From Befriendee to Befriender

What started out as a casual visit to the neighbourhood Active Ageing Hub to check out the programmes on offer a couple of years ago turned out to be a long-lasting and meaningful volunteerism journey for Mdm Danalekshumy d/o Supramaniam.

 

For the 71-year-old senior, helping others has always come as second nature to her. She recalls that even back when she had delivered her first child in the hospital, she found herself getting up on the second day and serving milo and chatting with the other mothers in the ward.

 

“I like meeting people and making new friends… and to help people in need and those who are sick,” says Mdm Dana.

 

Taking on the Torch

 

Mdm Dana’s story of how she first came to know about NTUC Health’s Beyond Befriending @ Jurong Central volunteer programme was through a befriender who had dropped by to pay her a visit around five years ago. Then, she had just moved into a studio apartment by herself as her husband had recently passed away.

 

She shares that she felt grateful for the visits from NTUC Health’s befrienders who were trained at providing support and companionship to seniors like herself.

 

“After a few visits from them, I started to think about becoming a befriender myself as I found it very meaningful. I thus went down to the Active Ageing Hub opposite my block to find out more. It started with me signing up for a fitness programme, but soon after I too volunteered to be a befriender.”

 

As someone who was in the shoes of a befriendee herself, Mdm Dana feels that she is able to empathise with what many of her befriendees are going through. She says that many of them are lonely seniors who long for someone to visit and talk to them.

 

“Some of their faces just ‘light up’ when I visit them. They smile and express so much joy on their faces,” says Mdm Dana.

 

The Rewarding Work of a Befriender

 

Mdm Dana shares that as a befriender, she often calls up her befriendees to chat with them and to check on their well-being. 

 

She shared, “They will share with me stories and also their family problems. For example, one mother shared about how she felt her daughter wasn’t visiting enough. In this case, I actually had the opportunity to meet her daughter later on, and so I conveyed her mother’s wish to her. Now the mother tells me that she’s very happy that her daughter is visiting her more often and that their relationship is much closer.”

 

Mdm Dana says that depending on the mobility of the seniors that she volunteers with, she will engage in different types of activities. 

 

“I exercise two or three times a week with some seniors for about an hour, do arts and crafts, and also read news to a daycare’s senior around twice a week… However, for some who are less mobile and unable to leave the house, I will just chit chat with them and cook simple food to eat with them,” she says.

 

Mdm Dana has found volunteering to be very fruitful. She says that she feels much satisfaction and contentment by bringing joy to others through simple acts.

 

“Through volunteering, I have also learnt to be more patient and be a better listener. I am inspired to continue helping others as it gives me a great sense of contentment.”

 

If you would like to find out more about NTUC Health Beyond Befriending Programme, please email enquiries@ntuchealth.sg.

 

To check out other volunteering opportunities for seniors, visit https://www.c3a.org.sg/volunteerism.

 

Source: NTUC Health Co-operative Ltd. Reproduced with permission.