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CAREconnect Trishaw Ride at Jurong Lake Garden – By CAREkaki Corrine Ong

CAREconnect Trishaw Ride at Jurong Lake Garden – By CAREkaki Corrine Ong

How do you plan for a fun bonding time with your loved ones?

Our families in Boon Lay and a few from different parts of Singapore gathered at Jurong Lake Garden on 19 March 2022 for a trishaw ride. Kudos to the great weather, everyone enjoyed the breeze and greenery, got close to nature, and most important of all, have a bonding session with their loved ones. 

Our fellow caregivers managed to network, exchange contacts, and share their experiences with each other too.

A family even spotted the ice-cream uncle during their ride and decided to make their way for their cool down session with ice-cream for all!

The trishaw ride is definitely not an everyday moment for the families.  The smiles and positive feedback from the session are priceless and are looking forward to more of such engagement in the future.

Heartfelt thanks to Cycling Without Age Singapore for their support to bring on a brand new experience, fun and fond memories to our residents. Not forgetting the youth volunteers, CAREkakis and Boon Lay Grassroots Leaders for their engagement activities too.

– Contributed by CAREkaki Corrine Ong.                                       

View more photos at our FB post!                                                      

CAREkakis are grassroots leaders and volunteers who are trained with disability knowledge, skills and experience in supporting participation of caregivers, PWD and families in inclusive community events. Read more about our CAREkaki program.

 

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Taking My Special Needs Son to Mount Alvernia Outreach Clinic for Dental Treatment – By Karen-Sophia Neoh

Taking My Special Needs Son to Mount Alvernia Outreach Clinic for Dental Treatment – By Karen-Sophia Neoh

From January to March 2022, CaringSG and Mount Alvernia Outreach Clinic collaborated to enable 60 pairs of caregivers and dependents receive free scaling and polishing services. 

Caregiver Karen-Sophia Neoh shares about her positive experience and includes tips for caregivers on what to prepare when taking their special needs dependent to the dentist.

——————-

I am full-time caregiver of a 19-year-old epileptic son with Global Developmental Delay and Autism Spectrum Disorder. He used to be resistant to any dental treatment and needed to be restrained. However, over some time, with familiarity, he is getting more and more receptive.

During treatment, he usually needs to be held down, hence we need one person to hold his legs, while I have to hold his hands. However, he does calm down eventually and scaling and polishing can be done to a satisfactory level.

If he cannot receive such treatment even after being restrained, I then worry about the cost and risk of having to put him on general anaesthesia (GA) for treatment.

At Mount Alvernia Outreach Dental Clinic, our experience was a pleasant one. The dentist was very patient. Both the dentist and assistant dentist were very good at managing my son, such as singing and counting to engage him and ease his anxiety. I believe that they will be good with special kids, even if they are younger. Overall, the clinic had a very relaxed atmosphere.

For caregivers who are taking your dependent to the dentist, I would recommend preparing your dependent way ahead for the dental appointment by showing them pictures and videos of a visit to a dentist, reading social stories, familiarising them with dental equipment (some can be found at Daiso and Shopee), etc.

You can also practise counting aloud for opening of their mouth, work on desensitising their mouth and nose areas (using oral motor therapy and/or massage), and practise using mouth bites to keep mouth open.

Featured photo: Mount Alvernia Hospital Facebook Page

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Mount Alvernia Outreach Medical & Dental Clinic

– 10% discount for all CaringSG caregiver members for medical and dental services

– $15* (Medical) and $30* (Dental) for all persons with special needs

 * Please present PWD Concession Card / Developmental Disability Registry Identity Card / any disability membership card issued by various disability service providers or special education schools / a doctor’s memo indicating diagnosis

 To enjoy this discount:

  1. Please contact the respective Mount Alvernia Outreach Medical & Dental Clinic to make an appointment. Contact details are available at https://mtalvernia.sg/about-us/community-outreach/.
  2. Present your CaringSG caregiver membership profile (see example below) to the MAOC staff who will verify your membership status.
  3. To access your membership status on CaringSG, log into www.caring.sg, click on “MEMBERS” or go to caring.sg/members-area.

