11 September 2020 – A visit was made to Ti-Ratana, Sri Petaling under The IMU Cares Help Ti-Ratana Residents Project 2020 with the theme Mental Health and Wellness, the fourth visit to Ti-Ratana homes under this project. Activities for this visit were conducted for senior gentlemen and are similar to the activities that were carried out for the golden ladies on a visit on 26 August.
| Activities | |
|---|---|
| Sunlight and Exercise Therapy | This theraphy consisted of light exercises and being in the sunlight to increase serotonin and Vitamin D levels. |
| Art Therapy | A task- oriented team activity where residents were divided into four groups. Each group were required to draw according to the theme of “House, People, Malaysian Flag”. |
| Music and Singing Therapy | The last activity was to improve social support, increase positive emotions as well as reduce fatigue and stress. |
The whole programme was headed by Tan Seew Geek (Nursing). The Mental Health project was led by Dr Juliet Mathew with the assistance of staff from Nursing (Tan Seew Geek, Chow Suh Hing, Tan Woei Leng), Community Medicine (Prof Adlina Suleiman) and Counseling Unit, Student Services (Mrs Phoong aka Madam Tan Keat Hoon) at Ti-Ratana, Sri Petaling. They were joined by two IMU students (Yashini and Taneswary). 
This interprofessional interracial collaboration among Schools in IMU had the objective of creating a routine positive mental health environment through basic tasks and exercise for the residents and for the IMU staff to learn how to deliver basic tasks and exercise programmes to encourage positive mental health. The residents enjoyed each activity that they participated in, after which they were given a vegetarian snack to enjoy. A feedback form was distributed at the end of the event which was analysed and the findings showed that:
| Activities | Enjoyed the session | The session was alright | Did not like the session much |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sunlight and Exercise Therapy | 69% | 28% | 3% |
| Art Therapy | 72% | 19% | 9% |
| Music and Singing Therapy | 72% | 22% | 6% |
As to the mental status of the residents, the findings are:
| Item | Most of the time | Sometimes | Less times |
|---|---|---|---|
| Have you been a very nervous person? | 14(44%) | 13(41%) | 5(15%) |
| Do you feel calm and peaceful? | 5(15%) | 8(25%) | 19 (60%) |
| Do you feel downhearted and blue? | 10(31%) | 15(47%) | 7(22%) |
| Were you a happy person? | 8 (25%) | 3 (9%) | 21 (66%) |
| Do you feel so down in the dumps that nothing could cheer you up? | 17(53%) | 8(25%) | 7(22%) |
The results show that most of the residents feel nervous, downhearted and sad. The majority also find that they have not felt calm, peaceful nor happy.
It is noted that the elderly residents are unhappy and feeling down mainly due to the lack of activities and purposeful occupational therapy for the residents as a result of the conferment imposed by the management of Ti-Ratana. More needs to be done to alleviate the mental status of these senior residents of Ti-Ratana and it is hoped that a more structured and continuous plan can be developed to help them.
ROLE AND RESPONSIBILTY OF TEAM MEMBERS (IMU Cares Help Ti-Ratana Residents Project 2020) 4th Visit (Male Residents) : 11 September 2020
| Project Member | Department/School | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Tan Seew Geek | Nursing / School of Health Sciences | Overall Programme Leader – In charge of activities, pre visit checklist, arranging for transportation and reporting on activities. |
| Dr Juliet Mathew | Medical /Clinical Skills / School of Medicine | Project Leader – In charge of light exercise, drawing competition, outcome report, prizes for art competition |
| ProAdlina Suleiman | Community Medicine | Team member – Involved in light exercise activities, In charge of singing activity, food ordering, feedback survey data analysis, report writing. |
| Mrs Phoong aka Madam Tan Keat Hoon | Student Counsellor | Overseeing the smooth flow of activities and translator |
| Chow Suh Hing | Nursing / School of Health Sciences | Translator and collect data for outcome survey |
| Tan Woei Leng | Nursing / School of Health Sciences | Translator and collect data for outcome survey |
| Nurazlina Bt Md Noor | Nursing / School of Health Sciences | Translator and collect data for outcome survey |
| Student 1: Yashini | – | Help in arrangement for drawing competition and feedback report |
| Student 2: Thaneswary | – | Help in arrangement for drawing competition and feedback report |
Related article: Inter-professional Collaboration Helps to Improve Ti-ratana Residents’ Mental Health and Wellness
Written by Prof Adlina Suleiman
