In the year 2000, a fall left Mdm Chua Kwee Lan bedbound and traumatised. Her paralysis was not only physical, but also psychological. The then 33-year-old Mdm Chua was terrified and refused to leave her bed even for routine tasks such as showering or taking meals. Her phobia of falling again would leave her bedridden for the next 14 years.   

In December 2011, TOUCH Home Care (THC) was alerted to Mdm Chua’s situation when her husband, Mr Ang, was referred to THC for assistance with home nursing and home modification services.  The couple eventually received housekeeping and meals delivery services to lessen the burden on Mdm Chua’s elderly mother, who helps out with the housework and cooks for her daughter daily.

Mdm Chua soon made friends with the Senior Care Associates (SCAs) who regularly visited her home and they became her pillars of support, especially in 2013 after her husband was institutionalised, and subsequently passed away. The SCAs believed that Mdm Chua’s condition was treatable and encouraged her to seek rehabilitation, but Mdm Chua was too afraid and refused to leave her bed.

In 2013, an opportunity to help Mdm Chua get on her feet again presented itself in the form of a disintegrating mattress. Mdm Chua requested to be helped out of bed so that THC could replace her mattress, which was worn out from more than a decade’s use. The SCAs engaged a therapist for Mdm Chua but getting her out of bed proved to be a challenge.

“Mdm Chua was terrified, and was on the verge of tears as her feet touched the ground. She displayed extreme discomfort even when in her wheelchair,” said Occupational Therapist Ms Sandy Goh.

In April 2014, she finally agreed to receive physiotherapy after much persuasion and started showing signs of improvement within a few months.

Today, Mdm Chua is able to transfer herself from her bed to the wheelchair with little difficulty. This enables her to perform day to day tasks such as meeting her friends at the void deck or taking a shower in her bathroom with some assistance from her SCAs.

“I look forward to 7am as that’s when I go out to meet my friends,” Mdm Chua said with a smile. She is also able to join her mother for meals out of the house, and attend community gatherings organised by THC.

Grateful to be able to jumpstart her life again, Mdm Chua is now going through therapy to strengthen her limbs and looks forward to spending more time with her mother and daughter. 
“Thank you TOUCH Home Care, for helping to pull me back on my own two feet!”