York Chin doesn't look a day past 50 so I was surprised when she told me she's retired and her age! York Chin started helping out at O’Joy since Sept 2015. Her friends told her about O’Joy and its activities when they saw she had time to spare after her retirement.
She had to first go through training to be able to understand and interact with the elderly, learn about the issues they face and how to advise them. “After the lessons, you decide if you are a fit with the volunteer role. Some people might be fearful because they don’t know how to deal with the elderly, especially if you have to bring them out. But actually, it is not that difficult with the training and you will get used to it.”
Nowadays, York Chin helps out at O’Joy 5 days a week at the HOA (Health-Oriented Ageing) programme sessions, in addition to being a para-counsellor doing home visits twice a month and accompanying the elderly to their doctor appointments.
For York Chin, she didn’t have much time to volunteer when she was working 12-hour days. This is a great opportunity to spend her retirement days meaningfully while helping others.
“It is truly heart-warming to see the elderly happy doing the activities at O’Joy and having company. Many elderly folks feel lonely at home and sometimes just need to talk to someone.
It is also eye-opening to see the elderly being so active and joyous in our activities. They are quite fun to be with. They even help us to set up the activity venue! This is so different from the image we often see portrayed in the media. I’m glad that O’Joy provides them with this platform to stay active and make friends.”