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Increasing Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusivity – from our Board Member, Dr Nurhidayati M Suphan

Increasing Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusivity - from our Board Member, Dr Nurhidayati M Suphan

                                        Increasing Awareness, Acceptance, and Inclusivity – from our Board Member, Dr Nurhidayati M Suphan

April is World Autism Month, dedicated to increasing awareness about Autism Spectrum Disorder.

The United Nations General Assembly unanimously declared 2nd April as World Autism Awareness Day to highlight the need to improve the quality of life of those with autism, so they can lead full and meaningful lives as an integral part of society. 

The autism community needs acceptance, more crucially, from society at large. Acceptance can lead to greater support, which is necessary for autistic people to reach their full potential.

Based on a true story, my niece wrote her first book, to help create awareness on autism amongst children. We hope we can facilitate acceptance at a younger age, so that our society may grow into a more inclusive society. 

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From Despair to Hope, A Caregiver’s Emotional Journey – By Kelvin Seah

Featured photo taken in 2019

From Despair to Hope, A Caregiver’s Emotional Journey – By Kelvin Seah

This is my story of autism.

When C, my youngest of two boys, turned two years of age, we noticed he liked to spin objects like a lid or a toy plate, and even large ones like a laundry basket.

As a baby, he didn’t sleep easily, drank milk with great difficulty, ate little, but cried a lot due to acid reflux. He also had frequent breath-holding spells that caused his face to turn blue.

Over the next couple of years, we observed that C lagged behind his peers in gross and fine motor skills. Not to mention socialization skills. 

When he was about three or four, we sent him to the Early Intervention Program for Infants & Children (EIPIC), where he had a suspected GDD (Global Developmental Delay) diagnosis.

At that time, we thought perhaps with help from EIPIC, he will catch up with his peers. That thought gave us some hope.

Still, his progress was glacier-slow, and we felt at many moments helpless and concerned as to what this might mean for his development and entry into primary education later on. We also began to suspect he might have more than just GDD.

One month before he was supposed to start Primary 1, his diagnosis was confirmed. It was moderate autism.

At first, we felt relieved; at last we have a name! But that sense of relief was quickly replaced with many other overwhelming emotions too, not unlike those we first experienced when he went to EIPIC.

We struggled to come to terms with his diagnosis. There were moments of disappointment, guilt, anguish, despair, anger, denial, and fear. All the stages of grief (and then some), but happening in what felt like an endless cycle of ‘rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat, rinse and repeat.

Somehow by God’s grace, we formed connections through various channels that opened up.

Aside from frantic research on our part as clueless parents, my wife and I attended all relevant talks we could find.

We also met and connected with other parents and caregivers through personal contacts, school networks, and online communities.

These gave us the assurance that we’re not alone, and we needn’t be.

In 2019, we succeeded in getting him enrolled in Pathlight, a school for kids with mild to moderate autism. It felt like a huge boulder had finally rolled off our shoulders.

It’s been three years now, and while we don’t know how the next few will look like, we’re hopeful the people and resources we got connected with, will make what would otherwise have been a lonely, fearful caregiver journey, one that’s now more hopeful? 

And maybe every now and then, joyful?

But for now, our story with C continues to unfold. For now, we just give thanks for every day we get to spend with him.

To fellow caregivers, I would like to encourage you that it’s okay to ask for help because no one should have to walk such an arduous journey alone. In particular, I hope more dads would let their guard down and come forward to seek help — it’s not a cop-out or a cowardly thing to be vulnerable. In fact, owning up to a need for help is the real brave thing to do!

Kelvin, his wife Shaw Hui, and their two sons at East Coast Park in April 2021 (photoshoot was conducted according to SMM requirements) 

Kelvin Seah is a father to two boys, born 2009 and 2011. His younger son was diagnosed with autism when he was six. Besides blogging about his caregiving journey, Kelvin is also a volunteer with CaringSG. He completed his CAREbuddy training in 2021 and will begin his internship providing emotional and informational support to fellow caregivers. 

Learn more about CAREbuddy here, and read Kelvin Seah’s original post on his autism journey here.

Photos courtesy of Kelvin Seah. Featured photo was taken on April 2019.

