MEDIA RELEASE
Caregivers Alliance Limited Honoured with Awards,
Launches New Programmes and Fundraising Initiatives to support Mental Health Caregivers
Tuesday, 23 July 2024 - Caregivers Alliance Limited (CAL) is grateful to receive the People’s Association Community Spirit Award (PACS), and the Brands for Good – Champion, Business for Good Award. Beyond recognising the transformative impact our programmes and services have on the caregivers we have supported, these awards also validate our ongoing efforts to design new programmes and fundraising initiatives that meet the evolving needs of caregivers of persons with mental health issues.
These efforts show our dedication to helping caregivers gain knowledge, coping skills, and be connected to support networks and resources so that they can thrive in their caregiving journey. As a result, we have witnessed the change in caregivers’ attitudes, mindsets and renewed appreciation for their loved ones – beyond their illness – thus strengthening the wellbeing and resilience of the whole family.
“The only people who understand what caregivers go through, are caregivers themselves. This is why CAL intentionally recruits caregivers who have graduated from our Caregivers-to-Caregivers (C2C) Training Programme, to co-train alongside our staff. With the support of these volunteer caregivers and staff, we can meet the most pressing needs of caregivers, be it diffuse the quiet rage of caregiving before it's too late, or equip them with education, resources and friendship.
Like a start-up - many of our new programmes such as the Respite & Resilience Retreat or C2C in Malay Language started because we have had our ears on the ground for over a decade, informing our "gut feeling" that it is what caregivers are in dire need of. CAL would like to share the award recognition with our extended family of caregivers and volunteers, without which we could not have helped to ease the caregiving journey of over 10, 000 caregivers since 2012. We also call upon the giving community to help us expand our reach and support even more hidden heroes in need,” said CAL CEO, Tim Lee.
Pilot Caregivers-to-Caregivers Training Programme for Persons with Mental Health Issues (C2C-PMHI) in Malay Language – July 2024
Malay caregivers who do not know English face challenges in supporting their loved ones’ recovery. During hospital visits, they may struggle to articulate symptoms to mental health professionals, understand completely the medical advice received, or grasp the impact of the diagnosis. Loved ones may be misdiagnosed or prescribed with an ineffective treatment plan, reducing the overall quality of care received.
Navigating the mental healthcare system and being linked up to its services remains a challenge for these caregivers as providers in Singapore lack Malay-speaking staff in addition to the limited number of Malay language programmes. Consequently, caregivers do not see the benefit of sustaining appointments or staying enrolled in the programmes, often dropping out.
This group of caregivers miss out on critical resources, knowledge, networks, and community support, essential for self-care and loved ones' recovery. The lack of emotional support and understanding heightens the risk of caregiver stress and burnout. Caregiving becomes even more isolated, due to the language barrier and cultural stigma within minority groups that prevents them from seeking help.
The pilot programme was attended by 12 caregivers, ranging from a 20-year-old caring for a mother with dementia to a 70-year-old caring for a son with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). A caregiver brought her helper so both primary and secondary caregivers could learn together. A 62-year-old caregiver waited 9 years for the training to be available in Malay - her daughter attended the English programme in 2015 to care for her brother with schizoaffective disorder and intellectual disability. Another 2 caregivers were graduates of the English class but wanted to learn again in a language they are proficient in. All were relieved to find peers of the same race which helped them to be open and vulnerable. The second run of the programme is in August.
Launch of Respite & Resilience (R&R) Retreat – May 2024
Without support and respite, caregivers to loved ones with mental health issues are susceptible to caregiver fatigue, burnout and even lapses into mental health issues. New caregivers may feel overwhelmed, helpless or in denial. Existing caregivers are frustrated, resentful and exhausted. Young caregivers may find themselves postponing or sacrificing career, marriage and family plans. Senior caregivers struggle with the physical strain of caregiving or worry who will take care of their loved ones when they are gone. Caregiving duties – managing medical and rehabilitative appointments, crisis episodes or relapses, activities of daily living and housework – demand so much time that caregivers end up neglecting their own health and well-being.
