Welfare homes face balancing act in dealing with residents’ needs
The challenges involved in dealing with runaway residents aside, caring for the residents also involves ensuring that they regularly take their medication, and remain “meaningfully engaged”, the superintendents of three welfare homes told TODAY. Photo: Unsplash.com
SINGAPORE – For the first two months after he moved into a welfare home in Buangkok Green, 43-year-old Mr Wong still had problems adjusting to his new environment and constantly missed his family.
So, while he was at a community outing in Hougang, the Banyan Home resident, who was admitted last year and suffers from schizophrenia, found the chance to slip away and ran off.
The staff at the home immediately searched for Mr Wong in the area, only to find him later at his mother’s flat in Ang Mo Kio.
Mr Wong’s case reflects some of the challenges that welfare homes for destitutes face, such as in trying to find a balance between giving their residents more autonomy, while maintaining oversight of more than 100 individuals, some with psychiatric conditions, in each home.
And when residents go missing, staff were previously unclear whether they should make an immediate police report, or to wait up to 24 hours before doing so.
Welfare homes are places where the destitute can be cared for and rehabilitated. As of end April, there are 1,910 destitute persons living in 12 homes here.
These homes came under the spotlight last month after State Coroner Marvin Bay ruled an elderly Tembusu Home resident’s death as a deliberate act of suicide.
Poh Hwe Chee, 70, was found dead along the shore of Changi Beach Park a day after he ran away from the facility in November 2016.
In his findings, Mr Bay pointed out that the police were not immediately notified of Poh’s abscondment from the home. Its superintendent had told the court that a police report was lodged through a typed hard-copy letter that was sent via post a day after Poh had gone missing, which was in compliance with the guidelines for such an incident at that time.
UPDATED GUIDELINES
In response to TODAY’s queries on guidelines for welfare homes in relation to runaway residents, a Ministry of Social and Family Development (MSF) spokesperson said that the standard operating procedure (SOP) for welfare homes was “clarified and updated recently to better reflect ground practices, following feedback by one of the welfare homes”.
The Banyan Home, following the incident involving Mr Wong, had contacted the ministry to clarify if welfare homes had to wait 24 hours before making a police report for missing residents, as stated in an earlier written SOP, said the home’s superintendent Cheong Kah Meng.
However, that written SOP was different from the ministry’s instructions for homes to make an immediate police report under such circumstances, he noted.
His request for clarification led the MSF to review the written SOP. The updated guidelines state that a police report must be made immediately to the home’s nearest police post, once it is established that the resident has escaped from legal custody, or if the superintendent assesses that the resident’s safety is at risk, or if the resident poses a risk to others.
If it is assessed the resident may return to the home, and has no safety concerns, they may wait up to 24 hours to make a police report, said the MSF spokesperson.
“This is to avoid making unnecessary reports. The majority of residents who have left the homes without permission returned safely,” she added.
As staff at the homes do not have the legal authority to use force to restrain residents who leave the homes without permission, they are required to make a police report and inform MSF as soon as possible when this happens, the spokesperson said.
In 2016, there were 138 cases of residents leaving welfare homes without permission, compared to 156 in 2015 and 101 in 2014. Police reports were made for all but one, where the resident returned within 24 hours.
FINDING THE RIGHT BALANCE
The challenges involved in dealing with runaway residents aside, caring for these people -- many of whom are aged 55 and above, and some have chronic conditions -- involves ensuring that they regularly take their medication, and remain “meaningfully engaged”, the superintendents of three welfare homes told TODAY.
Apart from maintaining the residents’ physical and mental well-being, personal hygiene and providing balanced meals, Christalite Methodist Home in Marsiling Road, for instance, try to fill their day with various activities.
This is to keep the residents “physically and mentally stimulated and engaged for their overall well-being and to prevent deterioration in their functionality”, said superintendent Goh Eng Kwang.
Meranti Home, also in Buangkok Green, arranges regular community outings for its residents, and encourage them to participate in activities within the home, such as reading in their library, said its superintendent, Mr Michael Gabriel Pillai.
Social workers also help to reconnect residents with their families, and they are given home leave during festive seasons.
Banyan Home’s Mr Cheong said it could be challenging to maintain the right balance between controlling residents and giving them some form of autonomy.
“We will let residents make their own decisions as far as possible if it does not compromise on their safety, well-being and security.”
However, to manage a home that can take up to 200 people, residents will have to following certain rules and regulations, such as taking their meals at scheduled timings, and not leaving the home without permission, Mr Cheong said.
Some might ask to go out but are denied due to their psychiatric conditions.
“This is perceived by some residents to be restrictive. While the majority of the residents will adjust and accept the regime of the home, a few will try to challenge the system,” he added.
Peter, who is in his 50s, was one such resident, initially.
He was admitted to Banyan Home in 2010 after he was found homeless and sleeping in parks. When he first joined, he would often shout at staff and got into squabbles with other residents.
Peter also had delusionary episodes stemming from his schizophrenic condition, and believed he was the reincarnation of a famous deceased singer or a getai singer.
However, the staff offered Peter an outlet by encouraging him to perform during the home’s festive celebrations, such as Chinese New Year, and also helped to ease him into the home’s environment.
“He is doing a good job (now),” added Mr Cheong.