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Doing Our Part To Pay It Forward – from our Board Member, Mr Remy Choo

CARE GIVER. A simple term used to identify people who look after their loved ones.

Doing Our Part To Pay It Forward - from our Board Member, Mr Remy Choo

                                                                       CARE GIVER. A simple term used to identify people who look after their loved ones.

 

However, it does not tell of the sacrifices, loneliness, despair and frustration that many special needs caregivers go through as they provide daily care to their loved one(s). Only those who have gone through this journey understand the UNCONDITIONAL nature of this care and what it truly means.

My wife and I have been there as we try to raise our son to the best of our abilities. We tire and worry constantly of what we should do with him. We worry about his future when we are gone. 

We both believe that things have improved for the special needs community and that Singapore is heading in the right direction in terms of inclusiveness and support, but as with all things, more can be done.

However, we also realise that the government can only do so much, and if we want things to be better for our son, then we have to do our part too, as it really takes a village to raise and care for a special needs person.

Individually, we all can choose to just focus on our own family, which is exhausting enough, but if everyone can do a small part collectively, perhaps we can make things better for our community, and our loved ones.

That is why the purpose of CaringSG resonates with us. It is a ground up effort “by caregivers for caregivers”. 

Through the building of this community, no one needs to feel alone in our caregiving journey, whether it be to learn how to better support our loved ones, or just to have someone who has been on the same journey to talk to.

For those who are able, to PAY IT FORWARD by helping those who need help, advice or a listening ear. This can be done via CaringSG’s 3C initiatives – CAREconnect, CAREbuddy, and CAREwell. 

The caregiving journey we all go through need not be a lonely one. We can choose to reach out, and we can choose in our own ways to make a difference. I hope we can support and make the difference together.  

 

With care, 

Remy

 

To be updated on CaringSG’s latest events and join your preferred caregiver support groups in our CaringSG Alliance Network (CAN), sign up as a CaringSG member and let us know your preference!

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Why I Chose to be a CAREbuddy – By Karen Kwa

CAREbuddy
Karen Kwa in pink with husband, and their three daughters

Why I Chose to be a CAREbuddy – By Karen Kwa

CAREbuddy

Featured photo: Karen Kwa in pink with husband, and their three daughters

My name is Karen Kwa, I have 3 girls.

My elder girl was slow in learning, she caught up only in Primary 6 when she was transferred to EM3, when on to NT (Normal Tech), to ITE then to Polytechnic. She’s working already.

My second girl was diagnosed with dyslexia at Primary 6. As hers is mild, she managed to keep up with the help of the DAS (Dyslexia Association of Singapore) centre at Bishan. She went on to Express stream in Secondary, then to poly, and currently she’s working.

My youngest was the one that needed more attention. She was slow in catching up with her peers in kindergarten. She was under SPD for OT (occupational therapy) and speech. She was transferred to APSN Katong in 2008 and went on to DSS (Delta Senior School) and since then she has progressed well. She’s working at Uniqlo and plays the Guzheng with the Purple Symphony Orchestra.

CAREbuddy
Karen Kwa’s youngest daughter

Because of my youngest girl, I have seen how our family has supported her and how she has progressed. I wanted to help other parents who have special needs children, to support them.

When I saw on Facebook that CaringSG has this CAREbuddy program that can help parents that need support and help, I jumped into it. In the CAREbuddy training, we learn how to communicate and role play on how to connect and help the caregiver.

What I like most about this program that we learn how to give support and encouragement to caregivers who need the most help in emotional support and guidance.

As caregivers we have learnt to support our child in many different ways and they have progressed. Let’s come and support CaringSG to sign up for CAREbuddy training and support other caregivers who need our encouragement.

 

About CAREbuddy

CAREbuddy is one of CaringSG’s Project 3i programmes where trained special needs caregivers (CAREbuddies) provide emotional support to fellow special needs caregivers.

Karen Kwa graduated from our second batch of CAREbuddy trainees and is now a CAREbuddy intern.

Trainees go through a total of 24 hours of training, followed by 6 months of internship upon graduation. During internship, CAREbuddy interns begin to support fellow caregivers, and our trainers will mentor them as well.

