A brain health and memory training programme is being rolled out by a charity organisation called Stroke Support Station (S3). It will be the first such programme in Singapore that is launched in the community. So far, about 20 stroke survivors have been put on the brain health programme at the Enabling Village in Lengkok Bahru.

The programme has been designed by Dr Catherine Dong, a visiting neuropsychologist at the National University Hospital Memory Clinic. The participants also attend health education classes with caregivers to learn about post-stroke cognitive changes and advance care planning options.

The participants will be taught various strategies to help improve their memory, reduce their stress or cope with post-stroke fatigue. It is helpful to have a community-based programme as some survivors' mental-related problems surface after they are discharged from hospital.

People who suffer a stroke may end up with physical problems like difficulty in moving one side of their body, but what is less heeded are memory and thinking issues. Each three-hour session costs $30, but those with the Community Health Assist Scheme card pay just $6 for each session.