Sim Siew Heng, 57, had no home to return to when it was time for her discharge from St Luke’s Hospital.
Our Medical Social Worker, Mervin Leong had explored all resources to help her look for a place to stay, but were to no avail. The first landlord backed out, citing the inconvenience as Siew Heng was wheelchair-bound. Subsequent attempts failed too, where cotenants could not agree on various terms.
Looking at Siew Heng’s growing hospital bills, accumulated from over a year of hospitalisation at St Luke’s, Mervin made an urgent application to HDB for a rental unit on her behalf as a single applicant. With all the supporting reasons that Mervin had helped to put up, HDB speedily granted a unit for Siew Heng.
Mervin then helped facilitate Siew Heng’s relocation to the HDB rental unit with the collection of keys, GIRO applications to pay for her utilities, clean-up of her rental unit, install necessary fixtures such as lighting and home appliances and lastly, moving her belongings.
He also worked with community and cluster support services to coordinate the multiple care and assistance services that she needed for her well-being in the community.
Siew Heng was grateful for all the help rendered by Mervin and care staff of St Luke’s Hospital. Before hospitalisation, she could at best, cook cup noodles. Thanks to her occupational therapists who had taught her during her stay at St Luke’s Hospital, Siew Heng said, “Now, I can sweep and clean the house all by myself!”
