Often, we turn our attention to the vulnerable or elderly who require care and assistance and forget that their caregivers are also struggling with long hours of physical and emotional stress. They are the pillar of support for their family member who has taken ill and many have to balance day work with caregiving.

Caregiving @ South West aims to provide more support and resources for the rising number of caregivers and their care recipients, as well as increase the awareness and appreciation for caregiving through a support network. Caregivers will be able to attend training to learn more about giving care and self-care.

Through the campaign, awareness of the issues on caregiving will be raised, through topics like, “who is a caregiver?”, “what is caregiving” and the challenges of the caregivers. Support network in community, training on giving care, self-care and a community directory of services, including medical assistance and respite caregiving, will also be provided for the caregivers.

With your donation, you can help to improve their quality of life and in turn help them care for their family members better.

Terms and Conditions apply.

As an Institution of a Public Character (IPC), donations made to South West CDC will be entitled to 2.5 times tax deduction and is applicable to both corporate and individual tax residents. Donors do not need to declare the donation amount, tax deduction will be automatically filed to IRAS by South West CDC and will be reflected in donors’ tax assessment in the next calendar year.

Note:
IRAS will no longer accept claims for tax deduction based on donation receipts.

Community Partner

The South West Community Development Council (CDC) was formed on 24 November 2001, with the mission to Assist the Needy, Bond the People and Connect the Community.

Through local help programmes, the South West CDC strives to provide holistic assistance to help the less fortunate in our community and support self-help. The CDC also organises projects and programmes to promote community bonding and social cohesion. The South West CDC adopts the "Many Helping Hands" approach to encourage community ownership among residents, community partners and corporations to realise its vision of "Owning Your Community”.

Together with dedicated partners and volunteers, the South West CDC has rolled out a series of bursaries to promote social mobility, as well as schemes and programmes to better address specific needs of the residents. With the support of charitable donations, the South West CDC hopes to strengthen the safety net and benefit more needy residents.

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Our stories

Funds raised: $3,400

Highlights:

Caregivers in the community are supported through the Community Development Council’s programme that focuses on three (3) key pillars – Celebrate, Support and Empower. The programme aims to Celebrate caregiving through increasing awareness and appreciation, to Support caregivers in training, resources and services through creation of a seamless and conducive environment for caregiver, and to Empower our community in areas of caregiving such as engaging trained or past caregivers to volunteer as respite caregivers / community caregivers, and organising activities in support of caregiving.

The Caregiving @ South West ‘Support’ Pillar was launched on Saturday, 1 December 2018. In line with the launch, South West CDC will be providing community partners following resources:

  • South West Caregiver Support Fund of $500 to support caregivers in self care and care for their loved ones
  • South West Caregiver Kit for caregivers to navigate necessary steps in their caregiving journey
  • South West Caregiver-Friendly Workplace Advisory to promote caregiver-friendly measures
  • South West Cares Referral Guide (updated) for frontline help workers and touch points, updated with caregiving information.

Mr Vincent Teng is a caregiver for his widowed mother – Mdm Tay – who lives just a few blocks away from his home. He brings her dinner every evening from Mondays to Fridays and on weekends, he and his siblings take turns to attend to her meals. His routine involves asking Mdm Tay what she wants to eat, whether it is noodles, baos, or even burgers, before dutifully delivering it to her home after work. He then spends time with her, chit-chatting and asking about her day. He also sweeps and mops the floor when he can, as well as cleans her windows and ceiling fan. “I find that by doing all these little things, my relationship with her gets better and better.” says Mr Teng.

"Patience is the key when comes to caregiving. It is also important not to bottle up your emotions. Speak up, talk to someone and share your problems with someone you trust. Don't be afraid to ask for help, be it family members or care professionals." says Madam Rozilah. In 2013, at the age of 43, Madam Rozilah became the main caregiver of her 71-year-old mother who uses a wheelchair after suffering a stroke 5 years ago and has high blood pressure, diabetes and kidney failure. As she holds a full-time job and her three children are still schooling, Madam Rozilah would worry about her mother being home alone. Therefore, she decided to send her mother to NTUC Health's Silver Circle Senior Care Centre at Jurong. Every morning, Madam Rozilah wakes up at 6am to prepare her mother for the centre's transport service before rushing off to work. Her husband will rush home every evening to fetch her mother when the transport service returns from the centre at 5pm.

Updates of the funds utilisation are provided by South West Community Development Council.