The pilot run of CAL’s Respite and Resilience Retreat successfully delivered self-care related activities to 15 caregivers. Only able to step away for a short period, the 2-day-1-night retreat was ideal for this group who were caring for their siblings, parents and child. Participants felt rested, could take stock of their emotions, learnt practical skills and knowledge, and felt a sense of belonging as they connected with peers. As part of the programme design, CAL deployed 4 caregiver volunteers as facilitators, allowing them to help others and themselves – where they were able to find purpose, receive a stipend, and be better prepared to return to their worth, or work. The second run of this programme is in October.
For caregivers to receive CAL services at no cost, our annual fundraising campaign continues to help reduce operating deficit to train, support and empower caregivers. Since its launch in 2020, C4MW has raised over $2.4 million. This year, we hope to raise $550, 000 and have garnered $125, 000 in donations so far. We appeal to individuals and organisations to help us achieve this target before 31 August. This year’s mass walk event is one step closer to our vision to establish a unifying national campaign that raises awareness and destigmatises mental health issues. For the first time, we have an unprecedented 29 campaign partners including Gardens by the Bay, hospitals, schools, government agencies, faith-based groups, corporates and community partners join us to bring this vision to life. An overwhelming 600 individuals from these organisations, in addition to caregivers, volunteers, and staff have signed up to walk in solidarity for mental wellness and caregivers on the morning of 27 July.
For more information on C4MW, visit www.cal4mentalwellness.sg.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
For media enquiries, please contact:
Nur Hidayah Abidin (Communications Executive) | hidayah@cal.org.sg | 9129 0410
Ryp Yong (Head of Communications) | rypyong@cal.org.sg | 9750 6292
About Caregivers Alliance Limited (CAL)
Caregivers Alliance Limited (CAL) is the only non-profit organisation in Singapore dedicated to meeting the needs of caregivers of persons with mental health issues through training and support. As their journey can be physically, mentally and emotionally demanding, CAL's mission is to engage, equip and empower them to achieve a high level of well-being and resilience.
The Caregivers-to-Caregivers (C2C) Training Programme for Persons with Mental Health Issues (PMHI) is CAL's signature training programme. It is a fully funded 12-week programme for caregivers to gain in-depth understanding of mental health conditions and enable them to care for their loved ones better through learning about self-care, communication, resilience building, advocacy and available community resources.
For more information about CAL, visit www.cal.org.sg.
_______________________________________________________________________________________________
ANNEX A: AWARD DETAILS
Brands For Good 2024, Champion for Business For Good | Brands For Good is a non-profit organisation that champions the spirit of doing good by nurturing a supportive community, promoting conscious leadership and inspiring brands to become powerful agents for change. The Business for Good Award is awarded to businesses that have successfully implemented differentiated business models and/or innovative internal processes to achieve not only economic but also social and environmental goals. |
People’s Association Community Spirit Award (PACS)
| The People’s Association Community Spirit Award is given to exemplary partners who have assisted in building social capital and contributed to the community.
From 2022 to 2023, CAL actively contributed and supported the launch of the Women’s Integration Network (WIN) Caregivers Network in six pilot divisions across Singapore, working closely with PA Active Ageing and Family Life (AAFL) Division, and PA Women’s Executive Committees (WEC). Through our Caregivers-to-Caregivers (C2C) Training Programme and Caregivers-for-Caregivers (C4C) Support Programme, 300 caregivers from the pilot sites have found emotional support and are better equipped to care for their loved ones. |
ANNEX B: PROGRAMME FACTSHEET
Caregivers-to-Caregivers Training Programme for Persons with Mental Health Issues (C2C-PMHI)
The 12-week C2C Training Programme for Persons with Mental Health Issues (C2C-PMHI) is CAL’s signature training programme. It is a 12-session programme of 2.5 hours per session. CAL has trained 1096, 1007 and 799 caregivers in C2C-PMHI respectively across FY2021, FY 2022 and FY2023. Our programme evaluations scores have consistently achieved on average more than 90% of respondents indicating improvements in all categories of assessment.
