PulseSync Announces Strategic Partnership with Perennial

PulseSync Pte. Ltd. (“PulseSync”) is pleased to announce that it has entered into a strategic partnership with Perennial Holdings Private Limited (“Perennial”), an integrated real estate and healthcare company, with Perennial’s wholly owned subsidiary Perennial Healthcare Pte. Ltd. taking an equity stake in PulseSync.

Perennial’s equity investment as part of the strategic partnership will provide important resources to help accelerate PulseSync’s implementation speed of IngoTPCC® and expand capacities to fulfil increasing demand from eldercare service providers. The strategic partnership will also provide opportunities for PulseSync to expand Gym Tonic® to overseas markets, more immediately to China where Perennial has a strong presence.

Publication of Gym Tonic Research Paper by European Review of Aging and Physical Activity

A research publication titled: Effectiveness of a community-delivered pneumatic machine resistance training programme (Gym Tonic) for older adults at neighbourhood senior centres – a randomized controlled trial was accepted and published in European Review of Aging and Physical Activity. While resistance training with pneumatic machines attenuates the age-associated loss in muscle strength and function in older adults, the effectiveness of scaled-up pneumatic machine resistance training in the community is not known. This paper outlines the evaluation of the effectiveness of a multi-site community-delivered 12-week pneumatic machine resistance programme (Gym Tonic) on muscle strength and physical function in older adults.

PulseSync Receives Fit for Life Award 2021 for Innovation and Impact

PulseSync is the first social enterprise in Singapore to receive the inaugural Fit for Life Award 2021, by Fit for Life Foundation in the annual awards event held in Geneva, Switzerland, on 29th September 2021. Of the three outstanding Laureates, PulseSync stands out from 600 worldwide applicants (from 56 countries) for its brainchild project – Gym Tonic®, recognized in driving both innovative and impactful solutions to promote life-long fitness and health around the world.

Publication of Gym Tonic Research Paper by Frontiers In Medicine Journal (Geriatric Medicine)

Singapore – A research publication titled: Introducing progressive strength training program in Singapore’s elder care settings, jointly authored by Frank Borg, Magnus Björkgren, Ken Tan, Gerd Laxåback, Lisette Nygård, was accepted and published in Frontiers in Medicine Journal (Section: Geriatric Medicine). This paper documents the journey, progress and findings of Gym Tonic program in Singapore for the first few years since its inception in 2015.

The Straits Times – Transform your body with exercise

With regular exercise, including resistance training, seniors have managed to regain strength and stamina for physical activities. The biggest problem as people age is that they tend to lose muscle mass because of inactivity and this makes it more difficult to participate in everyday activities.

The Straits Times – Fight muscle loss and resist ageing

People may lose muscle mass as they age, but resistance training can slow the onset of this condition or even reverse it, experts say.

The number of centres offering an evidence-based strength-training programme which aims to improve the functional abilities of the elderly is on the rise.

Four more of such centres will open this year, taking the total number to 33 by the end of the year.

Thirteen of the centres are now open to the public. The rest are eldercare facilities and nursing homes, which offer the programme to their residents.

There is already a waiting list for the 12-week programme known as Gym Tonic, which is carried out by trained therapists using high-tech, air-powered equipment from Finland that is gentler on the joints.

Around 4,000 seniors have gone on the programme since the Lien Foundation brought it to Singapore in 2015 and opened it to the public in 2017, it said.

The 12-week programme costs $150 to $240, depending on the centre. There are 400 people on the wait list at the Bishan Community Club Gym Tonic centre, which opened to the public in April last year.

ChannelnewsAsia – How charities are going digital

VHero Apps, jointly developed by TOUCH Community Services and PulseSync and funded by the Care-At-Home grant, was featured in ChannelnewsAsia – “How Charities Are Going Digital” story. The iOS and Android compatible Application, named VHero, is a mobile application that allows Volunteers to view, select and take up meal delivery jobs for needy and frail seniors based on their availability, preferred meal slots and locations. Moving forward, this application will be extend to cover Ad-Hoc jobs such as running errands, plumbing work, hair cut, etc.

TODAY Online – Gentle workouts help frail seniors go from strength to strength

Once or twice a week, Madam Lau Soon Siang, 97, walks a block to the Care Corner Senior Activity Centre at Blk 62B Toa Payoh for gym sessions. She taps a card on the exercise machines, then embarks on a gentle workout with weights or resistance adjusted to her physical abilities. A trainer motivates her by telling her she would gain more strength to do chores such as cooking and washing of dishes.

Before she started on the strength-training programme called Gym Tonic in September last year, Mdm Lau could not walk two housing blocks without taking a break. She had also slipped on a banana peel and hurt her back only a few months ago.

“Now I even know how to go to Ang Mo Kio,” she told TODAY.

Launched in 2015 by the Lien Foundation, Gym Tonic – developed with health technology company PulseSync – was deployed mainly at nursing homes and senior care centres.