Despite their advanced age, senior volunteers Hoo Soo Moi (left) and Koo Jer Ho (right) have continued to show great zeal and passion in their work at Tzu Chi TCM Free Clinic (Redhill). (Photo by Chan May Ching)
The town of Redhill is notorious for its chequered past of triads and gangsters. But the neighbourhood today has transformed into a sleepy estate where many of the country’s elderly reside. In a bid to better serve the seniors living in the area, the Tzu Chi Free Clinic (Singapore) started offering free Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) services from November 2011.
Officially renamed Buddhist Tzu Chi TCM Free Clinic (Redhill) in October 2022, the clinic has done its utmost to serve its greying community for more than a decade now. Today, an estimated 70% of the clinic’s patients are aged 60 and above. On a regular day, there will be two to three TCM practitioners handling around 30 patients on average.
Integral to the clinic’s continued and steadfast service has been the presence of its pool of volunteers. While the clinic volunteers themselves are similarly advanced in age, with the estimated average age being higher than 65, they routinely turn up to provide a helping hand in a few main areas – registration, patient befriending, cleaning and cooking. The number of volunteers who come down to the clinic each day varies, ranging from two to more than 10, with each shift lasting almost four hours long. Over the years, two senior volunteers have stood out for their passion and commitment to serve.
Approaching her 80th birthday this year, Tzu Chi volunteer Hoo Soo Moi has not shown any signs of slowing down as she continues her twice weekly volunteering routine at Tzu Chi TCM Free Clinic (Redhill). Having first started her volunteering journey in 2005 at Tzu Chi’s former Free Clinic in Chinatown on the back of the devastating 2004 South Asia tsunami which claimed nearly 300,000 lives, she has not looked back since. Thus, when the clinic in Chinatown relocated to Redhill, it was natural for Mdm Hoo to continue her voluntary work over there given her familiarity with its operations as well as the vicinity to her home.
At the clinic, she helps out with mainly reception matters, ensuring that patients feel comfortable upon stepping through the doors. Through interactions with the regular patients, she has managed to form close bonds with some of them over the years. For them, seeing Mdm Hoo is akin to meeting an old friend where they would exchange greetings and chat about life upon entering the clinic. Her enthusiasm and firm belief in the Tzu Chi philosophy has also rubbed off those she comes into contact with. At the right moments, she would take the opportunity to share Tzu Chi’s teachings, hoping to benefit them in their daily lives.
Besides her reception duties, she helps to prepare lunch for the clinic staff once a week and also undertakes responsibilities to maintain the overall cleanliness of the premises. While most seniors her age would often be suffering from various health issues, she remains visibly active, comfortably going about her routine disinfection chores such as mopping and cleaning. Although she could be having it easier enjoying life at home, she has chosen to put herself out there to contribute as much as she can within her own capacity.
“Staying at home, there’s only so much housework we can do every day. Since we can still walk and move around, we should seize the opportunity to come out and contribute. Don’t think about being too old. As long as your body is healthy and you feel young at heart, it’s good enough. By remaining idle, your body will deteriorate even faster,” shared Mdm Hoo.
Mdm Hoo (left) enjoys interacting with patients when she volunteers at the clinic. (Photo by Chan May Ching)
Through her tireless efforts as a Tzu Chi commissioner, Mdm Hoo has been able to bring in many volunteers under her wing. And one of them who has stayed the course and remained actively involved at the clinic over the years is volunteer Koo Jer Ho. Having been introduced to Tzu Chi by Mdm Hoo in 2007, she started volunteering at the clinic in 2012 and has been a key cog of its operations for more than a decade. She knows the clinic like the back of her hand and helps out with all its matters, big or small.
Whether it is attending to the patients’ enquiries or menial disinfection chores such as cleaning the toilet, she takes them on without a hint of complaint. Her positive attitude has also been further exemplified by her zeal for knowledge. Despite her age at 70, she tries to keep herself up-to-date with the various technological systems that she comes across in the course of her volunteering duties. These include the volunteer management system, donation platforms and video conferencing tools.
When asked about her motivation behind, Mdm Koo said, matter-of-factly: “It’s for convenience. If you don’t know, you would always need to rely on others.”
Mdm Koo (right) has developed a close bond with the patients, and is seen here asking one of them for help regarding a technological-related issue. (Photo by Chan May Ching)
One of the TCM practitioners reading the pulse of a patient during a consultation session at the clinic. (Photo by Chan May Ching)
Adding Value to the Community
The importance of the two senior volunteers at Tzu Chi TCM Free Clinic (Redhill) has been clearly evident, even more so for the staff who work closely with them week in, week out.
“They can do everything and are familiar with every aspect of the clinic. So if there is any position that we are lacking in, they are able to help fill in,” remarked clinic staff Aveline Tan Zhen Hui.
For others, their value was most keenly felt during the COVID-19 pandemic period. After the situation started stabilising, the clinic began opening its doors again for volunteers to contribute and the two seniors were amongst the first to return.
Ms Tan added: “When everyone did not dare to come during the COVID-19 period, they still came to help us. They were very willing to step forward to volunteer.”
The two senior volunteers felt that it would be tough on the clinic staff to handle everything on their own including the tedious disinfection work, and wanted to help ease their burden. Even with the dark shadow of the pandemic looming behind, they were not too concerned as they had taken the necessary precautions and believed that contributing in the community would be better than staying at home.
Ever the willing learner, Mdm Koo (left) would consult clinic staff Aveline Tan Zhen Hui (right) whenever she faced any technological-related issues. (Photo by Chan May Ching)
Likewise, regular patients who have witnessed the unassuming yet warm presence of the senior volunteers at the clinic were appreciative of their efforts. One of them was long-time Tzu Chi donor Lim Kim Heo. She was introduced to the organisation by Mdm Hoo in 2009 and would visit the clinic to seek treatment for her ailments from time to time.
Shared the 83-year-old: “The volunteers here are very compassionate and they would take good care of me. Sister (Mdm Hoo) would keep in touch with me regularly over the phone and ask how I’m doing. Sometimes, we would meet at the market near my home just to eat and chat. That’s why I would always tell my friends about Tzu Chi and encourage them to be donors.”
Mdm Hoo (left) and long-time Tzu Chi donor Lim Kim Heo (right) posing for a photo outside the clinic. They first met while working together as office cleaning ladies, and have become good friends since. (Photo by Chan May Ching)
An external view of the Tzu Chi TCM Free Clinic (Redhill). (Photo by Chan May Ching)
After toiling hard for much of their lives, one would not begrudge the seniors if they were to settle for a laid-back life and enjoy their golden years. But for senior volunteers Mdm Hoo and Mdm Koo, they are not content with just sitting back and enjoying a life of leisure. Instead, they hope to make the most out of their remaining time to continue learning and contributing back to the community.
Added Mdm Koo: “Last time, we would think that by helping others, we lose out but actually we are also benefiting. There is plenty of chatter and laughter here, and the days pass by faster. We resonate with the things that the patients share and by listening to their problems, we feel like we have helped them in some way.”
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