Heavy lifting, showering and cleaning are all part of the job
Published on
29 May 2021
Published by
The Straits Times
SINGAPORE - When his mother fell ill, Mr Victor Lee Teng Kwang realised how hard the physical work of caregiving was.
Even the simple act of supporting her to stand up was "so difficult", he recalls.
"You have to know what is a comfortable position for her, and adjusting her weight and your balance comes through experience. I thought it was about strength but it was about tactics," says the 56-year-old bachelor.
The eldest of four children, he and his siblings were taking turns to care for their mother, who suffered from kidney failure.
In January last year, he left his job as a purchaser in an environmental services firm to learn how to take care of the elderly, signing up for a training course offered by Homage, a company that provides home and nursing care services.
But his mum died a month later at the age of 81, before he could attend the course. Nonetheless, he signed up to work at Homage as a care professional, viewing the job as a way to future-proof his own ageing.
"I had no job and I was looking to do something meaningful. I also wanted to learn how not to be defeated by dementia and other conditions," he says.
Besides, he rationalised he could use the skills acquired to care for his elderly father, if his health fails.
"I told myself: 'You still have a father; your father can get sick and you also can get sick.' I want to prepare myself not to die prematurely by understanding how to look after myself when I get old," says Mr Lee.
His work at Homage includes helping elderly men with routine activities like toileting and accompanying them to and from the hospital.
He has assisted clients with mobility problems; persons who had missing toes and could not stand; and heavily built men with medical problems, some of whom weighed 100kg. Such conditions make tasks like transferring the individual from bed to commode challenging.
The earthy aspects of the job were hard to get used to at first, says Mr Lee, who has cleaned faeces from bodies and wheelchairs.
Once, the slippery surfaces in the bathroom got the better of him as he struggled to support the mobility-impaired senior he was showering. He ensured the latter was seated but could not prevent himself from falling.
Now, Mr Lee considers himself "an expert in showering".
Despite the challenges of the job, he continues to do flexi-work for Homage on weekends, although he returned to his purchaser job in January this year. He is also a freelance wine consultant, a longstanding hobby-cum-sideline that he took a hiatus from during the Covid-19 pandemic.
He finds fulfilment in caring for his senior clients and goes the extra mile for them. He searched high and low to buy fish porridge for one client during Chinese New Year, when most Chinese food stalls were shut.
"The day I give up Homage is the day when I can't help anyone. I will give until I cannot give," he says.
His work in eldercare, especially lifting and transferring overweight clients, also made him realise he was not preparing for old age as best as he could.
So he decided to lose weight to improve his own health, through a regimen of jogging for up to two hours daily and skipping or eating less at dinner. He has since slimmed down from about 100kg to 70kg.
He says that his excess weight previously would have made it difficult for anyone to look after him, should he fall ill and require the services that he provides today.
He adds: "I don't want to become a burden to others."
Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.
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