The six seniors in the room either had dementia or mild cognitive impairment, with symptoms such as fragmented memories, some difficulty finding the right words, and occasional confusion. They were residents at Ren Ci’s nursing home at Bukit Batok Street 52, where they received nursing care.
But this particular day in 2019 was different. They gathered to look at a series of black-and-white pictures – Singapore’s merger with Malaysia, the country’s first National Day Parade, and a burning kampung.
It was this last image that set off a flood of memories for a resident. He picked up the photograph and said quietly: “This is the Bukit Ho Swee fire. I was there. I was a firefighter.”
All of a sudden, the tall elderly man sitting in his chair
Everyone listened with rapt attention and the room soon came alive.
Another man was a resident of the village at that time and talked about how he found his home burning. Yet another was from a neighbouring kampung and had brought a pail of water to fight the flames.
Social workers showing persons living with dementia photos to help reignite significant memories. (Photo: Ren Ci Hospital)
“As they shared, their memories began to weave together into a collective story of resilience and survival. In that moment, they were no longer defined by their condition – they were storytellers, witnesses and survivors,” said senior medical social worker Nur Sahara Kamsani, who facilitated the session.
One reason dementia is so painful for patients and caregivers is that it gradually erodes memory, identity and the shared experiences that shape relationships.
While traditional dementia care usually centres around making sure patients take their medication and meeting their physical needs, this is not enough – socio-emotional needs are also important, stressed Sahara.
The 38-year-old Singaporean runs Re2ignite – Ren Ci Hospital’s psychosocial programme for persons living with dementia and their care partners – with two colleagues, medical social workers Siti Aisyah Ismail and Louisa Bielig. It is tailored for persons in various stages of dementia, from early to advanced and palliative care patients.
Siti Aisyah Ismail (first from left), Nur Sahara Kamsani (second from left) and Louisa Bielig (far right) receiving the Outstanding Social Work Award 2026 by the Singapore Association of Social Workers from Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli (third from left). (Photo: Singapore Association of Social Workers)
In March 2026, the three women won the Outstanding Social Work Award by the Singapore Association of Social Workers.
“Caregivers often say that persons living with dementia are acting like children,” said Bielig. That is a really big misconception, said the 32-year-old, a German national and Singapore permanent resident.
“They may show certain dysregulated behaviour reminiscent of children, but they have a fully formed identity. They’ve lived a whole life, collected so many memories and have so much wisdom,” she reflected.
However, they may not have many opportunities to have their stories heard. As these memories may be fragmented and contain some inaccuracies, “people think that these stories may not be true, or are not the full story”, Sahara said.
To help preserve connection, Sahara, along with her head of department and a nurse clinician came up with the Re2ignite programme in 2019.
Nur Sahara Kamsani facilitating a graduation ceremony for persons living with dementia, their caregivers and family members in 2019. (Photo: Ren Ci Hospital)
It is currently run by Sahara and Aisyah at Ren Ci’s three nursing homes. Each programme comprises eight to 10 sessions followed by a graduation outing, or simulated outing for residents who are unable to leave the nursing home.
Bielig runs the programme at Ren Ci’s Senior Care Centre and Day Rehabilitation Centre for seniors living in the community.
For early-stage dementia, social workers use images, symbols, music and food to ignite conversation, like the session that led residents to recall the Bukit Ho Swee fire.
Food, particularly chicken curry, tends to elicit strong memories and get conversation flowing, said 35-year-old Aisyah. It conjures up memories about cooking, kampung life, being a delivery boy for their mother when she cooked, and where they went to school, she added.
The facilitators capture these stories and share them with colleagues and family members during the graduation outing, leaving many family members in awe.
As dementia progresses to later stages, people may gradually lose not just memories, but also the ability to articulate them clearly.
Many assume that these individuals lose the ability to connect as a result. “It’s unfortunate they are unable to see that beautiful soul inside (persons living with dementia),” Aisyah said.
