Supporting each other through difficult times

77-year-old Mdm Chua and 80-year-old Mr Tung, who are homebound, live with their only son, who is the sole breadwinner of the family. Having to work night shifts and facing his own financial woes, he found it challenging to support his elderly parents.

In 2015, Mdm Chua sustained a hip fracture and required surgery for the insertion of metal implants, and started using a wheelchair in 2017. She also underwent eye surgery and was instructed to stop cooking as the steam would hurt her eyes. This led to Mr Tung taking over the daily errands for the both of them, such as cooking their meals. However, Mr Tung eventually needed a wheelchair as well due to his weakening legs.

As their son was busy working and could only provide them with one meal, Mr Tung had to cook for the both of them despite his limited mobility. To do so, he had to sit on a chair in the kitchen to cook, which was physically challenging, or face the prospect of not having any meals.

Caption: Mr Tung with his walking frame

With both needing walking frames to walk at home, maintaining their home became a struggle. They were unable to ensure that their home was safe and hygienic, and relied heavily on their son to run errands.

As the elderly couple are no longer working and their son is unable to support them financially, they felt extremely stressed and helpless about their situation.

“Being stuck at home is like sitting in prison,” says Mr Tung. “We rely on our son to go out, but he’s busy working and can’t push both wheelchairs at the same time,” says Mdm Chua. “We couldn’t even attend the funerals of our siblings because we are homebound and there was no one to bring us there.”

Receiving Community Support

Their situation improved when they were referred to TOUCH Community Services. Mdm Chua and Mr Tung started to receive support from TOUCH’s Meals-On-Wheels (MOW) and Home Personal Care (HPC) services in 2018. 

Caption: Mdm Chua and Mr Tung receiving their bentos from MOW

Mdm Chua and Mr Tung now receive meals from MOW five days a week. This ensures that they will have nutritious meals and helps to ease Mr Tung’s burden of having to cook daily.

HPC also supports the elderly couple by visiting weekly to maintain their home. This includes cleaning their toilet, living room, kitchen, and bedroom. This enables Mdm Chua and Mr Tung to live with dignity in a clean, hygienic, and comfortable environment. Besides housekeeping, HPC staff also help to provide sponsored diapers and care packs, providing much relief and comfort.

Caption: Staying optimistic and strong through their struggles

“I'm really worried about our daily and healthcare expenses,” says Mdm Chua. “However, I’m very fortunate to have received TOUCH’s financial assistance.”

Beyond providing Mdm Chua and Mr Tung with their daily necessities, TOUCH also brings them out for outings. “I’m so grateful to have the opportunity to step out of my home to visit Sentosa.”

If you know of anyone who can benefit from Home Help services, please call or WhatsApp us at 6804 6555 / Monday – Friday, 9:00am – 5:00pm (except public holidays).

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About TOUCH Home Help

With more than 30 years of experience in geriatric care, TOUCH Home Help provides a range of home and community-based services to meet the diverse needs of seniors to support ageing in community. Depending on their care needs, each senior is supported by a team comprising mainly senior care associates, medical escorts and drivers, and Meals-On-Wheels coordinators. Its services include mind-stimulating activities, housekeeping, personal hygiene services, meals delivery and escort services for medical appointments. The team also works closely with TOUCH Home Health and TOUCH Community Case Management to enable seniors to receive further support to enhance their health and social well-being.

Story published in 2025.