Page 24 - PULSE@UM 2nd Issue 2019

community programmes community programmes

a significant increase in muscle mass and was held in University Malaya in November KEEPABLE CANCER COMMUNITY CENTRE
reduction in body fat percentage, where these 2018. Among the contestants, SK Minden
results were published in an ISI Journal in Height was the champion in the National WFC
Sports Medicine. This year, WFC has spread its Championship, SK Seksyen 7 Kota Damansara
wings further to involve 16 schools in Petaling was in second place and SKDU won the 3rd place.
Jaya and 4 schools in Penang under the
Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) programme. Throughout the year, walking football club
In brief, walking football is similar to a normal has gained many positive feedbacks, from
football game except that it is low impact as participants, teachers and parents that had
participants must walk instead of running, created keen interest for further collaboration
which at the same time body contact is not in the future. It is hoped that more schools
allowed and balls should not go above the from all over Malaysia will take up this sports
participant’s shoulder level. In this program, event, as it is cheap and easily implemented
healthy school boys aged 9 - 11-year-old from using the current facilities that are readily
16 schools around Petaling Jaya were invited available in most schools.
to participate in walking football. The training
sessions were held at their school field or In December 2018, “Walking football: Fat to fit
futsal court, under the supervision of a school- for better personal health” has received RCE
teacher’s during their schooling session. Award 2018 at the 11th Global RCE Conference
Comprising multiple short six-a-side semi- held in Cebu, Philippines. The award is with
structured game of 25 minutes per session, the designation of Acknowledged Flagship
totalling up to 150 minutes each week, this Project for its role in contributing towards Community Centre. Its purple hue, blend in
program lasted for 12 weeks and ended with Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health ASSOC PROF LOH SIEW YIM perfectly to represent the purple ribbon, the
DEPT OF REHABILITATION MEDICINE
an Inter-school Walking Football tournament and Well Being. As the host of RCE Central ribbon symbol for cancer survivors.
in September. Approaching the end of the Semenanjung, we are the looking forward to he name KeepAble (pronounced as ‘keep-
program, four best teams were invited to the the next step to excel the program by involving Table’) reflects the centre’s philosophy to “Living with a cancer diagnosis can be
National Walking Football Championship primary school girls for our upcoming project keep cancer survivors able and functional, challenging, frightening and emotionally
between RCE Central and RCE Penang that next year. with a little community support, said centre draining, but supportive care and patient self
founder Associate Prof Dr Loh Siew Yim. management support strategies can facilitate
KeepAble was established to support cancer more effective living with the condition.
survivors and enable them to readjust to Community creative arts can also remediate
a new day-to-day routine after completing impaired cognitive impairments (from chemo
drastic cancer treatment. The purple Mexican brain) and boost creativity, but engaging in
petunias (Ruellia simplex) located within psycho-social activities such as counselling is
KeepAble Cancer Community Centre’s garden also critical, so that no one is left to feel that they
are beautiful blooms that were purposefully are alone in their cancer journey. Rotary Club of
picked to line its ribbon-shaped reflexology Kuala Lumpur has facilitated the construction
path. The flowers, also known as ‘survivor’ are of a counselling bay. We have conducted
known for their hardy and versatile properties, awareness activities like yearly KeepAble walks
and serve as the icon for KeepAble Cancer officiated by Tan Sri Dr M. Mahadevan (ex-

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