My first Magazine St Joseph's Home_40th Anniversary magazine.compres | Page 16

Serving with
Nothing
In 2003, the home
added a new wing - the St
Magdalene Centre which
housed the rehabilitation
unit on the ground floor,
conference room on the
second, staff quarters
on the third and training
rooms on the fourth. At
the opening ceremony
which also marked the
25th anniversary of the home,
the late former President Wee
Kim Wee shared the story of how
he visited his former teacher Ms
Ruth Mosbergen regularly for
she was like his second mother
to him, shaping his perspectives
during his formative years. At this
point, the residents who came in
were frailer and less independent
than before. The annual pageants
became impossible and naturally,
broadway dancing.
his
Wee with
nt Wee Kim
a
e
s
d
a
si
w
re
o
P
h
r
rme
en w
The late fo er Ms Ruth Mosberg
e
h
m
c
h’s Ho
former tea
t St Josep
resident a
St Magdalene Cent
re which housed th
e rehabilitation sp
the ground floor an
ace on
d staff quarters an
d training rooms ab
ove
By this time, the population
was already ageing rapidly and
the government placed urgent
emphasis on the need to look
after a new cohort of seniors - the
baby boomers. Institutional care
was still a last resort, with the
family and community being the
first preferred line of defence in
the care of elders. But with more
people ageing everyday, there
was also a need to expand the
current facilities.
Mural painting by Sr Janet Wang
14 | St Joseph’s Home