English | Mandarin | Malay (NEW) |
|---|---|---|
|
|
|
About Faiza Sanip, Programme Manager for C2C-PMHI (Malay)  Joining us in 2022 as a Programme Manager, Faiza is a CAL Volunteer Trainer turned staff. As full-time staff, she spent the last 2 years creating awareness about mental health and caregiving in mosques, to engage the Malay community, and was instrumental in the launch of C2C in Malay language. In 2021, Faiza graduated from Train-The-Trainer Programme alongside the pioneering batch of Malay volunteers to be our mental health ambassadors in the Malay community. She graduated from C2C Training Programme in 2020 and became a volunteer trainer as she believed that other caregivers should also benefit from the clarity and hope that CAL provided her on how to move forward in her caregiving journey. Faiza is a caregiver to her son recovering from schizophrenia. In 2016, she quit her full-time job as a Manager at Perdaus when her son had a severe relapse. |
ANNEX C: CAL 4 Mental Wellness (C4MW) 2024 Campaign Partners
Agency for Integrated Care | National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre |
Ageing Asia | National Council of Social Service |
Analog Devices | PSA Corporation Limited |
Brands for Good Limited | Singapore Indoor Farms |
Brickland Grassroots Organisations | Scent by SIX |
Bukit Gombak Traders’ Association | Singapore International Chamber of Commerce |
Cycling Without Age Singapore | Singapore Institute of Management (SIM) |
Dawson Community Garden | Singapore University of Social Sciences |
Eunos CC Malay Activity Executive Committees Council (People’s Association) | Tai Pei Buddhist Centre |
Gurkha Contingent | Tungsten Automation |
Gardens by the Bay | The Capitol Kempinski Hotel |
HP | Women’s Integration Network Council (People’s Association) |
Institute of Mental Health | Women’s Executive Committees (People’s Association) |
Ismaili CIVIC |
|
Institute of Technical Education (ITE) College West |
|
Joo Chiat Community Club
|
|
ANNEX D: Caregiver Stories
 | A Primary Caregiver at 21-years-old
Fresh out of polytechnic in 2015, Nur Hidayah started her caregiving journey to her brother with schizoaffective disorder and intellectual disability at a young age of 21-years-old. What was supposed to be a one-off visit to the psychiatrist to help her mother articulate her struggles to care for her brother, soon shaped Hidayah’s future both as a primary caregiver and a mental health advocate for the next 9 years. At the request of her mother who had limited proficiency in English, Hidayah attended CAL’s C2C Training Programme for Persons with Mental Health Issues (C2C-PMHI) in 2015. Today, at 29, Hidayah is a Comms Executive with CAL, and co-trains alongside Faiza in the new C2C-PMHI in Malay.
|
 | Our Spouses have Schizophrenia
Different in age, ethnicity and personality, Sarah and Khairul seemed like the unlikeliest of friends. Yet, both are caregivers for their spouses recovering from schizophrenia, relying on each other for support and understanding. Facing criticism from family and friends who advised them to leave, it was only through CAL’s C2C Training Programme that they were able to find the support they needed. |
| Identity Crisis at 62: Caregiver to Elderly In-laws Not only did he have to shelve dreams of travelling, gardening, and singing with his church choir, Mark, then 62, had to sell his architecture firm and struggle with one of the hardest tasks in his life. He became a live-in caregiver to his elderly mother-in-law, who has vascular dementia, and his father-in-law, who has Alzheimer’s disease. Through a friend’s recommendation, he attended CAL’s C2C Training Programme and was equipped with the knowledge and skills to help him care for his in-laws while his wife continued to work. |
Comments