Arthritis research team plods on despite stiff times

PETALING JAYA: Despite cuts in its budget, a research team is trying innovative ways to continue with its project promoting independent and healthy living for senior citizens.

The Promoting Independence in Seniors with Arthritis (PISA) team realised in August that they only received 30% of the budget they asked for from Universiti Malaya (UM), which was funded by the Higher Education Ministry.

“Hopefully, we can get more funds from the ministry soon, but if not, we are setting up mechanisms from which we can generate our own,” said Assoc Prof Tan Maw Pin of UM’s Geriatric Medicine department.

The team is considering partnering with home-care providers and social enterprises to come up with innovative services to help older folks maintain their independence, which includes services such as financial planning and step-down care.

It is also trying to save cost in its research by bringing in undergraduate doctors to conduct health screenings fully supervised, and by approaching blood-test companies to conduct the tests at heavily subsidised rates.

The budget cuts have disrupted the immediate and long-term plans of the project, one aspect of which involves the Social Connect Group.

This is a community network of elderly residents from SS20 who aim to be mutually supportive of each other in terms of health and social needs.

“We want to encourage people to stay healthy and to stay productive even at a very advanced age,” Tan said.

The project aims to see whether disabilities associated with arthritis can be reduced by increasing social participation.

“We had plans to screen participants every six months to see whether there is a change in their health status and compare them with those who are not involved in social participation. But because of the budget cuts, we are no longer funded for those health screenings and blood tests,” she said, adding that the tests cost RM150 per person.