A sensory stimulation session featuring calming underwater visuals, meditation music and the scent of ocean breeze for persons living with advanced dementia, many of whom are bedbound and communicate non-verbally. (Photo: Ren Ci Hospital)
There are other ways to ignite fond memories and spark connection, she told CNA Women.
Re2ignite engages individuals with moderate dementia with art therapy such as creating a self-portrait or painting a mask, and those with advanced dementia with music, scent, sensory massage, as well as video, images and items reflecting the week’s theme, such as travel or childhood toys.
Bielig recalled how a bedridden woman with advanced dementia who had not spoken a word in two months during their sessions together shocked everyone by suddenly saying that she went to Hong Kong.
Another woman who used to be a piano teacher even managed to play the piano again with some hand-over-hand support, Bielig recalled. “Nobody thought it would be possible because she usually doesn’t move at all and has a very limited field of vision.”
Indeed, even those with advanced dementia who cannot speak can express themselves through facial gestures, eye movements or slight movements of their hands, Bielig added.
For Sahara, one of the best parts of the job is witnessing residents do things nobody thought they could do again. “When we share these stories, it is very rewarding to witness the new hope in family members, especially for people with end-stage dementia,” she said.
Sometimes, family members are so inspired after the sharing session that they also learn to engage their loved ones through non-verbal gestures, Sahara said.
When memory fades and words fail, what is important “is the feeling that we leave our loved ones with – they might not remember our name or who we are, but they still can feel”, she added.
Both Sahara and Bielig were inspired by their personal experiences to begin their journey in caring for persons living with dementia.
When Sahara was in the early 20s, her mother, who had heart issues and diabetes, suddenly experienced memory loss for a few weeks before she died from a stroke.
“Witnessing memory loss in my late mother was an emotional roller coaster,” says Sahara. (Photo: Nur Sahara Kamsani)
“She suddenly ‘remembered’ that she had only one child, when there are actually four of us. She only looked for one of my siblings, even though the rest of us were there too,” Sahara said.
“That was my first time witnessing memory loss. I felt worried and scared – was I losing her, although she’s physically there? Why didn’t she remember me? Did I do anything wrong? There was a lot of self-blame.”
The experience helped Sahara empathise with the caregivers of persons living with dementia, who go through a much longer and more difficult journey.
Bielig’s early experience with dementia was very different. Growing up in a small village in Germany, she spent much of her childhood at a neighbour’s place, caring for her neighbour’s mother, whom she called oma (grandmother in German).
As a child, Bielig cared for her neighbour’s mother who had dementia, and it gave her a sense of purpose. (Photo: Louisa Bielig)
“Oma (in this picture) and I had a very lovely relationship until she passed on a few years later,” says Bielig. (Photo: Louisa Bielig)
“Although I didn’t know what dementia was then, when I went over, part of my job would be to make sure that she drank her water, and to put lotion on her bug bites to make it itch less.
“In exchange, I would get to ride on her lap where she’d go up and down with her legs like a horse,” laughed Bielig.
This “happy early childhood memory” created a very early connection with a person living with dementia, she reflected.
Bielig has since taken care of many grandmothers and grandfathers living with dementia. Although she admitted that witnessing their gradual physical and cognitive decline has an emotional impact on her, she also finds the job immensely rewarding.
“After witnessing the long, rich histories of the people I’ve cared for, I’ve gained a very different kind of perspective on life – how it moves, how seasons come and go, and how relationships ebb and wane. And it has made me more grounded and settled in myself as a person,” she said.
Sahara added that the job has inspired her to be more present with her loved ones.
“We all are busy in our daily lives. We are all hustling. But I take the opportunity to talk to my loved ones whenever I can, as much as I can, rather than wait till they fall sick or something happens.
“It’s about just preserving whatever memory that you have as early as you can and finding opportunities to connect genuinely as much as we can,” she said.
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
Continue reading...
But this particular day in 2019 was different. They gathered to look at a series of black-and-white pictures – Singapore’s merger with Malaysia, the country’s first National Day Parade, and a burning kampung.
