Recent Highlights

 NEW!
Check out to view. the videos of the 1st Singapore National Caregivers Conference.
Click here to view.

Empower. Inspire. Share. Learn. Celebrate 

Ever wonder how you can be a more effective caregiver to your loved ones? Are you struggling with the many roles and responsibilities as a primary family caregiver? Are you frustrated, physically and mentally exhausted from managing your career and your caregiving responsibilities all by yourself? Do you ‘walk on eggshells’ around your spouse, children or siblings avoiding conflicts that will set them off? What are the possible challenges that your family may face and how best can you turn them into something positive? Who can you turn to and where can you get help in your caregiving journey? These were some of the questions that were tackled at the 1st Singapore National Caregivers Conference held on 27 February 2010 at the Furama Riverfront Hotel. Organised by Asian Women’s Welfare Association’s Centre for Caregivers Mr Laurence Wee, Nominated Member of Parliament graced the event as Guest-of-Honour. Constantly striving to be a “voice for caregivers”, AWWA Centre for Caregivers believes that its inaugural conference had also been a wonderful platform to listen, learn, and better understand the issues that were plaguing caregivers across the nation.

The conference themed ‘Empowering Family Caregivers: The Journey Starts with You!’ aimed to equip and empower family caregivers with essential knowledge, provide opportunities for sharing, building informal networks, encourage caregivers to reach out to resources in the community for help and celebrate the spirit of caregiving. At the same time, the conference was also a significant step towards building a platform to address the psychological and emotional needs of caregivers, an area which is often neglected, even by caregivers themselves.

The 1st Singapore National Caregivers Conference was a result of much effort and collaboration between 27 agencies and individuals from both the national and community levels. The conference comprised of several workshops held concurrently. They were:

Empowerment Workshop for Family Caregivers

• Handling Your Emotions as a Caregiver
  
• Using Music to Bond with Your Loved One with Alzheimer’s
  
• Balancing Caregiving With Your Working Life
  
• Conflict and Communication in Caregiving

Professional Track

• Professional Talk : Supporting Family Caregivers Using Evidence Based Practices

• Managing Your Stress
  
• From Learning to Action – The Next Steps

Close to 280 family caregivers, professionals and Voluntary Welfare Organisations attended the conference. And at the conference, family caregivers were seated according to geographical locations so as to enable them to form support networks within their area of residence with ease. Overall, 98% of the participants had rated the conference as excellent and 97.3% felt that the conference has helped them in realising the importance of self care, being proactive and building support networks.

Photo Gallery

• AWWA Centre for Caregivers would like to thank everyone who had attended the conference.                           To view photographed moments at the conference, please click here. 

 Video Clips of the Empowerment Workshops:

• Handling Your Emotions as a Caregiver by Mr Rodney Woulfe
  Caregivers can go through a myriad of emotions which can lead to draining of energy and can cloud your thinking and decision making as a caregiver. This workshop will allow you to learn how to get in touch with and manage your emotions, as well as reduce their intensity so they do not take a toll on you.
  Click here to view.
  
  
• Using Music to Bond with Your Loved One with Alzheimer's by Dr Patsy Tan
  Music therapy uses music to address physical, emotional, cognitive ad social needs of individuals of all ages. It has become a tool for those suffering with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias, strokes and depression. This workshop will touch on how you can use music therapy for your loved one with Alzheimer.
  Click here to view.
  
  
• Balancing Caregiving With Your Working Life By Mr Wong Chai Kee
  Find that you are having a hard time balancing caregiving with your working life? This workshop will show you how the PPP (Purpose-priority-practice) principles work. It will allow you to achieve realistic goals while giving attention to yourselves and the loved ones you are committed to in caregiving.
  Click here to view.
  
  
• Conflict & Communication in Caregiving by Mr Philip Merry
  Knowing how to communicate effectively is crucial to you as a caregiver. This workshop will explore communication within family in caregiving solutions, specifically helping you become more aware of your communication style and how to handle yourself especially in conflict situations.
  Click here to view.
  
  
• Keynote Speech: Choosing to Care: A Journey of Discovery by Mr Richard Birkel
  The keynote address emphasizes the importance of choosing a personal meaning in the caregiving experience, with whom is this journey undertaken and learning specific skills that will help you master the challenges of your specific situation.
  Click here to view
  
  
• Caregiver’s Experience Sharing by Mr Wong Chai Kee
  The speaker shares his experience in two part videos below about how he was a Caregiver for his mother, who had Alzheimer’s disease, for a period of two years.
  Click here to view

Model Caregivers Award 2010 Citation 

• Click here  to view the Citations of 2010 MCA Winners  

  Click on the banner above to launch Official Site for AWWA's Caregivers Handbook