Its more than a year since my last post.  My excuse?  None.  I had been plain lazy.  Age must be catching up too as I seemed to be losing focus.  I have completed my diploma course last June 12 and then took on a survey (WISE under IMH) job from Oct 12 to Jan 13.  It was an interesting job having to meet and learn from so many of the interviewees all of which were above 60 years of age,  The oldest interviewee was a Malay man in his 90s who could still ride a bicycle.  Its amazing, and mental-wise he was still very alert.  He has very filial children and was a pious man - which I believed gave him much spiritual strength and calmness.  I started another job at a VWO in Feb 13, as a centre manager.  It was a new responsibility in a new work environment and with not much guidance from the manager who was leaving. It was quite a struggle having to figure out how everything functioned with the said manager repeatedly reminding me to "see and wait (at least 6 months)" before starting any of my own initiative.  Many things seemed so complicated and convoluted.  Now after 5 months on the job, I find that all such 'complications' had been self-created, either out of ignorance or made to scare others. Whatever, the job of planning and coordinating programs for the seniors with the sole purpose of 'drawing' them out from their small 1-room dwelling to prevent depression and minimise isolation has been very interesting.  As of now, the job seemed ok EXCEPT for the fact that the organisation I am in lacks systems - no proper rules and guidance,  Not even an overall organisation chart when I asked for it. I just cross my fingers that things (in the organisation) will change, for the better.

Diploma in Community and Social Services (half way through)
      This course commenced on 20 Feb 2012 and till date about 60% of the 19 modules have been completed.  Have found some modules very interesting.  The modules on dementia, volunteer management, funds raising and implementation of programs for the elderly have been very educational and enriching.  However, most of the other modules have been a big waste of time.  
      So far the 3 work attachments, one to a nursing home, another to a dementia day care centre and the 3rd to a eldercare centre have really been eye-openers..to a world that I never knew, the real world that most people do not see.  Having seen the conditions and interacted with the residents / clients of these 3 centres, I am more determined to do my utmost to bring relief and joy (+ hopefully HOPE) to the elders upon my completing this course by end July 2012.  Not so sure what the future holds  though - but will definitely look for a position where I can play a bigger role in the eldercare sector, one that can bring improvements and changes to positively impact this industry.  There are already so many elderly and so few resources now.  As the population ages, the demand for care and services in this industry will increase many folds.  
      The government's present philosophy of 'many hands approach', in my opinion will not work.  This is evidenced from the many cases that have fallen through the 'cracks', as well as the many dire cases which received so little help.  The government should go beyond 'lip-service'.  They should 'just fold up their sleeves and land on earth to feel for themselves the happenings of the real world'.   The quicker they do this the better, for the people as well as for themselves.  Or they risk losing more grounds at the next GE.
      So my fervent wish is that I can really play this positive role to bring quality care to as many of the elderlys as possible.  For now, 'que sera sera'.
Chan Yek Seng 
6 June 2012   

I am back....after such a long break

I have been attending the Diploma (Community and Social Services) course full time for the last 2 months, and 3 more months till completion.  It has been quite tiring but I do enjoy most of the coursework till date.  Most, because the recent one on 'research' was taught by one (RY) whose 'teaching'  was just way outside my orbit of understanding.  I think for most of my classmates too. RY, though a phD holder, definitely do not make a good teacher - he just cannot understand why and what we (the class) do not understand.  What a waste that we all find it such a pain to do his project work when we all could have just enjoyed the research module if ONLY he had been able to 'teach'.  Well, he definitely is 'One who knows not and knows not he knows not' about teaching.  Like it or not, we all still have to slog on, on the project.  Weekends will be burned.  How many?  This will depends on whether I can identify a research topic soon.  TTFN

Engaging the Elderly

        In this 21st century, when is a person 'çlassified' as old?  Presently, life expectancies for males and females in Spore are 79 and 82 years respectively.  So, if one were to retire at age 62 which is the present official age limit, one will still have about 17 to 20 more years.  This is a very long time till death, too long to stay inactive.  There is the saying that 60 is the new 40 - doing so, one can start a 2nd career where possible.  In my view, it is only through staying busy, keeping healthy and maintaining an engaging social network that one can look forward to age happily and gracefully.
        One constraint though is the oppurtunity to start a 2nd career, after 62 years old.   Much has been said on this topic, by - the government, the employers, the employees and the citizen.  And yet the move to re-engage the elderly for more productive work has been super slow.  Once reason perhaps is that the government is rather slow in doing exactly what it 'preaches'.  Should this situation continue, I fear that more health problems will afflict the current batch of elderly in their 60s - they will be bored and from boredom will spawn political dissatisfactions and worse still cause dementia.  By 2030, the population that is above 65 years old will be 1million (about 20% of Spore's population) then.  I fear to fathom that day IF 30% of the 1 million people are diagnosed with dementia.  300,000 of 'mindless' soul in the country will definitely put a heavy strain on the country's healthcare budget then.
        The government's Healthcare Plan 2020 has focused quite extensively on the eldercare sector, by pushing for more resources and building more facilities.  The plan also linked this to the current HPB effort for healthy living, eating healthily and exercising regularly to stay fit.  
        To me, these are passive steps and efforts.  Can one really be healthy when bored?  I doubt so.  The solution, in my view lies in raising the retirement age.  What age???
        For me, after 1 exciting career of close to 30 years in the construction industry, I wish to pursue another career in community and social services which I hope will be equally rewarding.  I will try hard to secure the employment and hope to play an active part helping the elderly as I myself ages.  Irregardless of what the government's next move is, I want to be a solution and not a problem. 
       

