Homage Care Professionals: Bringing Joy to Care Recipients Who Live Alone

Care Professionals provide much-needed assistance to people who require help with daily activities or nursing procedures. It was a privilege to hear from Sheik Fauzmi Fauzul, 28, a Freelance Care Professional with Homage, to learn more about his job and why he entered this career.

Fauzmi was previously an Enrolled Nurse at a hospital for 2 years and also spent 2 years in a clinical setting. As he wanted more flexibility with his work schedule, he decided to join Homage as one of its Care Professionals.

Hi! I am Sheik Fauzmi and I have been an Enrolled Nurse since 2015. I have worked in hospital wards, private clinics and joined Homage as a private nurse in 2019.

On average, I have between 3-5 visits every day, each ranging in duration depending on the Care Recipient’s needs. I provide a range of care including assisting with their Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) or nursing procedures.

ADL assistance can range from showering to feeding. I also see Care Recipients who are recovering from a stroke, those who require palliative care as well as those who have Parkinson’s.

Fulfilling a Childhood Dream

I was first interested in joining the healthcare industry back when I was in Primary 6 back in 2006. During my Social Studies class, we learnt about different Singapore war heroes – one of whom was Elizabeth Choy, a volunteer nurse during WW2. She was a compassionate war hero who provided food, supplies and medical treatment to the Prisoners of War, which was a noble act that sparked an interest and inspired me to pursue Nursing.

I also learnt that she used to be a librarian at St. Andrew’s Secondary, so with the intention and hope of possibly meeting an actual war heroine, I studied hard for my PSLE to be able to apply for that school. I eventually succeeded and was eligible to apply for St. Andrew’s Secondary, but she sadly passed away a few days after I had submitted my school option list.

Care Professionals Bring Joy to Care Recipients Who Live Alone

I have always felt sympathy for care recipients or the elderly who live alone.

I used to have a care recipient under my care who lived alone after his wife had passed away, and they had no children. He had limited mobility and had to move around on a wheelchair, and as such could not pay for his bills as the SingPost was a distance away from his home.

My visits consisted of showering him and bringing him out of the house after. On our trips out of the house, this would include heading to the hawker centre to buy food, going to SingPost to pay his bills, and often enjoying a cup of kopi together. Over time, we built a good rapport and he treated me as a friend, and we would have good conversations over our kopi!

I remember during his birthday week, he bought a birthday cake which he wanted to share with me. Sharing a cake and celebrating his birthday may seem like a small thing to many, but he was extremely happy to share the moment with me, and it’s experiences like this that really leave a lasting impression and remind me of why I’m at Homage.

Secret to Having a Long Life

I currently have a care recipient over the age of 100 and his secret to a long life is having a tight-knit, caring family that always looks out for him, and wants the best for him. For example, his son is always there as a listening ear and provides comfort for him. Till today, while he may be physically frail and spends most of the day in his bed, he always has a smile and is able to carry a conversation with us.

I’m not saying that all of us will live to the age of 100, but it’s important to be there for your loved ones and care for them! You never know what may happen in life, so we should not take anything for granted, treat those around us with kindness and provide the best care possible to your loved ones.

Special thanks to Homage and Fauzmi for the interview and photos.

Homage’s core services include Care Assessments, Activities of Daily Living (ADL) assistance, Home Nursing Procedures, Home Rehabilitation services, including Physiotherapy, Speech Therapy and Occupational Therapy, as well as Home Medical services. Learn more here.

Read another interview of a Homage Care Professional here.