Persistence pays off for social workers

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SINGAPORE - Ms Logampikai Sadacharam, 63, a volunteer coordinator at Brahm Centre's community befriending programme, visited Madam K almost 20 times within a month.

But each time, Madam K, 72, who lives alone in a cluttered flat, would tell her to go away, insisting she did not need help.

Despite the constant rejection, Ms Logam kept returning to the flat and even saved Madam K's life after she was found lying on a soiled bed sheet, dehydrated, weak and immobile.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, several vulnerable elderly have closed their doors to outside help, but thanks to persistent social workers like Ms Logam, they have not been completely cut off from society.

Last November, it was reported that the remains of an elderly woman, who did not appear to have family members or visitors, were found in her Katong condominium unit almost two years after she was last seen.

In 2016, there were 47,000 seniors aged 65 and above who lived alone. The number is expected to increase to 83,000 by 2030.

With movements restricted as Singapore tightens its Covid-19 measures, social workers are worried the elderly might be isolated from the community.

That is why Ms Logam regularly visits lonely seniors to speak to them and encourage them to attend exercise and mindfulness programmes at the centre.

In March, a neighbour alerted Brahm Centre about Madam K reeking of urine and eating only once a day.

Ms Logam, a retired nurse and mother of three, then visited Madam K every few days and noticed she was appearing paler and had swollen feet.

Late last month, she visited Madam K again but failed to get a response. Madam K was then found lying on a soiled bed sheet in her room and dehydrated. Soiled tissue paper and faeces littered the floor.

Ms Logam said: "Even though she said she did not want to go (with the ambulance), I could see from her expression she was relieved that finally, someone came to help."

Ms Jasmine Wong, senior social worker at the Tsao Foundation, said: "Sometimes, opening their doors means a potential loss of their independence and dignity to them, something which they treasure over the years of living alone in the community."

Dr Yao Fengyuan, consultant and chief of geriatric psychiatry at the Institute of Mental Health, said those with certain mental health conditions, such as dementia and depression, may lack insight into their condition or feel no one can help them.

Ms Lily Han, 63, a division lead at the Agency for Integrated Care's Silver Generation Office was also persistent. In 2019, she visited a senior, 75, who lived alone and suffered from depression.

She had refused to open the door and spoke to Ms Han only after a month.

Ms Han, who would bring the senior out to visit her husband at a nursing home at least once a month, said: "I know it's not easy to trust someone else. I told myself to be patient, give her time, and try a bit harder to know what she needed."

It is not just those who help seniors who face rejection.

Ms Nurulhuda Abu Bakar, 38, is a social worker at Club Rainbow, a non-profit organisation that provides support to families of children with chronic illnesses. In 2017, she learnt of the mother of a child with chronic illness who needed financial assistance. But the mother would ignore her messages.

After three months of delivering milk, diapers and food rations to her home to show her sincerity, the mother confided in Ms Nurul and was willing to accept financial help.

Ms Nurul said: "I don't think I can give up on someone when I know they are not stable and need assistance. When you succeed in getting through to them, it will make the experience that much sweeter."

 

Source: The Straits Times © Singapore Press Holdings Limited. Reproduced with permission.

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