Table 3.
Baseline characteristics of participants
| Characteristic | N = 30 |
|---|---|
| Age range (mean) | 65–85 (72) |
| Gender | |
| Female, n (%) | 14 (46.7) |
| Ethnicity | |
| Chinese, n (%) | 22 (73.3) |
| Malay, n (%) | 5 (16.7) |
| Indian, n (%) | 2 (6.7) |
| Eurasian, n (%) | 1 (3.3) |
| Housing typea | |
| 3 room apartment, n (%) | 5 (16.7) |
| 4 room apartment, n (%) | 4 (13.3) |
| 5 room or executive apartment, n (%) | 14 (46.7) |
| Condominium or other apartments, n (%) | 5 (16.7) |
| Landed property, n (%) | 2 (6.7) |
| Education level | |
| Primary, n (%) | 3 (10) |
| Secondary, n (%) | 16 (53.3) |
| College/University, n (%) | 11 (36.7) |
| Living situation | |
| Alone | 3 (10) |
| With others, n (%) | 27 (90) |
| Personal mobility | |
| Independent | 27 (90) |
| Use of walking stick, n (%) | 3 (10) |
| History of falls in the last one year | |
| 0 | 17 (56.7) |
| 1 or more | 13 (43.3) |
| History of near-falls in last one month | |
| 0 | 20 (66.7) |
| 1 or more | 10 (33.3) |
| History of near falls in last one year | |
| Never or rarely | 19 (63.3) |
| Experience occasional or frequent | 11 (36.7) |
| Six-Item Cognitive Impairment Test (points) | |
| 0–3 | 26 (87.7) |
| 4–7 | 4 (13.3) |
| Timed up and go test (seconds) | |
| < 9.0 | 14 (46.7) |
| 9.1–10.0 | 6 (20) |
| 10.1–11.0 | 6 (20) |
| 11.1–12.0 | 4 (13.3) |
| Able to complete Hand Reaction Time Test | 30 (100) |
| Preferred mode of communication | |
| Daily telephone calls only | 2 (6.7) |
| Daily text messages only | 19 (63.3) |
| Daily telephone calls &/or text messages only | 9 (30) |
aHousing type—a person’s affordability of different types of housing reflected by the type of property with private condominium or other apartments and landed property being more expensive option compared to public housing, e.g. 3-, 4-, 5-room apartments. There are increasing governmental efforts to have more elderly-friendly and barrier-free environment for both public and private housing [32]