CHAMPS was a pilot programme in partnership with Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) to engage and train seniors to support hospital staff to enhance care for frail seniors during their outpatient visits, hospitalisation and recovery at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Senior volunteers underwent structured training courses, developed by TTSH's Centre for Health Activation, and clinical professionals, to equip themselves with para-clinical skills in three “programmes”:

1. Eye Clinic Volunteer Programme Eye Clinic

   Volunteers were trained by the clinical team to do basic history-taking, patient education in visual field test and care navigation support for patients. The senior volunteers gained newfound knowledge and skills to enable better care to patients and also helped them to be more confident in managing their eye conditions at home and sharing the knowledge with their family members and friends.

2. Hospital Elder Life Programme

   Hospital Elder Life Programme was an evidence-based and comprehensive inpatient-care programme that prevents delirium (a sudden state of confusion or change in mental state) and loss of functioning amongst older adults. Volunteers were equipped with an understanding of delirium in the elderly, its complications and more importantly, how to prevent it.

3. Inpatient Total Knee Replacement Programme

   Inpatient Total Knee Replacement Programme Volunteers underwent training and assessment by the clinical team and took on the roles as exercise buddies to help TKR patients with post-surgical exercises. Volunteers were also trained in befriending and coaching skills to motivate patients to do these exercises on a regular basis for recovery.

Trained volunteers were encouraged to serve in roles in hospital-based clinical programmes and subsequently bring these new skills into the community. 

The programme trained 48 senior volunteers aged 50 years and above and benefited about 9,000 frail seniors from 2018 to 2021.