A collaboration between CAL, Agency of Integrated Care and Nanyang Academic of Fine Arts
In the last quarter of 2020, CAL had the opportunity for outreach and to share about mental illness and caregiving with a group of youths. In collaboration with AIC, CAL was invited to address Year 2 students from NAFA’s Graphic Communication course who were embarking on a module titled "Issues in Society" which focused on "Health and Mental Wellbeing", and for which they had to produce a video.
During the online sharing session, Evelyn Chng, CAL’s Programme Manager/Team Lead, provided insights into what it is like caring for her mother who has been diagnosed with dementia. It was an excellent platform for the students to ask questions about the condition as well as the personal challenges of caregiving.
Video 1: The Beauty of Caregiving
Evelyn and another caregiver, Mr Richard Ashworth who cares for his father, then opened their homes to the students for filming. The students were visibly touched to observe the loving and caring interactions between the caregivers and their loved ones.
Video 2: Dementia: Expectation vs Reality
AIC’s Ms Penny Chua said, “This collaboration is in line with AIC’s outreach programme to raise awareness of aging and dementia through our intergeneration programme with schools and tertiary institutions. The students’ final submissions were a great source which can be leveraged for public education purposes. With NAFA’s support, some of the videos and infographics they produced were shortlisted by AIC and CAL for further sharing. Overall, it has been a great learning and working experience for everyone involved in this partnership. We look forward to future collaboration opportunities.”
Video 3: From a Caregiver’s Perspective
Mr Abraham Lim, Lecturer of Design and Media Programme from NAFA’s School of Art and Design, added that, “This partnership with AIC and CAL has been extremely meaningful for our (NAFA) students, whose learning experiences have been greatly enriched by the sharing sessions by CAL staff and caregivers, and who witnessed for themselves the part that design can play in social innovation and transformation."