1984: Their dads moved old folks home, now their sons may have to do the same
By Teh Jen Lee
The New Paper
Wednesday, Dec 21, 2011
They grew up playing along the corridors of the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home, which was named after their late grandmother, who started it in1963.
Today, the grandsons of philanthropist Lee Ah Mooi, Mr Then Kim Yuan, 25, and Mr Aaron Then, 23, are helping to manage the home at Thomson Lane, taking over from their fathers, Mr Then Mun Tat, 60, and Mr Then Mun Wah, 62.
While not many people their age would consider a career in caring for old folks, the cousins show a deep commitment to the place they consider their childhood playground.
Just as their fathers helped move the home to Thomson from Jalan Kayu in 1982 because the Seletar Expressway was being built, they may also have to do the same as the home sits on state land that will be affected by the new North South Expressway.
The home is appealing against relocation and will discuss alternatives with the authorities, who are concerned that the noise and air pollution from the road construction might affect the health of the home residents, who number over 110.
The home caters to the sandwich-class elderly - those who do not qualify for government homes, but who cannot afford the more expensive private establishments.
Mr Then Kim Yuan, who graduated from the National University of Singapore in July with a history major, has been involved in running the home since 2007.
"My father asked me to help after I finished my NS, so while I was at NUS, I worked part-time. "Even then, it was like full-time as I would come to the home four to five times a week. I do HR, PR, ops, counselling for patients or family, basically pao ka leow (Hokkien for "do everything")," he said with a smile.
He added that he has never felt pressured to work at the home, which pays less than 50 per cent of what his peers get in other jobs.
"I have always wanted to get into this line, I don't know why. Maybe because I have been interacting with the old folks here since young," he said.
His father, Mr Then Mun Tat, said his third son has a suitable temperament to care for the elderly.
"You must have the heart because this work requires long hours. I do feel more at ease now that I can leave things in the hands of the next generation.
"Out of my four sons, he is the only one with this interest. He is suited because he can keep his cool," he said in Mandarin.
When The New Paper visited the home, we observed that Mr Then Kim Yuan had a way with the elderly residents.
For example, some of them can feel stressed and start shouting when they are taken for a bath.
Mr Then would coax and joke with them, but still be firm so that they would cooperate with the staff.
He has also made important changes to run the home more systematically.
He said: "Our fathers had so many things to attend to - they ended up having to hold everything together and could not take any breaks.
"We are not making things rigid, we just want to ensure order, so that if we are not around for whatever reason, things will not fall apart."
Not that he plans to be absent - on the contrary, he is so dedicated that even though he lives in Serangoon, he would often do spot-checks in the middle of the night to make sure all the residents are fine.
He is always on call and even if he is out with friends, he has to rush back to the home when emergencies arise, which happens about once a week on average.
While he did not have formal training, he learnt on the job through a hands-on approach, working with the staff, many of whom are experienced nurses.
He said: "My grandmother, who died when I was six, was a nurse herself. I didn't know her that well but I remember she would sit at the corridor outside the office and everyone would report to her."
Strict but compassionate
She was strict but at the same time, very compassionate, said her second son Mr Then Mun Wah.
"She would help those who couldn't pay and say 'never mind'. My mother has left us a legacy and we want to carry on to serve people and their families," said Mr Then, who only recently took a vacation after more than 20 years of working at the home, seven days a week from 6.30am to 7pm or 8 pm.
He used to build oil rigs, but he quit to help with the home when it moved to Thomson as the number of patients had increased with the larger premises.
"I was paid about the same at the home as my previous job because I had a family to support, but the hours were much longer. I would work even during Chinese New Year," he said.
His son, Mr Aaron Then, probably caught the passion from his father and uncle's dedication.
He studied dance at La Salle, but since he started working at the home full-time three months ago, he can see himself doing it for the rest of his life.
When asked if he regrets not joining the workforce, he said: "No, I am very attached to this home. Whenever I came here as a child, my dad would take me to the wards and introduce me to the residents there. I have a soft spot for them.
"I aspire to be as dedicated as my dad and uncle."
This article was first published in The New Paper.