Attitudes of the MRT commuters
       Spore has the distinction of excelling in many areas, from best airport, most busy seaport, strong government, clean country to having a very reliable and efficient infrastructures.  Except for the humid weather, we are almost 'perfect'?  Far from it - the peoples' basic human courtesies is so very shocking.
       We have become a people that is so focussed on oneself and instant gratifications that I find so many Sporeans self-centred, selfish and rude.  Classics examples of these can be seen daily on the MRT trains.  We have:-
> commuters  who will  just stand at the entrance and refuse to move to the centre, hence preventing more people from boarding;
> commuters, young and able-bodied ones who do not give up their seats to the old and the frail standing around them in the train;
> commuters who will just occupy the seats reserved for the less-abled, and who will pretend to sleep so as not to notice others more in need around them.  Miraculously, such commuters know when to wake up to disembark;
> commuters who only focussed on their phone (and other accessories) even when boarding and in the process obstruct others behind from getting into the train.
      In addition, we have the litter bugs who seemed to be everywhere, the kiasu hoarders in the food courts, the ungratefuls who are always not satisfied with what the government has done, the rude and arrogant who have no qualms about  'running down' other countries and their people and the 'show-offs' who flaunt their possessions.
      The behaviours of many Sporeans are very atrocious.  I wonder when and whether we will ever become a more gracious in our everday life. As a people, we will evolve.  But whether we will be more gracious or less will depend very much on all of us, you and me.  Lets each do our part......

Hypertension.
     Attended a training course by Dr Koh Y H (HPB) on hypertension today (together with Siew Eng) at the Jalan Besar Community Club.  Course was educational, Dr Koh was very engaging and food served  (during the break) was just marvellous.  Attendees were given 2 sets of questionaires (identical) to complete  - 1 before the training course and the other after the course.  The 2 sets of completed questionaires were then  collected and later 'randomly' distributed back to the attendees for marking against the given set of answers.  Marks were then tallied and the scores of each attendees (pre and post) were recorded. These 2 sets were then returned to each of the attendee.
     Had a look at my sets returned - and was quite surprised to note arithmatic errors and incorrectly marked questions.   Perhaps, considering the diverse background of the attendees, such is expected.  However, as HPB expected that each of the attendees be able to perform the SHA role adequately when engaging the residents in the coming health events at the neighbourhoods, I just wonder whether such an expectation is realistic.  As lives (health of the individual) are involved, it is prudent that the SHAs who volunteer for the events intended be 'validated' against a certain minimum base competency standard (for communications, CPR  and.for the use of the Blood Pressure monitorng equipment).  If not, HPB's reputation and lives (of the target clients) could be badly affected.
     So, has the HPB's trust in each of the volunteers capabilities been over-simplified?   I thinks so, but others could argue otherwise.  Time will tell......we wait.
 
   

If only I had known better.
     I have just completed a 3 days short course on Dementia by Tsao Foundation.  It is said that 1 person around the world is stricken by this disease every 7 seconds.   In Singapore, the estimate is that the population afflicted by dementia will be trebled in 20 years time (from some 15,000 now to abt 45,000 then).
     People afflicted by dementia appear physically normal - just that their brains are progressively wasting away.   They are literally 'handicapped'  in their brains, something that cannot be seen.  Hence, there have been much misunderstanding about the elderly afflicted with this disease, with others treating them as mad, crazy, abusive, violent, et cetra.  There is just so little education and publicity about the disease to the general public.  This dreaded disease strikes at random and at present cannot be cured, though the deterioration of the brain function can be delayed through medication if detected early.
     My mother is a dementia sufferer, for the past 6 years.  I have seen the deterioration of her mental functions through this period from early stage dementia to present, where she is literally in her own world oblivious of the surrounding and people (all her family members).  It's so sad to see her slowly losing her own identity and self..
     I have a much better understanding of dementia now, and IF ONLY I HAD KNOWN BETTER before the onset of this disease, I would have done things differently.  What? How? ????????  Too late to regret.
     With a better understanding of the disease,  I will share the knowledge with all my siblings especially my 2 brothers who are staying with her.   We will put in more effort to improve her quality of life, through more interactions, attention and much much more love.  I always treasure the times I spend with her, every 3 weeks in PJ.  I look forward to seeing her again on my next trip in 2 weeks time.