A place to call home
With one hand firmly holding onto an apple-shaped ball, MINDSville@Napiri resident, Ah Fong, is pushed into the Occupational Therapy room on a wheelchair by Nurse Aide, Ms Jel Gandecila. She is greeted with bright and cheerful “hellos” from her Occupational Therapist (OT), Ms Susan Goh.
Ah Fong, who turns 60 years old with MINDS this year, was found abandoned at the old Majestic Theatre on 13 Nov 1966. With attempts at locating her relatives proving unsuccessful, Ah Fong was shuffled between homes and fostered under the Mentally Defective Fostering Scheme in 1970 before being admitted to MINDSville@Napiri in 1975. Diagnosed with intellectual disability and cerebral palsy, Ah Fong’s needs continue to evolve as she ages. As a resident at MINDSville@Napiri, her daily living and health care needs are cared for by a team of staff, including Allied Health Professionals (AHPs).
With one hand firmly holding onto an apple-shaped ball, MINDSville@Napiri resident, Ah Fong, is pushed into the Occupational Therapy room on a wheelchair by Nurse Aide, Ms Jel Gandecila. She is greeted with bright and cheerful “hellos” from her Occupational Therapist (OT), Ms Susan Goh.
Ah Fong, who turns 60 years old with MINDS this year, was found abandoned at the old Majestic Theatre on 13 Nov 1966. With attempts at locating her relatives proving unsuccessful, Ah Fong was shuffled between homes and fostered under the Mentally Defective Fostering Scheme in 1970 before being admitted to MINDSville@Napiri in 1975. Diagnosed with intellectual disability and cerebral palsy, Ah Fong’s needs continue to evolve as she ages. As a resident at MINDSville@Napiri, her daily living and health care needs are cared for by a team of staff, including Allied Health Professionals (AHPs).
We try our best to engage our clients as much as possible, … adjust formats here and there so that clients can still enjoy themselves.
Ms Goh tailors Ah Fong’s therapy sessions to her needs and likes, including items like colourful blocks and maracas, which aids in honing Ah Fong’s motor skills. When asked what a constant in Ah Fong’s routine has been over the years, Ms Gandecila and Ms Goh laughed in unison and agreed, “holding on to the ball.”
Ms Gandecila notes how Ah Fong has become less active as she ages and how COVID-19 restrictions have taken a toll on Ah Fong’s emotional wellbeing. With constraints in the use of common spaces for leisure and therapy sessions, the staff and AHP team have creatively adapted their strategies to continue caring for residents’ physical and emotional needs. “Therapy-wise, what we do is that we bring the therapy sessions over to the dormitory,” Ms Goh shared. “We try our best to engage our clients as much as possible, … adjust formats here and there so that clients can still enjoy themselves.”
Staff at MINDSville@Napiri work around the clock to meet the needs of its residents. A team of 10 AHPs collaborate with care staff to customise and implement individualised care plans for residents, support the continuity of socialisation amongst fellow residents and staff, and provide regular recreation and leisure activities for their socio-emotional and mental wellbeing.
Of MINDSville’s 112 home residents, around 40% share Ah Fong’s plight. With an absence of biological family and relatives to support their physical and emotional needs, MINDSville@Napiri staff and volunteers continue to step into the roles of caregivers, parents and siblings to residents like Ah Fong; interacting, caring, and growing with them through the years.
With advanced research and a growing understanding of intellectual and developmental disabilities, care for persons with intellectual and developmental disabilities has evolved into personalised and tailored strategies to meet their needs across the disability spectrum and across their lifespan.
Reimagining A Better,
Kinder World
As MINDS celebrates its 60th anniversary, we celebrate our clients who have journeyed with us through the years.
MINDS provides an inclusive and caring environment for PWIDs, supporting their physical, mental and emotional needs as they age. Learn more about our residential services here.
To support us in our mission to improve the quality of life of PWIDs like Ah Fong, donate at https://www.minds.org.sg/donation/.
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