NTU student who cared for late dad with dementia halts studies to look after mom with cancer

SINGAPORE – While his peers chased deadlines and internships, Samuel Chew, 26, cooked, cleaned and took his mother to medical appointments.

The first-year environmental earth systems science student at Nanyang Technological University took a semester off from January to April to care for his 60-year-old mother, who was diagnosed with a brain tumour in early 2026.

It was not his first experience as a caregiver. Chew had looked after his late father, who had a neurological disorder that led to dementia. His father died at the age of 64 in October 2025.

Caregiving is not a burden forced upon him but a conscious choice, the young undergraduate told The Straits Times in April at his family’s five-room flat in Woodlands.

“Being there for my dad gave me a different perspective to life,” he said thoughtfully. “One semester doesn’t mean that much compared to being there for my mom in her time of need. I can always go back to school again.”

While there are no official figures on caregivers under 35 in Singapore, social service organisations say young caregivers like Chew are likely to become increasingly common.

TOUCH Caregivers Support Group’s (TCG) Care Line receives about 120 calls each month, up to 10 per cent of which are from young caregivers inquiring about their parents or children.

Other organisations that ST contacted did not specifically track the number of caregivers under 35.

But chief executive Abhimanyau Pal of SPD, a charity that serves people with disabilities, said that with couples having children later and an ageing population, more young adults may find themselves taking on caregiving roles earlier, particularly for ageing parents.

At the cusp of starting families and careers, young caregivers may have to make difficult trade-offs due to caregiving responsibilities, he said.

June Sim, who heads TCG, said: “The lack of confidence and preparedness can also affect caregivers psychologically and emotionally as some are thrust into their caregiving roles overnight.”

My father’s keeper

Chew was only 13 in 2013 when his father was diagnosed with Fahr’s syndrome, a rare disorder caused by an abnormal build-up of calcium in the brain that may lead to movement disorders and dementia.

Symptoms first appeared when his father, a military camp chef, wore the wrong uniform to work. He eventually stopped working, and his mother, who wanted to be known only by her surname Hing, balanced caring for her husband with her waitressing job.

At the time, the younger Chew coped by retreating into gaming to distance himself from the distress at home. But his outlook changed after he started working part time in secondary school, and accompanying his father to church.

“I realised the effort he took to provide for us, and his heart for us as a father,” he said.

At first, his father could travel by himself on weekdays to a daycare centre for seniors with dementia, but his mobility gradually deteriorated.

Chew requested to attend morning classes at Republic Polytechnic (RP) later, so he could travel with his father to the centre to prevent any sudden falls. He caught up on lectures afterwards.

At home, he moved into his father’s room to keep him company, waking several times each night to watch over the older man whenever he got up to use the washroom.

“I wanted to take care of my dad well, regardless of whether I coped well in school or not,” he said, adding that his friends and lecturers were understanding.

In 2023, he graduated valedictorian of his financial technology course at RP.

Chew, who was diagnosed with hearing loss in kindergarten and uses hearing aids, secured the Asia Pacific Breweries Foundation Scholarship for Persons with Disabilities in 2025. The scholarship is administered by SPD and will fund his university education in full.

His father died the same month he received the scholarship, after a sudden cardiac arrest.

Soon after, his mother started having problems with her vision. The family learnt she had meningioma, a brain tumour that grows on the protective tissue covering the brain.

It is scary facing the prospect of death again, but he is thankful to have his elder brother around, said Chew.

His 29-year-old brother’s income as a car technician pays their household bills, while their mother’s medical fees are covered by MediSave and MediFund.

Now, Chew prepares food and medication for his mother and does the chores, while she awaits further treatment.

Hing’s voice wavered as she said of Samuel: “To look after me, he gave up his school term... when he worked so hard to attain his (university placement).”

Almost immediately came his steady reply: “It’s a choice I made.”

Support to stay in workforce

Still, Chew knows that he needs to take time for himself, especially to process the emotional toll of caregiving.

Although deeply empathetic towards others, he describes himself as a “very realistic” person who tends to suppress his emotions to focus on his family’s needs.

“I’m still learning to unpack some of these thoughts and feelings,” he said.

TCG’s Sim called for greater awareness of young caregivers’ needs, noting that they face a distinct set of challenges.

Their career-building and long-term financial stability can be significantly disrupted as time, energy and attention are redirected towards caregiving responsibilities, she said.

SPD’s Pal said that expanding financial assistance and subsidy schemes across care programmes to support a wider range of services, such as day and evening care, would help ease young caregivers’ pressures.

Compared with older generations, young caregivers are more resourceful in seeking help by searching online or using artificial intelligence chatbots, said Adrian Tan, co-founder of SG Assist, a social enterprise that supports caregivers.

But they need more practical help to remain in the workforce for longer, such as being connected with home care service providers, a role that SG Assist plays, said Tan.

Chew plans to return to school next semester as his mother’s condition stabilises.

Looking ahead, the aspiring marine ecologist said regular communication with his mother will help to manage expectations when he cannot be around.

Worries about being outpaced in an economy that “values quality at unmatched speed” have crossed his mind, said Chew.

But he believes that stories like his need to be told.

“It shows that in our own time and space, we can bring value to the marketplace and sometimes better clarity over what’s really important,” he said.