Bringing joy to others despite loss
Mdm Gayah Jelan’s world fell apart when her beloved husband, Mr Ngarsen, who was suffering from Nasopharyngeal cancer for two years, succumbed to cancer in 2018. Despite grieving her loss, Mdm Gayah found the inner strength, courage and resilience to move on with the support of her friends and her three remaining sons, (her eldest son died in his sleep years ago because of an illness). She resolved to make the best use of her time by helping others.
Volunteering with the Singapore Red Cross’ (SRC) Day Activity Centre for the Disabled (DAC) came about serendipitously as her group of friends discussed helping out at DAC. What started as a casual conversation ended up bringing joy and meaning to her life.
Since March 2019, Mdm Gayah, 67, has been volunteering at DAC from Mondays to Wednesdays, after her morning exercise at the nearby senior centre.
At the onset, Mdm Gayah found it challenging caring for clients with disabilities as it was something she had never done before. Though it took some time to break the ice, it was not too long that they felt comfortable around her.
“It brought me joy to receive their warm welcome, when they called me ‘nenek’ grandmother in Malay whenever they saw me walking in. It was heartwarming when those clients with speech impairments recognised, smiled and hugged me,” shared Mdm Gayah.
Lunch would start at 11.30am, and Mdm Gayah would assist with feeding the clients.
“It was difficult when they refused to eat; they would spit the food out and throw tantrums. I cared for them like they were my own children,” she pointed out.
Before lunch, volunteers engage the clients in activities like colouring, drawing and dancing to children’s songs.
“Some were shy to dance, but I encouraged them to move their upper body, as I danced along with them,” said Mdm Gayah.
Besides dancing, she also wheeled the clients out to the nearby playground to get some fresh air outdoors.
The clients would take their nap at 12.30pm.
She loves the flexibility of the volunteer timings that DAC offers as she could plan her days.
However, the COVID-19 pandemic brought her volunteering activities to a halt during the circuit breaker to contain the spread of the virus to the beneficiaries, who were among the most vulnerable.
After the circuit breaker, when the regulations eased, Mdm Gayah volunteered at the centre while complying with proper hygiene measures, including hand sanitisation, donning of gowns and gloves.
Despite her age, Mdm Gayah would conceive innovative activities that volunteers could engage the clients in.
“I shared ideas on making flowers out of plastic bottles and coloured papers, something I learnt from courses at the community centre,” she quipped.
That said, Mdm Gayah shared that it is tough meeting like-minded people who would commit their time to volunteer at DAC. She does her best to volunteer despite suffering from diabetes, high blood pressure, cholesterol and weakness in her legs.
“I hope the younger generation will be more receptive towards people with special needs and come forward to help,” she said.
By Jessica John Posko, Volunteer
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