Caring for the community
Students involved in the NUS Community Advancement with Research and Education Synergies (NUS CARES) initiative shared the outcomes of their projects at an appreciation tea on 19 August 2016. The event was graced by Mayor of the Central Singapore Community Development Council (CDC) Denise Phua as well as the community partners involved in the different projects.
In 2015, as part of NUS’ 110th anniversary celebrations, the University launched the NUS CARES initiative. This initiative involved different groups of students partnering with various entities, leveraging the University’s research and academic expertise to identify and seek solutions to persistent problems in the community. More than just looking at volunteerism, NUS CARES hopes to build itself as a sustainable community advancement platform.
The three projects are Understanding Frequent Admitters, in partnership with National University Health System; Social Return on Investment (SROI) for Medical Society’s Neighbourhood Health Screening (NHS) Programmes, in partnership with NUS Medical Society (MedSoc); and Wheelchair Project for Mobility Assistance, in partnership with CDC.
Understanding Frequent Admitters involved researchers and students from the Saw Swee Hock School of Public Health, NUS Business School and the Department of Social Work, NUS Arts and Social Sciences. Twenty-eight interviews with patients, caregivers and healthcare and community service providers were conducted to identify psychosocial, behavioural and environmental factors that contribute to frequent readmission to hospitals. A total of 12 contributing factors were obtained, including lack of social support, undesirable home conditions and accessibility to care. Some recommendations to reduce frequent readmissions were suggested, such as a 24/7 frequent admitters hotline, ward nurse home visits, and early health education.
Mayer Tung from NUS Business School presenting the findings from the Understanding Frequent Admitters project
“It’s very different [from other community projects I’ve been involved in],” said Fam Hui Wen, a recent graduate from NUS Business School and a member of the Understanding Frequent Admitters team. “What we are doing here is more macro because we are working with NUHS, the regional system. We get to see things from a more macro perspective.”
The NHS programmes, initiated by MedSoc, provide free health screenings and follow-ups to the low income elderly in selected housing estates in a 5-year cycle. Students from the Chua Thian Poh Community Leadership Programme partnered MedSoc to assess the impact of these programmes against the resources invested. The SROI ratio obtained for a 5-year cycle per estate was found to be $2.29 worth of value for every $1 investment. This analysis also allowed MedSoc to identify areas where the programme could be updated, such as printing health booklets to reduce language barrier issues.
The team that worked on the Understanding Social ROI for MedSoc's NHS with Prof Tan (centre) and Prof Lawrence Ho, chairperson of NUS CARES (far right)
The third project, Wheelchair Project for Mobility Assistance, addressed the mobility difficulties elderly wheelchair bound residents face, such as high cost, lack of spare parts, and lack of strength to handle manual wheelchairs. Observations on daily activities as well as interviews with the elderly were conducted by students from NUS Engineering’s Design-Centric Programme and NUS Arts and Social Sciences. Feedback was also gathered from various sources, including wheelchair vendors and government agencies. The study resulted in the development of a power add-on module — a battery-powered unit that when attached to a manual wheelchair, provides it with enough power to function as a motorised wheelchair. This can offer a more permanent motorised solution for manual wheelchair users who cannot afford full-size motorised wheelchairs.
“What I really like is that it’s not just a generic project,” Ms Phua said. “It’s something that to me, utilises engineering expertise, which I think NUS is known for. So we’re really very grateful. The project doesn’t end here, we’re trying to see if the team can bring it to the next level…work with industrial engineers and try to make it scalable and applicable for people who are in the same situation.”
Prof Tan and Ms Phua mingling with some of the guests at the appreciation tea
Click here to find out more about NUS CARES.