Special needs caregivers who are interested to volunteer as a CAREbuddy can sign up for our information session (tentatively 6 June 2022, Mon, 8-9.30pm). Please join our FB page to receive more updates on how to sign up, and read more about CAREbuddy at https://caring.sg/carebuddy/ 

 

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More caregivers have come forward to receive support

Faraliza Zainal
Featured photo of Faraliza Zainal: File photos by Berita Harian

More caregivers have come forward to receive support

Faraliza Zainal

This is an English translation of the Berita Harian article “Kian ramai penjaga tampil dapatkan sokongan” published on 7 Feb 2022, translated by our CaringSG CAREconnect volunteer Faraliza Zainal.

Featured photo of Faraliza Zainal: File photos by Berita Harian

 

CaringSG has helped almost 1000 parents and caregivers of children with special needs through various programs. More than 1500 caregivers are now members.

 More than 1900 people, including almost 1500 parents and caregivers of children with special needs have enrolled with CaringSG, a non-profit organization, supported by SG Enable. Out of the 1500, almost 1000 have benefited from the inclusive programs and events that have been conducted.

Dr Lim Hong Huay, the board chair of CaringSG, shared that since CaringSG was established in November 2020, it has continuously increased awareness among parents and caregivers with regards to its programs, services and assistance provided.

According to Dr Lim, with a consistent routine, a child with special needs will be able to function better. However, it is not easy for parents or caregivers to carry it out continuously. A disrupted routine will cause a big issue for the parents and caregivers.

To give support to parents and caregivers in managing such an issue is the main objective of the organization.

Dr Lim, an epidemiologist and paediatrician, has two children with special needs.

One of the programs that CaringSG provides is Project 3i with the objective to focus on individuals, families and community of parents and caregivers of special needs. It is supported by MSF and funded by Temasek Foundation Cares, SG Enable, Tote Board-Enabling Lives Initiative, and NCSS.

According to Dr Lim, there are three programs to Project 3i, namely CAREbuddy, CAREWell and CAREConnect.

CAREBuddy connects caregivers (who feel lonely as they are not being supported) with other more experienced caregivers. CAREBuddy hopes that more caregivers who are able to take time to spend three to five hours a week and are more experienced in managing children with special needs, to join CaringSG as volunteers.

Presently, there are fifteen members who have received support through CAREbuddy program.

Apart from CAREbuddy, there is also CAREwell for those who wish to seek advice and support from the experts. This programme is carried out in close cooperation with established doctors, psychiatrists, and therapists.

The third program, CAREconnect, involves numerous support groups of caregivers of children with special needs, professionals and community supporters.

Faraliza Zainal, a mother of a young adult who has autism and the founder of MIJ Hub, is one of the volunteers of the CAREconnect program. “My role is to give support to caregivers so that they do not feel that they are alone through the sessions, which share knowledge and recommendations,” she said.

Dr Lim explained that CAREconnect is inclined towards knowledge development through webinars on issues faced by caregivers of children with special needs as well as in organising various activities to build close relationships within family members of the special needs community.

To be updated on CaringSG’s latest events and join your preferred caregiver support groups in our CaringSG Alliance Network (CAN), sign up as a CaringSG member and let us know your preference!

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Lunar New Year Greetings from our Board Member, Ms Vicki Heng

Lunar New Year Greetings from our Board Member, Ms Vicki Heng

Lunar New Year greetings! 

As much as I would like to say I hope you had a good break over the holidays, I know that caregivers do not always have that luxury. Prioritizing our loved ones over ourselves is natural, as their needs and degree of reliance far surpass ours. However, I was recently reminded how important it is for caregivers to indulge in a little self-care to sustain them on this journey, which can often be long and lonely. 

In the course of my work, I met a caregiver who looks after his wife, a stroke victim, on a full-time basis. With no source of income to pay for a helper, and with negligible family support, he could not leave her side, not even to seek medical assistance for himself when he accidentally suffered a deep cut and was bleeding profusely. When I brought up the notion that he had to first look after himself before he could care for her to the best of his ability, he tearfully uttered, clearly exhausted, and at the end of his tether: “How?”

