From caregiver support to sustainability efforts

Ms Low Yen Ling put everything on hold to provide round-the-clock care for her father when he was in the intensive care unit (ICU) after suffering a heart attack in 2010.

She was prepared at the time to take a break from work and care full time for her father when he came home, but in the end, it did not come to that. Ms Low's father died after 10 weeks in the ICU.

The experience spurred the mayor of South West District to start Caregiving@South West in 2018, to help caregivers find the resources they need - such as support from social service agencies, respite care and contacts for caregiver training within the district.

The initiative also includes a caregiver-friendly workplace advisory, which the Community Development Council developed together with the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices and Workforce Singapore.

Ms Low, an MP for Chua Chu Kang GRC since 2011, said: "I can empathise with the fears of a caregiver, especially those who have been giving care for a long time.

"We also are worried about them burning out, the need for respite care and their own retirement adequacy if they stop work."

This is one example of how the district marshalled all its resources to benefit its 770,000 residents, said Ms Low, who is also Minister of State for Culture, Community and Youth as well as Trade and Industry.

In her third term as mayor, her focus will be on jobs, boosting skills and strengthening the social safety net, as well as sustainability.

Efforts include the Adopt programme, which will continue to provide support to low-income families and vulnerable seniors. Many of them live in rental homes, of which there are about 7,500 in the district.

Said Ms Low: "In the new term, we will want to weave a social safety net that is tighter, stronger, and also more sustainable. The Government can't do that alone. That's why we need to harness the resources and the support of private-sector organisations or even the people sector to really optimise the impact."

The South West District covers about a third of Singapore, and has a lot of green cover. There is a sense that it is the district's responsibility to promote an eco-conscious district, said Ms Low.

She added that about 300 new youth eco-ambassadors are appointed yearly through the Junior Environmental Ambassador programme, and the district relies on them to inculcate a sense of environmental ownership.

On her part, she has not used plastic bottles for the last seven years, carrying with her at least four glass bottles daily. Ms Low said having more conversations with residents will be key to achieving goals.

"Through conversations, we will know their concerns, their fears, their aspirations, their needs. We will also get the chance to invite them to step forward as a volunteer, and there are many, many different projects they can be involved in."