Stewardship Report FY 2017 - 18
INSPIRING STORIES
Frontline to Provide Collaborative Care
M
adam Aw is an affectionate and
warm woman, who grew up in
Malaysia and moved to Singapore
after her marriage. She is now in
her eighties, and due to her state of
health with dementia, she tends to be
forgetful and may sound incoherent in
her communication. At the initial stage,
neighbours misjudged her and excluded
her in many activities.
As a result of Madam Aw’s willingness
to enlarge her social interactions and
engage in stimulating activities, her
condition has improved. Madam Aw is
able to remember faces, names and life
stories of her friends and acquaintances,
as her involvement in the centre
gradually increased.
These improvements prompted Madam
Aw’s children to slowly embrace and
appreciate the work of the staff and
volunteers who are reaching out tirelessly
to the seniors in the neighbourhood.
Madam Aw’s son would frequently fetch
her to the centre and often, radiate with
his friendly smile that brought forth
much encouragement to the staff.
When the staff of Hannah Seniors
Activity Centre realized her condition,
many efforts were made to engage
her and the family. Two befriender-
volunteers were assigned to help her.
However, the initiative was halted after
2-3 months because she had some
reservations.
Indeed, family, neighbours,
volunteers and staff can be at the
frontline to provide a collaboration
of care in the community. With such
active collaborative care, we can
help our seniors to age-in-place
and revive the “kampong spirit” of
neighbourliness.
The staff continued to engage Madam
Aw and her family, and over a period,
the gentle persistence of the staff
started to bear fruit. The staff managed
to establish a trusting relationship,
and her attendance at the centre has
become increasingly frequent. Every
Monday and Wednesday, she would
join other seniors to participate in the
morning exercises. She is also enjoying
the activities and games organized by
the centre. It has been heart-warming to
observe that her social interactions with
other seniors and staff have been more
affectionate.
Mr Desmond Soh
Hannah Seniors Activity Centre
Neighbours
around
her
got
to
understand her condition better, and
warmly accept her as a friend.
This image is AR-enabled
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