A patient who has had a major stroke goes through a long journey of rehabilitation and recovery. Many patients find the process daunting, especially the elderly. Hence, a pilot programme was started to address the need of stroke recovery patients through rehabilitation sessions that will bring about faster recovery and better outcomes so that seniors will be encouraged to complete their rehabilitation programme. For patients who are unable to walk independently, training with an exoskeleton seeks to reduce the number of therapists required to support the training.

Under the programme, National University Health System (NUHS) will study the suitability of the exoskeletons for the local population across different health conditions and rehabilitation settings. Patients will undergo 12 sessions of rehabilitation, with every session comprising at least 30 minutes each of exoskeleton training and conventional physiotherapy. Based on data gathered from the training sessions, NUHS will evaluate the effectiveness of exoskeleton technology on patients’ rehabilitation outcomes.

The programme is piloted at five rehabilitation settings:

1. Transitional Rehabilitation Ward: Operated by NUH at Alexandra campus
2. Community-based Inpatient and Day Rehabilitation Centre: By St Luke’s Hospital
3. Nursing Home: By NTUC Health
4. Senior Care Centre: By St Luke’s Eldercare
5. Community-based Stroke Support and Activity Group: By Stroke Support Station