SINGAPORE \u2013 Moonlit walks by East Coast Park and months-long overseas trips were what Madam Helene Ong, 76, thought retirement life with her husband David Tan, 77, would look like.<\/p>\n
But they had to swop the beach strolls for medical appointments and holiday travels for hospital stays, after Mr Tan suffered a stroke in January 2025.<\/p>\n
The stress of caregiving caused Madam Ong to lose 6kg over three months. She struggled to breathe, cried constantly, and cancelled gatherings with friends.<\/p>\n
Seeing her husband of 50 years \u2013 a former operations manager at a petrol company and avid football player \u2013 lose his ability to walk added to her grief.<\/p>\n
\u201cUntil today, I still feel very sorry for him. Why is he like that? That\u2019s why I find ways and means to nurse him better,\u201d said Madam Ong, tearing up in an interview with The Straits Times.<\/p>\n Madam Helene Ong and her husband David Tan, grandparents of six, have been married for 50 years.<\/p>\n PHOTO: COURTESY OF MADAM HELENE ONG<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The needs of caregivers for seniors in Singapore have grown<\/span><\/a> with an ageing population, with many now being older adults themselves, like Madam Ong.<\/p>\n She received support in November 2025 from TOUCH Community Services\u2019 caregiver support group after she took her husband to its active ageing centre TOUCHpoint@AMK 433 at Ang Mo Kio.<\/p>\n TOUCH Community Services\u2019 latest initiative, Carer TORCH, received a recent boost in funding from the Income OrangeAid Caregiver Support Accelerator Grant, so it can support over 300 caregivers \u2013 up from about 40 caregivers it currently serves.<\/p>\n Carer TORCH was one of 10 proposals awarded the grant on March 10,<\/span><\/a> which supports caregiver-focused initiatives from social service agencies, such as support groups and respite care.<\/p>\n Each agency will be given up to $500,000 over three years to fund a long-term programme for caregivers \u2013 a much-needed boost as there is currently not much funding for such initiatives, said grantees.<\/p>\n Hearing stories from fellow caregivers helped Madam Ong feel she was not alone. <\/p>\n<\/picture><\/div>