Helping others care for their loved ones

As a hospital nurse, Ms Janice Kerena Tan was often left feeling heavy-hearted whenever she observed the difficulties faced by her elderly charges.

"I saw many instances when a patient was unable to go home because he did not have a competent caregiver to look after him," says the 49-year-old.

Ms Tan realised then that there was a need to train and provide caregiving services at an affordable cost for a growing number of seniors who had to be looked after at home.

In 2013, she set up 1.Care Employment Agency together with two other nurses. The social enterprise teaches caregivers how to take care of seniors who need physical and medical attention, so that they can return home. It also offers holistic care for the elderly.

Ms Tan, who 1.Care's director-cum-nurse trainer, says: "We personally train and assess the caregivers in basic nursing skills, plus other specialised skills when required, to ensure that they can do their job competently. We also follow up on the caregivers' capabilities in meeting the changing needs of the elderly person over time."

As Singapore's elderly population grows, Ms Tan believes it is important to provide the right care for seniors.

She hopes "the public can be more compassionate and sensitive towards seniors in our society", and wishes more middle-aged retirees would step up to be caregivers, as this would help meet the shortfall here. Indeed, that has been 1.Care's biggest challenge - recruiting full-time and part-time caregivers.

No doubt, it is a demanding job, but Ms Tan says: "Don't just look at the money. You can bring happiness to someone in need, which money cannot buy."

And she certainly walks the talk herself. Armed with a can-do attitude, she ably takes on challenging cases.

Ms Tan recalls one instance how she helped a woman fulfil her father's wishes to move from a hospice back to his home. The daughter had lacked the confidence to take care of her father on her own, so Ms Tan arranged for an ambulance and whatever he needed, and he was able to stay home with his loved ones till the end.

1.Care works closely with social service agencies and hospitals, and prioritises helping lower-income families. It also offers home-based training to ensure that caregivers have the suitable skills to take care of seniors at home.

As part of its social mission, 1.Care donates medical supplies to the needy, and collects used hospital beds, wheelchairs, walking frames and usable medical equipment to give to the less-privileged.

The brand was a Champion in the Brands For Good 2020 awards, under the Business For Good category.

Blazing the trail in eldercare

On its future plans, Ms Tan says: "We aim to be the market forerunner in the eldercare provider industry, the 'brand' known for its skills and dedication."

1.Care was in the midst of opening a training centre in Cambodia when the Covid-19 pandemic hit, throwing a spanner in the works. It hopes to resume the project when the situation stabilises and borders reopen.

Back in Singapore, 1.Care has secured approval from the authorities to open a Montessori dementia daycare centre to offer programmes and activities for seniors.

Ms Tan adds: "We will also be working with Yellow Ribbon Singapore to train younger prison inmates to take care of older ones, and are seeking to train and hire inmates as caregivers upon their release. We also want to start proprietary training courses for caregivers whose clients have special needs."

https://www.brandsforgood.asia/employ