61 individuals, 16 teams lauded at Healthcare Humanity Awards
Mr John Loh, lead driver for Touch Community Services’ medical escort and transport service team, was shocked and heartbroken to learn that an elderly man under his care had died by suicide.
Just a week before the man’s death in 2019, Mr Loh had observed that the senior, who was in his 70s and lived alone, had been uncharacteristically quiet. But it did not cross his mind that the man would take his own life.
“Life felt so fragile. After that, I thought that I needed to encourage the seniors to join community activities so that they will have friends and support from one another... That’s better than having them stay at home alone and thinking too much,” said Mr Loh, 59.
To reach out to lonely seniors he knows, Mr Loh makes it a point to invite them to join him during his lunch break at a coffee shop near the Touch Community Services office.
His job as a driver requires him to shuttle as many as 10 seniors a day to their medical appointments from their homes. Whenever possible, he would go beyond his duty to accompany them for their consultations, sometimes acting as a translator for those who do not speak English.
As a result of his efforts, some elderly folks have opened up to him about their troubles.
“Sometimes, they feel very sad because their children don’t visit them. But I tell them... Touch will come in and offer services like taking them to appointments or housekeeping. There are people who love them,” he said.
For going the extra mile to offer comfort to the sick and infirm, Mr Loh is among 61 individuals who, together with 16 teams, received the Healthcare Humanity Awards in 2024.
President Tharman Shanmugaratnam presented them with the awards on Oct 17 at Conrad Centennial Singapore.
The award started in 2004, a year after Singapore faced the severe acute respiratory syndrome (Sars) crisis, and is a continuing legacy of the Courage Awards given out in 2003 to healthcare workers for their valiant fight against Sars.
The 2024 edition of the awards saw an increase in the number of awardees from community care, highlighting the growing recognition of their contributions to the healthcare ecosystem.
Ren Ci medical social worker Louisa Bielig, 31, is another recipient of the award.
When she was assigned to help with the senior care centre in Bukit Batok in 2019, Ms Bielig realised that many of the foreign domestic workers looking after patients with dementia were facing language barriers as well as challenges with handling difficult behaviours.
To better support them, she set up an informal monthly support group and prepared training materials in her free time for them. She also took care to ensure that the sessions were conducted in English, Bahasa Indonesia and Burmese.
Her initiative eventually led to the implementation of a dementia-focused care programme at Ren Ci that equipped migrant domestic workers with the skills to attend to the emotional needs of those with dementia.
“They weren’t sure how to de-escalate emotional distress that clients with dementia might face – like misplacing items and being fearful that someone has taken them... So we equip them with knowledge and skills, as well as practice sessions on how to support basic emotional needs,” said Ms Bielig.
Commending the winners, Mr Tharman said: “Each recipient of the Healthcare Humanity Awards has gone above and beyond, offering not just treatment but also comfort and hope to those in their care. They remind us that healing is as much about the heart as it is about the hands.”
Recipients in the individual categories each took home a medal, while teams received a commemorative plaque each. Everyone also received a certificate in recognition of their contributions.
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