(Mr Yeo at the Kopitiam at his void deck with Fei Yue’s care coordinator Qian Leung)
“Good, good” is his reply when asked if he enjoys staying at Fei Yue’s Senior Group Home in Hougang.
The elderly Mr Yeo, who is estranged from his family and has no income sources, moved into the home around December 2019.
Someone as aged as Mr Yeo would have typically been institutionalised given his needs. But Fei Yue’s Senior Group Homes are designed to make it possible for vulnerable and frail seniors to continue living in the community with freedom while also getting the care and support they need to feel secure.
There are 4 units within Mr Yeo’s block that are part of the Senior Group Home network. With this arrangement, there is a community of younger and able people surrounding the seniors and looking out for them. The mobility aid Mr Yeo uses to get around comfortably was donated by a kind neighbour in the area.
Qian Leung, Fei Yue’s care coordinator assigned to Mr Yeo, visits him daily to check on him, record his vitals, and engage him in conversation in his dialect, Cantonese. She also ensures other services—medical escorts and weekly housekeeping service—are arranged to take care of Mr Yeo’s needs.
The gleeful-looking Mr Yeo is full of approving smiles and thumbs-ups for his care coordinator, Qian, who is seated at the table.
(Fei Yue’s Care Coordinator Qian Leung Attending to Mr Yeo at His Unit)
He shares it brings him peace and comfort to know there are people at Fei Yue looking out for him and helping him in his senior years. Ageing could otherwise be a lonely journey fraught with anxiety for him.
Just 4 years ago, an anxious and frustrated Mr Yeo showed up at Fei Yue’s Active Ageing Centre (AAC) when he found his bank account empty.
Qian recalls him saying, “No money, no money.”
As part of the Silver Support Scheme, Mr Yeo was receiving payouts to support his subsidised rent and other minor living expenses. Suddenly these payouts stopped. Mr Yeo, who is not literate in English, had not understood the letters explaining he was no longer eligible. With no other sources of income, Mr Yeo desperately needed this money and turned to Fei Yue’s staff for help.
The AAC centre head and his care coordinator, Qian, intervened on his behalf and appealed to the Central Provident Fund. Mr Yeo’s financial worries were eventually laid to rest when the appeal was successful, and the payouts resumed.
(A photo of Mr Yeo and his close friend Mr How hangs on his wall. The photo was taken during a visit to Gardens by the Bay organised by Fei Yue in Feb 2023.)
Back when he was more mobile, Mr Yeo frequented Fei Yue’s Active Ageing Centre for entertainment and socialising too. Mr Yeo fondly recalls performances put on by the children from nearby preschools and primary schools, which he enjoyed with a cup of complimentary coffee in hand.
“Makes my mood good” is how he describes those experiences.
There is no doubt that Mr Yeo enjoys his familial social network and the familiar surroundings.
(Mr Yeo visits the senior fitness corner after breakfast every morning for a light workout.)
Under the care of AAC, Mr Yeo will continue to enjoy his simple routines of 7 am breakfasts of kopi and meat bao with his friends, short trips to the senior fitness corner for a workout, lunch and dinners delivered by Meals-on-Wheels, afternoon naps, and TV shows.
“I’m satisfied,” Mr Yeo says in Cantonese as he grins positively.
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Volunteers play an important part in helping Fei Yue Eldercare Division support more seniors in our society. Get involved as a volunteer today and help seniors lead better lives: https://get-involved.fycs.org/
