Did you know that in each of our nursing homes, we have Programme and Community Partnership (PCP) staff who organise activities and community engagements for the residents there?
Meet Ms June Lim, Senior Executive from PCP, who comes up with new programmes and initiatives for our residents at our Nursing Home (Geylang East), and reaches out to schools and organisations for volunteers.
In the mornings, you will find her working on administrative matters such as contacting volunteers, activity planning and preparation. In the afternoon, she is mostly at the wards conducting activities with the residents, such as parties, games, exercises and even haircuts!
“We have an “Earn and Shop” programme where we go up to the wards with a “mama shop” cart and residents exchange their earned coupons for items such as medicated oil, patches, cooling powder, and snacks. Last year, I got all our colleagues to dress up on special occasions such as Hari Raya and Christmas while conducting the activity. It was so much fun and the residents’ eyes really lit up!”
Staff dressed up in festive clothing for the “Earn and Shop” activities, organised by June (third photo, right in Santa hat).
As with all other things, the COVID-19 pandemic also affected June’s work.
“This year due to COVID-19, we were unable to conduct “Earn and Shop” like before. However, we changed it to an “order-and-deliver” format instead, much like online shopping, to minimise contact.”
Nursing Home staff adapted the “Earn and Shop” programme to minimise contact. Residents chose their desired items off a list and the staff delivered these items directly to them.
“Before COVID-19, I had many volunteers coming in to do activities. We even had activities on most Saturdays! During this period when visitations are restricted, our volunteers engage the residents via video-calls instead.”
June noted that video-calls definitely cannot replace face-to-face interactions. “We tried to make this better by having sessions that encourage two-way interactions, such as having the pre-schoolers and residents do simple crafts together via video-call.”
“The residents love to chat, and these are the times when the residents need more social interactions to help them pull through.”
Besides planning activities and managing volunteers, June also does outreach programmes such as providing talks at schools and organisations to raise awareness about NTUC Health and recruit volunteers.
During the Circuit Breaker when events were not allowed, June and her colleagues had to think of different ways to recruit volunteers. One of the ideas they came up with was to run a series of Facebook Live sessions, where they invited guests to share on topics such as cooking, make-up and health, while encouraging viewers to sign up as volunteers.
Although less volunteers coming on site meant less helping hands on the ground, June remains positive. “Because of all the work, I did not gain much weight despite eating so much during the Circuit Breaker period!” she laughed.
When asked to share what she enjoys most about her role, June exclaims, “I play games and do fun activities with the residents everyday! It’s like I am going to play with my friends, so it’s easy for me to go to work.”
Her top priority is still the wellbeing of the residents. “No matter how tired I am, I do not let my mood affect those around me. The residents look forward to seeing me and doing activities together, and I try my best to be cheerful so that they will be as well!”
When you put a smile on the residents’ faces, that’s a satisfaction you can’t get anywhere else.
Want to find out more about what June does? Check our Instagram Story here!
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