Mr. Wong loves food, and happily takes a mouthful of rice and vegetables before requesting “tang!”, Mandarin for soup. The volunteer fed him a spoonful. With his upper limbs contracted, Mr. Wong is totally dependent on others for his Assisted Daily Living (ADL), including having his meals.
Residents with similar challenges as Mr. Wong, look forward to a relaxed meal time and engagement with someone from the community. There are about 60 residents in Bright Hill Evergreen Home who needs help in feeding. With the limited manpower, staff from the wards will have to divide their time between feeding residents, grooming residents, cleaning of bed, and other duties. Volunteers acting as “Feeding Companions” to the residents will not only provide a social connection to the resident, but also alleviate some manpower crunch. This enables staff to focus more on each resident, improving the person-centred care each resident deserves.
We are calling out for volunteers to sign-up as Feeding Companions! Guidance will be provided for first-timers. We need Feeding Companions daily from 11am to 12pm and 4pm to 5pm. We welcome ad-hoc and regular volunteers.
Download the Volunteer Application Form and join us: https://bheh.tiny.us/vol-form
To find out more, please send an email to Germaine at volunteer@bheh.org or call 64319212.
“The resident feels special and happy as there is a one-to-one attention from the volunteer.” –Dalton, Staff Nurse.
“The residents feel a sense of intimacy, especially if the volunteers speak their dialect. The interaction improves their overall well-being.” – Crystal, Nurse Manager.
“Volunteering as a Feeding Companion, I learned to be more empathetic and also communicate better with the elderly. It is very fulfilling, knowing that a small action could make a positive impact on others. “ – Merideff, Volunteer.
This article is also published in Evergreen, a quarterly publication of Bright Hill Evergreen Home. Click here to download the complete PDF version of Issue 1.
