Caring for the elderly: SingHealth rolls out free course for maids to learn basic medical skills

SINGAPORE: Caring for her employer’s wife was a struggle for Ms Eillen Rose, who did not know how to handle the elderly woman’s dementia and diabetes.
The Filipina domestic worker suffered anxiety when it came to giving medication and carrying out diabetes tests by pricking the senior’s finger.
That changed after Ms Rose came across a training session run by SingHealth Polyclinics (SHP).
She was taught how to prepare meals, among other things, and learned tips like how to make her diet healthier. This included watching her carbohydrate intake.
“(I learnt that) if I give her bread in the morning, (it) must be only one piece, because if it’s two pieces then that will be equivalent to one bowl of rice,” she told CNA.
The one-time three-hour course that Ms Rose took, which was taught by nurses, covered more than just medical knowledge.
Ms Rose got to undergo both theory and practical lessons that spanned four essential areas – diet, exercise, medication management, and using monitoring devices for blood pressure and glucose.
SHP’s initiative comes months after it surveyed 100 helpers caring for seniors.
The small study, published last year, found that more than four in 10 helpers lacked confidence to perform blood pressure and glucose monitoring tasks, and over three in 10 were apprehensive in supervising medication. 
This was despite more than eight in 10 seniors aged 65 and above having at least one chronic disease like diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
Over the past four months, five training sessions were held free-of-charge at SingHealth polyclinics in areas like Tampines and Bukit Merah.
More than 60 helpers who care for the elderly with chronic conditions, including Ms Rose, as well as about 20 employers attended the sessions. SingHealth plans to eventually make the training available at all their polyclinics.
The local healthcare cluster is also partnering students from Duke-NUS Medical School to widen access to these courses.
“Instead of face-to-face lessons, we made it into an e-learning platform, where we opened up to foreign domestic workers to try and at the same time, we will also get the employer to assess them,” said Ms Ang Kim Wai, an advanced practice nurse from SHP Tampines.
“After they go through the whole e-learning module, the employer will assess them and see whether there’s any improvement in terms of their knowledge and skills,” she added.
Ms Ang said the specific areas covered in the sessions are “critical components” in managing chronic diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, and high cholesterol.
Maids who undergo training will also receive guidance on how to do elderly-appropriate exercises, as well as how to ensure their safety, including preventing falls.
Ms Rose’s employer Seow Cheng Seng said he saw a visible change in her confidence and ability to care for his wife.
Ms Rose, who has worked in Singapore for more than six years, could improve Mrs Seow’s diabetes condition by incorporating healthier ingredients as well.
“I think it’s beneficial for all these helpers, especially taking care of dementia (patients) which is a very challenging area,” Mr Seow added.