How indeed, when your loved one is completely dependent on you for sustenance and attention? It is certainly not easy. Perhaps in this gentleman’s case, he could start with having short breaks in between feeds and baths or following some short exercise videos found online. A win-win solution that allows him some time for himself without leaving the home will need creativity, but that is a trait that caregivers handling tricky and unexpected situations already have. More importantly, I would say to all caregivers, talk to someone or find a support group of fellow caregivers – they already understand what you are going through. You may have a long road ahead but it does not have to be a lonely one. This is what CaringSG strives to achieve: For Caregivers, By Caregivers. 

I hope you find your win-win solution soon. And meanwhile, just in case you have not said it to yourself lately: you are doing a great job.

To be updated on CaringSG’s latest events and join your preferred caregiver support groups in our CaringSG Alliance Network (CAN), sign up as a CaringSG member and let us know your preference!

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Craft Fun for caregivers and families with CaringSG

Craft Fun for Caregivers and Families with CaringSG

“Do you want to be a Frog? Or a Panda? Or a Butterfly? Or a Tiger?”

 

The children were spoilt for choices as they pondered hard over what they want to be. While it may be a tough decision to choose an animal identity, it wasn’t that tough a decision for the children and families to sign up for the event – Craft Fun jointly organised by CaringSG, Art: Connect and Boon Lay Community Club 😊

As the name suggests, Craft Fun was indeed a fun filled event, bringing together 7 online participants and 5 families attending in person.

As a volunteer co-lead for this event, I was particularly impressed by the enthusiasm and passion of the Art: Connect volunteers. Despite their youth, their maturity and patience to guide the children step-by-step and the ability to engage both Zoom and in-person participants were just amazing! I secretly wondered whether I was that “zai” (Singlish term for “very good”) during my teenage years!

At the end of the event, looking at the smiles, and the budding friendship being built between the caregivers and volunteers as they exchanged tips in caring for their special need children, it warms my heart to see such strong community support.

As a caregiver of a 15-year old teen with autism myself, having a network of caregivers in the “same boat” and being able to talk to someone who can empathise with my situation are blessings I have always been grateful for. I sincerely hope many more caregivers and families will join us in the big CaringSG family as we walk the journey together.

Graphic of CaringSG staff and participant created by Ms Tan Pei Cheng, quote source: unknown

Big thanks to Art: Connect, Boon Lay Community Club CAREkakis and volunteers for your support and collaboration in our first inaugural CaringSG Boon Lay constituency event!

Contributed by Ms Tan Pei Cheng, CAREconnect Co-Lead

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2022: A New Year Ahead – Message from our Board Co-Chair, Dr David Ang

Dr David Ang

2022: A New Year Ahead – Message from our Board Co-Chair, Dr David Ang

Dear CaringSG members,

I wish every one of you a Happy New Year 2022! More than just a date change, the new year is about celebrating new hope with a fresh mindset, and aspirations for a new era to come.

As we look forward to the new year, let’s think and reflect on all the good and wonderful things we have experienced in the past, that gave us the reason to look forward to a new season and a new year.

CaringSG’s hope for our collective future is that we will have more inclusive communities for special needs families, with many more special needs caregivers who are well connected, enabled and empowered.

To be part of this change we wish to see, our CAREconnect team has planned a series of online and offline inclusive events (more to be updated), and we aim to train more caregivers to be CAREbuddies to provide other caregivers with peer support.

We’ve also launched our collaboration with Mount Alvernia Outreach Medical & Dental Clinic to provide subsidised or free services for caregivers and dependents, and if you require other forms of support, our CAREwell team is here as well.

CaringSG would not be possible without the synergistic efforts of caregivers, volunteers, partners, donors, and supporters working closely together towards our collective future. You will come to meet some of them in our monthly newsletter (interviews will also be posted on our blog).

We deeply thank each and every one of you for stepping up, and look forward to a fruitful 2022 with you.

To be updated on CaringSG’s latest events and join your preferred caregiver support groups in our CaringSG Alliance Network (CAN), sign up as a CaringSG member and let us know your preference!

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