“It is a very effective and meaningful way to volunteer; it’s like taking care of our parents.” Volunteer medical escorts from BridgeAble echoed similar sentiments on what keeps them going. BridgeAble was founded by Shobha, Ramya and Damayanti with the aim to help non-profit organisations by bringing like-minded individuals to participate in volunteering and philanthropic programmes.

Tapping on each other’s strengths and networks, the SG Cares Volunteer Centre (VC) @ Bedok, operated by Filos, and Bridgeable have been able to amplify their outreach to the community through the SG Cares-BridgeAble Medical Escort Programme that started in May 2021.

A journey with a volunteer medical escort typically takes about 4 hours and begins with the volunteer meeting the beneficiary and heading to the appointment together. Assisting beneficiaries with the necessary administrative procedures and accompanying them into the doctor’s room, where required, are part and parcel of the role. Volunteers will also send the beneficiaries home and share important follow-up information with the social workers thereafter.

Undaunted by the language barrier, volunteers from BridgeAble have been able to persevere and form meaningful connections with our senior clients. Humbled and enriched from the experience, Shobha encourages any other groups looking to volunteer regularly to dive right in, “Volunteering gives you the opportunity to create impact that can become an important part of your life’s work, and that experience is likely to stay with you forever.”

Potential volunteers who wish to collaborate with Filos / SG Cares VC @ Bedok are welcome to write in to volunteer@filos.sg!