By Teh Jen Lee
The New Paper
Wednesday, Dec 21, 2011
They grew up playing along the corridors of the Lee Ah Mooi Old Age Home, which was named after their late grandmother, who started it in1963.
Today, the grandsons of philanthropist Lee Ah Mooi, Mr Then Kim Yuan, 25, and Mr Aaron Then, 23, are helping to manage the home at Thomson Lane, taking over from their fathers, Mr Then Mun Tat, 60, and Mr Then Mun Wah, 62.
While not many people their age would consider a career in caring for old folks, the cousins show a deep commitment to the place they consider their childhood playground.
Just as their fathers helped move the home to Thomson from Jalan Kayu in 1982 because the Seletar Expressway was being built, they may also have to do the same as the home sits on state land that will be affected by the new North South Expressway.
The home is appealing against relocation and will discuss alternatives with the authorities, who are concerned that the noise and air pollution from the road construction might affect the health of the home residents, who number over 110.
The home caters to the sandwich-class elderly - those who do not qualify for government homes, but who cannot afford the more expensive private establishments.
Mr Then Kim Yuan, who graduated from the National University of Singapore in July with a history major, has been involved in running the home since 2007.
"My father asked me to help after I finished my NS, so while I was at NUS, I worked part-time. "Even then, it was like full-time as I would come to the home four to five times a week. I do HR, PR, ops, counselling for patients or family, basically pao ka leow (Hokkien for "do everything")," he said with a smile.
He added that he has never felt pressured to work at the home, which pays less than 50 per cent of what his peers get in other jobs.
"I have always wanted to get into this line, I don't know why. Maybe because I have been interacting with the old folks here since young," he said.
His father, Mr Then Mun Tat, said his third son has a suitable temperament to care for the elderly.
"You must have the heart because this work requires long hours. I do feel more at ease now that I can leave things in the hands of the next generation.
"Out of my four sons, he is the only one with this interest. He is suited because he can keep his cool," he said in Mandarin.
When The New Paper visited the home, we observed that Mr Then Kim Yuan had a way with the elderly residents.
For example, some of them can feel stressed and start shouting when they are taken for a bath.
Mr Then would coax and joke with them, but still be firm so that they would cooperate with the staff.
He has also made important changes to run the home more systematically.
He said: "Our fathers had so many things to attend to - they ended up having to hold everything together and could not take any breaks.
"We are not making things rigid, we just want to ensure order, so that if we are not around for whatever reason, things will not fall apart."
Not that he plans to be absent - on the contrary, he is so dedicated that even though he lives in Serangoon, he would often do spot-checks in the middle of the night to make sure all the residents are fine.
He is always on call and even if he is out with friends, he has to rush back to the home when emergencies arise, which happens about once a week on average.
While he did not have formal training, he learnt on the job through a hands-on approach, working with the staff, many of whom are experienced nurses.
He said: "My grandmother, who died when I was six, was a nurse herself. I didn't know her that well but I remember she would sit at the corridor outside the office and everyone would report to her."
Strict but compassionate
She was strict but at the same time, very compassionate, said her second son Mr Then Mun Wah.
"She would help those who couldn't pay and say 'never mind'. My mother has left us a legacy and we want to carry on to serve people and their families," said Mr Then, who only recently took a vacation after more than 20 years of working at the home, seven days a week from 6.30am to 7pm or 8 pm.
He used to build oil rigs, but he quit to help with the home when it moved to Thomson as the number of patients had increased with the larger premises.
"I was paid about the same at the home as my previous job because I had a family to support, but the hours were much longer. I would work even during Chinese New Year," he said.
His son, Mr Aaron Then, probably caught the passion from his father and uncle's dedication.
He studied dance at La Salle, but since he started working at the home full-time three months ago, he can see himself doing it for the rest of his life.
When asked if he regrets not joining the workforce, he said: "No, I am very attached to this home. Whenever I came here as a child, my dad would take me to the wards and introduce me to the residents there. I have a soft spot for them.
"I aspire to be as dedicated as my dad and uncle."
This article was first published in The New Paper.
