Wherever we are, home is still the best place to be and home is a place where we are most happy - and most elderly have probably the same sentiments too. NTUC ElderCare Co-operative Limited Chairman Lim Boon Heng iterated this on 1 November 2011, as NTUC Eldercare Trust received $1 million in donations from FairPrice Foundation.
These funds will be ploughed towards expanding NTUC Eldercare’s Care@home programme which has been offering a range of affordable and quality home-bases care services that caters to the mental, social and physical needs of the elderly.
Said Mr Lim: “We know that it is the desire of many seniors to age in their own homes, among their family members and friends, even when they are frail. However, with smaller families today, many working children are finding it hard to cope with the financial, emotional and mental pressures that arise from caring for seniors at home. Thus, it is important to provide more accessible home-care and community-based services through developing the right capabilities and care infrastructures. This will help more seniors to age in place”.
With the additional support from the donation, NTUC Eldercare has a comprehensive agenda on its cards to improve home-based eldercare services to benefit more seniors and their caregivers. NTUC Eldercare shared these plans at a graduation ceremony of iCare officers who will be certified to provide community home care for the Care@home programme on the same day.
Programme In April 2007
The Care@home programme was rolled out in April 2007 as a pilot project to offer alternative non-medical care services to seniors who are frail and home-bound, and who require some form of care and support while their family members are at work. The services encompass companionship, personal grooming, exercises, recreation activities, meals preparation and medical escort. Right now, these services are delivered by a team of iCare Officers who are trained in community home care giving. The Care@home team has served more than 400 seniors to date.
The donation from FairPrice Foundation will enable NTUC Eldercare to reach out more extensively to seniors and their families, said NTUC Eldercare General Manager Lim Sia Hoe. “We are targeting at building up our capacity in meeting the needs of the aging population in our community, with people with the right heart and right skills,” she added.
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“We are glad to announce today that FairPrice Foundation will be donating $1 million to NTUC Eldercare to scale up its Care@home service, which is an island-wide home-care service to look after frail and homebound elderly. As part of the Labour Movement, part of the funds will also be set aside for low-income union workers who need Care@home services.”
Director of FairPrice Foundation and Group Chief Executive Officer of NTUC FairPrice Cooperative Limited Tan Kian Chew
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How The Money Will Come In Handy • About 80 per cent of the $1 million will be channeled towards developing capabilities in providing a wider range of intermediate and long-term home-based care services. What are they? • Care planning • Home nursing • Dementia care management • Physiotherapy training • Caregivers’ training • Staff will also be trained and up-skilled to enhance the current processes for enhanced organisational development. • The remaining 20 per cent of the donation will be set aside to develop specific care programmes to assist low-income union workers in caring for their seniors, to aid in reducing their financial, emotional and physical stress. • A multi-disciplinary team, consisting of geriatric care managers, physiotherapists, nurses and iCare officers to provide seniors and their family members a more holistic support and a wider range of senior-centric and cost-effective home-care services will be set up. • New capabilities in specific disease and chronic management, such as cancer, stroke and dementia care management for seniors at home will be developed. |
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