Dr David Ang, Board Chairman, CaringSG Limited
Mr Edwin Tan, Chief Executive, CaringSG Limited
Ms Chua Weiling, Executive Director, Chua Foundation
Distinguished guests, partners and volunteers
Ladies and Gentlemen
Many of my kawan-kawans and friends in the sector,
1. A very good morning to all of you.
2. Many of you will agree with me that a Family Day is usually a day filled with fun and joy. I’m sure that we will all have joy and fun today. But for many caregivers here, getting the family out of the house from your home to this location in EV may already have taken a fair bit of planning.
3. You would have thought about about transport, food, medication, sensory needs, maybe how your loved one might or might not cope in an unfamiliar setting. Now, these are details that most people don’t see. But for caregivers, they are in fact part of your everyday lives.
4. That is the nature of caregiving. It is expressed not through one single act of grand gesture, but through hundreds and thousands of small and often unseen acts that you do faithfully, with commitment, day to day.
5. And because caregivers become so accustomed to looking after everyone else, one important question is often or too easily overlooked, and that is, who is looking after our caregivers?
6. Now, over the years, I have met and spoken with many caregivers of persons with disabilities. I have heard how hard they work to keep everything in balance: their loved one’s appointments and daily needs, their own work, household expenses, as well as responsibilities to the rest of the family. It is a careful balancing act, day after day, often with very little room left for themselves.
7. Something from these conversations has stayed with me. When you ask caregivers how their loved one is doing, they will readily tell you about their child, sibling, spouse or parent. But when you ask a follow up question, “And how are you?”, there is sometimes a pause.
8. That pause, for me at least, says a great deal. Even while carrying so much, their first instinct is still to speak about their loved ones, the person they care for, and not about themselves.
9. We often describe caregivers as strong and resilient, and rightly so. But our admiration for their strength must never become a reason to expect them to carry everything alone.
10. The well-being of caregivers matters in its own right. And when we support caregivers, we also strengthen the care that they are able to give their loved ones.
11. Caregiver burnout is real. But caregiver burnout does not always arrive suddenly. It can build quietly through accumulated stress, consistent lack of rest, social isolation and the feeling that there is simply no room to attend to one’s own needs.
12. Too often, help is sought only when a caregiver has already reached, or is nearing, breaking point.
13. That is why early support matters, and why I am very privileged to officially announce the launch of CAREmind today.
14. At its heart, CAREmind makes a very simple but absolutely important promise, and that is to notice distress early, respond with the right level of support and connect caregivers to the help they need.
15. Some caregivers may need information, a listening ear or peer support. Others may need professional help. Through tiered screening, risk identification and an ongoing monitoring process, CAREmind will help determine the appropriate level of support and make the right connections.
16. Clear escalation as well as step-down arrangements will also help that support to adjust as caregivers’ needs change over time, helping to ensure continuity of care and love for our caregivers.
17. Over the next three years, CaringSG aims to reach about 1,200 caregivers through its events, home visits, training programmes and community partners. Around 120 staff and volunteers will also be trained to recognise emotional distress and respond sensitively and appropriately.
18. And rather than operating as a standalone service, CAREmind will strengthen CaringSG’s existing programmes by connecting community, peer and professional support more effectively. This brings support closer to caregivers, instead of leaving them to navigate the system on their own.
19. My dear friends in the sector, over the years, the Government, social service agencies, community partners, charities and families have made good progress in supporting persons with disabilities and their family members. But it is so far not a full stop yet. A strong ecosystem of care must recognise that behind every person receiving care is also a caregiver who may need care and support.
20. CaringSG, David, and Hong Huay, and the entire team under Edward have been an important partner in building this ecosystem, guided by its vision of “Every caregiver well and empowered”.
21. I would also like to commend Chua Foundation for supporting CAREmind. This partnership shows what philanthropy can achieve at its best: not only funding individual services but also building community capabilities and stronger systems of support that can make a huge and lasting difference to the lives of people.
22. To all staff and volunteers at CaringSG who will be trained under CAREmind, thank you very much for stepping forward.
23. You may be the first person to notice that a caregiver is struggling. You do not need to have all the answers. Sometimes, the most important first step is simply to lend a listening ear without judgment, let someone know that they have been seen, and connect them to the right support.
24. That intervention can make a life-changing difference to someone who has been quietly struggling.
25. And to all our caregivers here today, thank you for your love, resilience and dedication to your families.
26. But please remember that looking after your own well-being is not equated to turning away from your caregiving responsibilities. It is a big part of sustaining the care you give. Asking for help is a sign of strength, not a sign of weakness. And you should not have to reach a point of crisis before receiving support.
27. Caregivers do not need another reminder to be strong. They need to know that they do not have to be strong alone.
28. On this note, I congratulate CaringSG and Chua Foundation once again on the launch of CAREmind. May this initiative help many more caregivers feel seen, supported and empowered in the years ahead.
29. I wish everyone a meaningful and enjoyable Family Day.
30. Thank you very much.