei Ling (HV@ML) have been taking place at a second location at Block 170 Stirling Road since March. Located close to Lion Befrienders (LB) Service Association’s new Active Ageing Centre (AAC), the additional sessions aim to bring exercise, health support and social connections to more residents in the neighbourhood.
Every Tuesday and Thursday, older adults gather at the sheltered pavilion near Block 170 for strengthening exercises led by HV@ML instructors and volunteers. Using everyday household items and resistance bands, participants work on improving their balance, mobility and confidence in everyday activities.
KOPI Fit — short for Keep Our Peers Independent and Fit — is a series of regular programmes offered at Block 160 Mei Ling Street, where HV@ML is based. Adapted from an internationally recognised exercise programme by healthcare professionals from National University Health System, KOPI Fit Strong and Steady workouts are designed to help older adults stay active and reduce their risk of falls.
Bringing energy, encouragement and movement to the community, these HV@ML’s instructors and volunteers who lead KOPI Fit Strong and Steady sessions at both Mei Ling and Stirling Road. From left: Ms Dawn Teo, Mr Terence Govinden, Ms Sally Koh and Ms Trisa Hau.
The expansion came about after LB received feedback from residents who found it difficult to attend programmes at HV@ML or nearby Active Ageing Centres due to mobility challenges, uneven terrain and rainy weather conditions. As LB prepared to open its new Active Ageing Centre at Block 170 earlier this year, it approached HV@ML.
Ms Joe Lee, a Management Associate at LB, shared: “Our goal was to work together with HV@ML, with whom we have established a close working relationship, to explore how we can better support residents on this side of Queenstown.”
Lions Befrienders’ Ms Joe Lee (in navy blue) welcoming residents to the first KOPI Fit Strong and Steady session at Block 170 Stirling Road in March.
Together, LB and HV@ML introduced KOPI Fit Strong and Steady sessions for residents at the new centre, creating a more convenient and familiar touchpoint for nearby residents to access support and stay connected within the community.
Joe added: “The addition of KOPI Fit Strong and Steady exercises for residents with greater frailty complements our existing programmes for more mobile participants, helping us bridge service gaps and better support a wider range of needs within the community.”
To further support residents, a Community Health Post was also established at the centre, so more residents can have their health cared for by the NUHS community care team and health coaches. This makes it easier for residents to receive more seamless and integrated care closer to home, while also helping to address health issues before they escalate.
The collaboration has seen encouraging outcomes. According to Joe, several older adults who were previously not involved in any activities have since joined LB as members. Interest in the sessions also continues to grow through word of mouth and community outreach.
Beyond the physical benefits, the twice weekly gatherings have also become a space for residents to build friendships and strengthen neighbourly bonds. Through guided exercises using weights and resistance bands, participants are gradually improving their strength, mobility and confidence in carrying out everyday activities. Family members have noticed positive changes among participants too, with one resident’s daughter sharing that her father’s mood had improved after joining the programme.
Commenting on the expansion, HV@ML’s Ms Sophia Cheong, Manager at the National University Health System (NUHS) said: “Partnering Lions Befrienders allows us to extend our outreach to residents who may otherwise face barriers accessing programmes and services. We are encouraged by the positive response and hope to continue working with community partners like Lion Befrienders to create accessible spaces where residents can stay active, connected and confident in their daily lives.”
Can Everyday Habits Protect Brain Health? Queenstown Pilot Explores New Possibilities
As Singapore’s population ages, brain health is becoming an increasingly important part of healthy ageing.
Dr Tan Li Feng during an outreach session at Happy Village @ Mei Ling, where she shared more about brain health and the Q-Brain pilot.
In Queenstown, where one in four residents is aged 65 and above, researchers and clinicians are working closely with the community to better understand how lifestyle habits, environment and social support may influence brain health over time. This is particularly important given that dementia and stroke are two of the leading causes of disability among older adults globally, with cases expected to rise alongside population ageing.
One of these efforts is the Q-Brain pilot, part of the wider Innovative Methods for Proactive Risk Optimization and adVancEment in Cognitive Health (IMPROVE-COG) project, led by doctors and researchers from NUHS. Conducted in partnership with HD@QT, the Q-Brain pilot allows the team to study brain health within a real community setting, while working alongside residents and community partners.
At the heart of the project is the Brain Care ScoreTM (BCS), a tool originally developed by researchers from the Global Brain Care Coalition and Mass General Brigham to assess lifestyle and health factors linked to brain health. These include areas such as physical activity, sleep, diet, smoking, social connection and management of chronic cardiovascular risk factors.
Principal Investigator Dr Benjamin Tan, Consultant Neurologist at National University Hospital (NUH), explained: “Q-Brain is a local validation study of the BCS framework, incorporating both quantitative and qualitative components. As the original BCS framework was developed overseas, our work aims to understand how it performs and can be adapted within an Asian and Singaporean context.”
To do this, the team used findings from HD@QT’s Queenstown Baseline Study, which collected information on residents’ health, lifestyles and well-being. Researchers also gathered feedback from residents through interviews and focus group discussions to better understand how brain health tools can be used meaningfully in the community.
Building on the Q-Brain findings, Co-Principal Investigator Dr Tan Li Feng, Senior Consultant Geriatrician at Alexandra Hospital, said the team is now focusing on the next phase of the project — to develop an Artificial Intelligence-enabled digital brain health coach.
The long-term aim is for this digital brain health coach to provide residents with personalised recommendations on areas such as exercise, sleep, diet and social engagement, while encouraging sustainable healthy habits through regular prompts and digital support.
Both Benjamin and Li Feng emphasised that community partnership is central to the project’s success. Li Feng shared that the team hopes to recruit participants from Queenstown for a clinical trial of the AI coaching programme in the fourth quarter of 2026. Looking ahead, residents will continue to play an active role in future phases of the project through focus groups, workshops, and user-testing sessions and participation in subsequent studies.
Through HD@QT, they are able to collaborate directly with residents in a real-world environment and better understand local needs, barriers and behaviours.
Benjamin said: “More broadly, we hope the programme can contribute towards greater awareness of modifiable brain health risk factors and more proactive approaches to healthy cognitive ageing in Singapore.”