It’s all happening in Singapore

Balance Mat first physiotherapy clinic customer in Singapore

For several years Balance Mat Pty Ltd Associate Roger Hausmann has been liaising with Ravi Visvanathan, Managing Director & Principal Physiotherapist of Hallmark Physiotherapy in Singapore on refinements to the Balance Mat system.

Roger has been working with Ravi to support Hallmark Physiotherapy as the company’s first physiotherapy clinic customer in Singapore. This has involved trialing the system and providing feedback to the Balance Mat technical team to assist with system enhancements and refinements over the past two years.

Recently the pair caught up at Hallmark Physiotherapy in Singapore to discuss the commercial launch of the system in Singapore.

Balance Metrix involved in Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) study

Also in Singapore I am delighted to announce that Professor Ecosse Lamoureux from the Singapore Eye Research Institute (SERI) and Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore will use the Neurometric Balance Mat in a major population-based research program to better understand the epidemiology, burden and complex mechanisms associated with age-related sensory deterioration. The project – known as The PopulatION HEalth and Eye Disease PRofilE in Elderly Singaporeans (PIONEER) – is being undertaken in his role as Senior Principal Clinician Scientist at SERI.

The Balance Mat will be used to assess how balance and postural stability are affected by sensory declines and systemic ailments commonly observed as part of the ageing process in 2,000 Singaporeans over the age of 60 years. Findings from this study will be used to improve outcomes for those living with sensory impairment and multi morbidity.

“We are conducting a large nationally representative and population-based study in elderly Chinese, Malay and Indian Singaporeans to better understand the complex mechanisms associated with ageing,” Professor Lamoureux explained.

“Given that most falls happen during locomotion and that the elderly are at increased risk of falls-related health consequences, understanding the contribution of gait, balance and postural stability is critical to identifying high fall-risk individuals,” he said.

“Balance Mat is a quick, easy and objective way to electronically assess postural stability, and can complement other mobility and falls tests we are using in this large clinical research program.”

Professor Lamoureux is considered a thought leader in the epidemiology of age-related sensory loss, with a focus on vision. He is an internationally recognised expert in pioneering new interventions, models of care, screening programs and patient-centred outcome measurements in individuals with chronic eye conditions.

He is also an emerging clinical researcher in age-related sensory impairment and sarcopenia (age-related loss of muscle mass) and is building a strong publication record on ageing, frailty and sarcopenia. He has recently published in high-impact peer-reviewed journals and has given oral presentations at the foremost frailty and ophthalmology global research conferences.

“Since gait, balance and postural screening are not listed as a recommended follow-up measure in the current WHO Integrated Care for Older People (ICOPE) care management pathways for falls, the findings of this research will be instrumental in helping situate balance and postural testing as part of a suite of non-invasive assessments to detect falls risk in elderly community-dwelling individuals,” Professor Lamoureux added.

He said the research will also inform future studies to elucidate and understand the various biological pathways underlying the balance/postural instability – falls relationship and potentially open up novel therapeutic targets and intervention strategies for further evaluation.

I can hardly wait to bring you more news about this inspirational breakthrough science project!