(This story is from our archives of NextStep Magazine. The Magazine has since been renamed to AIC With You)
Chan Mei Fei, 19, had always dreamed of being a dancer. She was in the School of the Arts, and trained daily to perfect her form and movements.
However, five years ago, she fell and hurt her knee badly. The injury put her out of action for one year. The accident opened her eyes to another future – a career in physiotherapy.
A change of pace
When she was injured, she was sent for physiotherapy at Tan Tock Seng Hospital. Knowing Mei Fei’s background in dance, the physiotherapist customised a treatment plan to train her muscles to compensate for the weakness in her injured knee.
Mei Fei was fascinated to see the level of expertise and care offered by the physiotherapist.
Determined to find out more, Mei Fei applied for attachments in care institutions like nursing homes and hospitals: “I wanted to see if being a physio was something I really wanted to do. It’s one thing when you see it from the outside as a patient, but it’s another when you experience it yourself.”
Initially, Mei Fei wanted to become a sports physiotherapist so that she could help dancers and athletes recover from their injuries. However, as fate would have it, most of her attachments involved work with the elderly. “The more I was exposed to geriatric care, the more I wanted to help,” she says.
Bonding with seniors
While Mei Fei is busy with her schoolwork, she continues to keep in touch with the Salvation Army’s Peacehaven nursing home, where she worked briefly as a Senior Care Associate last year.
During that attachment, she did exercises with the elderly residents to improve their mobility. Mei Fei loves the chance to bond with the seniors, who are motivated to get better. “When I come into the dining room, one of the ladies will call out to me – ‘Can we do exercise’? I like that. A lot of the seniors are quite enthusiastic about exercising, it makes them happy.”
And despite her youth, Mei Fei has never experienced a “generation gap” with her clients. “They’ve warmed up to me. During breaks, they’ll talk to me about their grandchildren. We chat and bond over that.”
Spurred on by study award
Over the few months in Peacehaven, Mei Fei has seen the seniors she worked with improve by leaps and bounds. This has made her even more excited about a career in physiotherapy.
Today, Mei Fei is pursuing a Bachelor of Science (Physiotherapy) at the Singapore Institute of Technology. Winning the Balaji Sadasivan Study Award (see sidebar), which helps cover the cost of her studies, spurs her to learn as much as she can.
When Mei Fei graduates in 2020, she will serve out her bond in Peacehaven. She looks forward to it. And who knows? She may just incorporate dance moves into her physiotherapy routines.
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About the Balaji Sadasivan Award
Administered by the Agency for Integrated Care, the Balaji Sadasivan Study Award is an education and training fund for students pursuing careers as Nurses or Allied Health professionals in the Community Care sector.
The award aims to encourage people to join the sector, which would strengthen the professional capabilities of the Community Care Voluntary Welfare Organisations (VWOs) and improve the quality of care provided to clients. To find out more about the award, visit www.carecareers.sg
