Lost mum found and taken home

I thank Keith, a general worker at Quality Hotel, for his recent kindness towards my mother, who has dementia.

My family was in the Novena area at around 9.45pm one night when my mother went to the washroom alone and did not return. We were worried and searched everywhere for her.

To our surprise and relief, when we got back to our home in Tampines at 2.50am, we found my mother and Keith waiting under our block.

It turned out that Keith had seen my mother standing helplessly along Balestier Road.

He found a card in her pocket on which we had written our address, and took her home.

He bought her a cake to eat and several bottles of water, as my mother can be challenging when choosing her drinks, and then kept her company until we returned. He refused to take a single cent from us and even insisted on paying for his own cab fare back to Bukit Panjang.

I am very thankful for his help, which he offered with no thought of reward. Thanks to him, my mother is now safely home.

Peter Ong Shu Shui

Distance no barrier to hospital's kindness

I am a Singaporean currently living in the United States.

On Jan 11, my father visited the emergency room at the National University Hospital (NUH). None of his next of kin was present.

There is nothing more unnerving than learning of a loved one's health emergency thousands of miles away. My father's condition was not life-threatening, but I still rehearsed worst-case scenarios in my mind.

However, the doctors and nurses at NUH kept me regularly updated about his condition, despite the 13-hour time difference.

I thank Dr Alina Tan, Dr Lin Ziwei, Dr Shen Xiayan and all the staff who aided my father's recovery. This experience left me deeply appreciative of the kindness of fellow Singaporeans, the access to excellent healthcare my ageing parents have and the competency of our medical staff, especially in communicating with a patient's family.

Lakshmi Ganapathi (Dr)

Impressed by dedicated trainers

I recently studied at Temasek Polytechnic's Security Industry Institute.

The environment was very conducive and the front-line staff were very friendly and helpful. The trainers, such as Mr Delawar Abdullah, Mr Masad and Mr Doulak Singh, were very dedicated and focused.

I was particularly impressed with Mr Yap Cheng Ho, who, at age 76, still stood continuously for four hours to teach, and was willing to give up his lunch break to coach weaker trainees.

When I passed my assessment, he gave me a fatherly hug.

He is truly a gem of a man.

V. Murty