Eleanor Yap
While 21-year-olds are usually serving at National Service (NS), studying or working at different jobs, Marcus Oon has taken a path less travelled by those his age. Yes, he is going to NS but before going in, he was working for home-care services company Homage as a paid caregiver, a job he happened to stumble onto.
Last year, while finishing his final year at Temasek Polytechnic, Marcus was looking online for medical jobs like a part-time clinical assistant, etc, as he was doing biomedical engineering in school. He already knew what he didn’t want – “I didn’t want a job in retail or F&B as I felt it wouldn’t give me satisfaction and fulfilment.” It was an ad by Homage that caught his eye and it helped that the pay was attractive, so he decided to go for the interview. He smiled: “I didn’t know what I was getting myself into at the beginning.”
During the interview process, he watched a video clip. Though he did some volunteer befriending of seniors at void decks once a week for five months at Northeast CDC, he discovered that caregiving was more than what he was used to doing. “I didn’t know I had to shower the seniors and take them to the toilet so I was shocked. But because I needed a job, I thought, why not just do it!” So, he went on to the three-day training on the Activities of Daily Living (ADL), communication and transferring skills, oral hygiene, and showering and toileting skills. He also went for an X-ray to ensure he was fit for the job, and learned CPR and AED.
His first assignment was an 83-year-old who had slight dementia, high blood pressure and thyroid problems. Marcus had to be at his home three days a week in the mornings for one hour, to make sure he took his medications. “I am still with this client and also two others at the same time if it doesn’t clash with my schedule.”
Gaining lots more
For him, his work has become more than just caregiving a client. He shared about an ex-client who was 68 years old and on kidney dialysis. Marcus had to bring him downstairs to the void deck to do light exercises and to keep a watchful eye on him so he didn’t fall. He shared that he had to be an early-riser to travel to Sengkang from his home. For this particular client, he had to structure a 30- to 40-minute exercise programme for him. Through visiting him two to three times a week, he began learning a lot about his client, including that he was once a lecturer at a polytechnic. And though the sharing, Marcus also shared about his own family, adding, “I got personal with him and he even gave me some advice”.
Not only did he find a friend, through the work he was doing with him, Marcus got motivated to become a physiotherapist and has since applied to the Singapore Institute of Technology’s (SIT) Honours Degree Physiotherapy programme, which he will be attending in 2019. He has dreams to have his own physiotherapy clinic and do community outreach to those in need of physiotherapy either free or subsidised. A sports enthusiast, Marcus strongly believes in the importance of exercise, “If you are physically fit, your mental well-being will improve and chances are sickness will be reduced.” Marcus saw that through his help, his client was able to get stronger.
He also shared of another ex-client who impacted him in some way. That client, a 58-year-old, was bedridden and had both heart and kidney problems. “This was a challenging client,” he admitted. He had to cook breakfast for him such as baked beans, eggs and broccoli, and there were also times when he wanted hawker food and Marcus had to go out and buy it. On top of that, he had to do leg exercises with his client, massage his whole body and change his dialysis drip. “I had to learn how to change the drip and drain the solution to an empty bag, and then drain his stomach fluid to the same waste bag, followed by putting in new solution that is then pumped to his stomach. It was all on-the-job training!” Besides that, he also picked up some skills online like changing diapers.
As like his other client, Marcus also got to learn more about this client and got personal with him. “I found out he had a doctorate in chemical engineering and that he travelled to many countries for business before he was struck with the illnesses.” Though his work has had to stop now that he is heading to NS, during the short-time he has been caregiving, his perspectives in life have evolved.
“I learned life is short and to cherish every moment with your family. One day, you will become old. I will one day have someone like me looking after me when I am old. I want to use the skills I have picked up to care for my mother when she grows old and that is why I am keen to pursue a job in the healthcare industry.”
He added: “I feel a sense of fulfilment and happiness doing this work and to see that the seniors are not alone and there is someone to care for them. When you are alone, there is a risk of dying alone. You got to do what you want in life while still healthy as you never know when your time is up.” Marcus hopes that if he has time while in university, he would like to continue his caregiving work.
Asked what he would say to his peers? “Don’t be afraid to step out of your comfort zone and try something different. You never know when you will actually find something that you would like to pursue. I found something I liked to do earlier than others; some find it much later.” Though caregiving, Marcus Oon has gotten more than he ever thought he would gain.
