Home-bound and ailing at 87, Mdm Chung Wai Fong isn’t able to move around easily as she did in the past.
Cared for by her only son in a one-room rental flat in Chai Chee Crescent, her days often pass indoors without much attention from any other family members or friends.
But that changed on Feb 17 when nurses and staff from Sunlove Home ensured a smattering of Chinese New Year (CNY) celebration.
With a Sunlove staff member dressed up as ‘Cai Shen’ – considered the God of Wealth in Chinese culture – the nurses conveyed their festive greetings to Mdm Chung.
Having worked as a nurse in her younger days, Mdm Chung later served as an assistant on a school bus driven by her husband. In spite of coming from a wealthy family in the Kallang area, she is now spending her twilight years in simplicity.
After presenting Mandarin oranges to her household, the staff of Sunlove gathered around a plate to toss the ‘Lo Hei’ dish in celebration.
Launched in 1997, Sunlove Home Care Services provides medical and nursing care to homebound seniors. Currently, the programme caters to around 500 community seniors.
Staff nurse J. Archana, 27, who has been caring for Mdm Chung under this service program for the past five months, said that the elderly woman welcomes her with affection every time she visits.
“My heart fills with contentment when I see her doing well. I am celebrating the Chinese New Year with her for the first time. I feel very happy,” Ms Archana said.
Mdm Chung expressed joy seeing everyone in her home.
Her 58-year-old son Koung Hoe Keet is delighted to see such an arrangement made for his mother. Mr Kong who is unemployed added that he and his wife, who is from China, are living apart because she is back in her home country taking care of her ailing mother.
“My mother did not just safely transport students from home to school and back on the school bus; she took a special interest in them,” Mr Kong noted. “If any of them went astray, she would care for them like a mother. It brings me happiness that others are showing her love now.”
