“Our efforts are just small tributes to the healthcare staff. And our little goody bags are just our way of showing solidarity with our residents in nursing homes.”
Mental health patients have often been overlooked during this pandemic. With the visitations and interactions restricted for their own health and safety, the long-stay patients at the Institute of Mental Health are starting to feel more caged in. As such, in his third application to the Singapore Strong Fund, our long-time #SGStrong grantee, Yong Kwon Seng and his team at The Achievers have decided to help make the stay of these long-stay patients more enjoyable.
“Some of our nursing homes residents do not have many visitors to begin with and this pandemic has reduced such visits even more significantly. Although we can’t be there with them physically, we hope to brighten their day”
They have planned engagement sessions with these patients via video call to check in on the mental wellbeing of these patients and make sure that they do not feel like they are alone. Furthermore, they also plan to send engagement packs that contain various craft activities to them so that during the video calls, each volunteer can engage in an activity with the patients. Some of the items that have been included in the kit are things like exercise equipment, colouring books and origami materials. Additionally, the team has also arranged for each ward to have a radio so that music can continually be played throughout the day.
“Our efforts are just small tributes to the healthcare staff. And our little goody bags are just our way of showing solidarity with our residents in nursing homes. It’s very rewarding when we get support from schools, private companies to include notes and little sanitisers into the care packages. It’s heartwarming to see the support.”
All these little gestures of kindness and generosity has really brightened the day of these patients, helping them feel a little less alone. We hope that Kwon Seng and his team’s persistence in trying to help people weather the storm will also inspire you to look out for your own community. Together, we are stronger than COVID-19.
