Building a Community of Carers: Eight recipients lauded for unwavering dedication and exemplary contributions towards patient care

Peer Support Leaders (PSLs) are members of the community that were identified and trained by TTSH Health Coaches, to support community wellness outreach and health related initiatives. They organise and conduct interactive activities in Senior 2
Activity Centres such as exercise and cooking sessions with the aim of encouraging residents in the community to lead more active and healthier lifestyles.

Adopting a ‘For Seniors, by Seniors’ approach, the PSLs are able to better connect, listen and engage with their peers living within the same neighbourhoods by leading in wellness activities. The 28 PSLs have been empowering seniors to take better charge of their health and physical across neighbourhoods in Central Health.

Ms Victoria Jane Quek became her late mother’s sole caregiver at a young age of 14 years old in 2017. As the eldest child of the family, she was a strong pillar of support and hope for her mother and younger sisters through her caregiving responsibilities. She also fulfilled the role of a decision-maker and a spokesperson when her late mother was too weak and delirious from end-stage renal failure. When her mother’s condition took a turn for the worse, Victoria made a tough decision to stop schooling to be a full-time caregiver for her mother. Though it was not an easy journey, Victoria persevered and for three years, she self-studied during the periods where her mother was away for her dialysis. Her mother passed on in November 2019. Inspired by the nurses who cared for her late mother, Victoria is currently enrolled in a nursing course at the Institute of Technical Education. She has found her calling through caregiving and would like to touch the lives of others in future.

Mdm Ang Swee Huay is living proof that a mother’s love knows no boundaries. At the age of 92 years old, she is a cancer survivor who is also overcoming the odds against dementia. She is the sole caregiver to her two children in their 50s. Her daughter has polio and depression, and was diagnosed with schizophrenia since his teenage years. Refusing to give up on her children, she sought help to make arrangement for their long-term care needs which led her to St. Andrew’s Nursing Home (Taman Jurong). Despite grappling with her health condition, she finds strength each day to care for them.

Mr Nicholas Sim is the primary caregiver to his wife who was diagnosed with Young Onset Dementia since 2012. Driven by his duty as her husband and love for his wife, Nicholas made the painful decision of closing his business to become a freelance 3
lecturer so that he could be the primary caregiver for his wife. Nicholas finds greater happiness in helping others find their own happiness amidst adversities. He actively partners with organisations such as the National Neuroscience Institution to reach out to new caregivers caring for patients with young onset dementia. Nicholas hopes that by sharing his experiences, he is able to shorten their learning curve and ease their burden as caregivers.

Ms Deborah Seah is a strong advocate for mental wellness, having grappled with anxiety and bipolar disorder in 2013. She experienced the power of peer support in her own recovery and used her lived experience to mentor learners in a Peer Support Specialist Programme by the National Council of Social Service (NCSS). Seeing the value of peer support in the recovery journey, she initiated a Community of Peer Support Specialists to provide a network for certified Peer Support Specialists to share resources relevant to mental health recovery. She also volunteers as a peer support group facilitator at Psalt Care Ltd and she is an ambassador for the anti-stigma campaign – Beyond the Label.

Dover Park Hospice (DPH) Opal Group is a dedicated team of 20 volunteers who use massage therapy to bring relief to soothe the pain and aches of inpatients at Dover Park Hospice. Consisting of a group of trained masseurs, DPH Opal Group volunteers would befriend the patients and offer massage services to ensure patients are able to relax and rest better. Connecting with patients through touch therapy has also overcome language barriers and given patients a sense of dignity, assurance and comfort. The volunteers meet every Saturday since 2013. The volunteers have attended courses to improve their skills and existing volunteers offer peer-to-peer training to ensure sustainability of this programme. The group also works closely with the medical and nursing team as patient safety is of top priority.

The Pulmonary Hypertension (PH) Singapore Support Group was first established in 2004, with the aim to provide emotional and psychosocial support to patients who are battling PH, a rare and progressive condition which affects the lungs. Since then, the National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS) has taken the lead to organise and hold various PH patient support group activities. The regular support group events help create greater awareness among patients and caregivers on the management of PH, through sharing sessions from group members and educational talks by various NHCS healthcare professionals. Over the years, the support group that comprises like-minded PH patients like patient activist Mdm Haslina Wannor and their families, rally together with healthcare professionals to organise interactive activities for the group, including chair yoga exercise and a flower arrangement session. In conjunction with the World Pulmonary Hypertension Awareness month in November, the group also runs an annual ‘Blue Lips Campaign’ to create awareness for PH in Singapore.

Temasek Foundation – Centre for Health Activation Mobilises Para-Clinical Seniors (CHAMPS) Inpatient Total Knee Replacement (TKR) Programme is a para-clinical programme that empowers former TKR patients to assist patients who have just underwent TKR surgery with their rehabilitative bed exercises.

Started since October 2018, 16 active volunteers have been trained and they have completed 104 exercise sessions and benefited 69 TKR patients. The programme has been well-received by patients, saying they can do the exercises with confidence and found that the program had benefitted them.