It was this last image that set off a flood of memories for a resident. He picked up the photograph and said quietly: “This is the Bukit Ho Swee fire. I was there. I was a firefighter.”
All of a sudden, the tall elderly man sitting in his chair
Everyone listened with rapt attention and the room soon came alive.
Another man was a resident of the village at that time and talked about how he found his home burning. Yet another was from a neighbouring kampung and had brought a pail of water to fight the flames.
Social workers showing persons living with dementia photos to help reignite significant memories. (Photo: Ren Ci Hospital)
“As they shared, their memories began to weave together into a collective story of resilience and survival. In that moment, they were no longer defined by their condition – they were storytellers, witnesses and survivors,” said senior medical social worker Nur Sahara Kamsani, who facilitated the session.
One reason dementia is so painful for patients and caregivers is that it gradually erodes memory, identity and the shared experiences that shape relationships.
While traditional dementia care usually centres around making sure patients take their medication and meeting their physical needs, this is not enough – socio-emotional needs are also important, stressed Sahara.
The 38-year-old Singaporean runs Re2ignite – Ren Ci Hospital’s psychosocial programme for persons living with dementia and their care partners – with two colleagues, medical social workers Siti Aisyah Ismail and Louisa Bielig. It is tailored for persons in various stages of dementia, from early to advanced and palliative care patients.
Siti Aisyah Ismail (first from left), Nur Sahara Kamsani (second from left) and Louisa Bielig (far right) receiving the Outstanding Social Work Award 2026 by the Singapore Association of Social Workers from Minister for Social and Family Development Masagos Zulkifli (third from left). (Photo: Singapore Association of Social Workers)
In March 2026, the three women won the Outstanding Social Work Award by the Singapore Association of Social Workers.
BRING BACK MEMORIES
“Caregivers often say that persons living with dementia are acting like children,” said Bielig. That is a really big misconception, said the 32-year-old, a German national and Singapore permanent resident.
“They may show certain dysregulated behaviour reminiscent of children, but they have a fully formed identity. They’ve lived a whole life, collected so many memories and have so much wisdom,” she reflected.
However, they may not have many opportunities to have their stories heard. As these memories may be fragmented and contain some inaccuracies, “people think that these stories may not be true, or are not the full story”, Sahara said.
To help preserve connection, Sahara, along with her head of department and a nurse clinician came up with the Re2ignite programme in 2019.
Nur Sahara Kamsani facilitating a graduation ceremony for persons living with dementia, their caregivers and family members in 2019. (Photo: Ren Ci Hospital)
It is currently run by Sahara and Aisyah at Ren Ci’s three nursing homes. Each programme comprises eight to 10 sessions followed by a graduation outing, or simulated outing for residents who are unable to leave the nursing home.
Bielig runs the programme at Ren Ci’s Senior Care Centre and Day Rehabilitation Centre for seniors living in the community.
For early-stage dementia, social workers use images, symbols, music and food to ignite conversation, like the session that led residents to recall the Bukit Ho Swee fire.
Food, particularly chicken curry, tends to elicit strong memories and get conversation flowing, said 35-year-old Aisyah. It conjures up memories about cooking, kampung life, being a delivery boy for their mother when she cooked, and where they went to school, she added.
The facilitators capture these stories and share them with colleagues and family members during the graduation outing, leaving many family members in awe.
WHEN MEMORIES AND WORDS FAIL
As dementia progresses to later stages, people may gradually lose not just memories, but also the ability to articulate them clearly.
Many assume that these individuals lose the ability to connect as a result. “It’s unfortunate they are unable to see that beautiful soul inside (persons living with dementia),” Aisyah said.
A sensory stimulation session featuring calming underwater visuals, meditation music and the scent of ocean breeze for persons living with advanced dementia, many of whom are bedbound and communicate non-verbally. (Photo: Ren Ci Hospital)
There are other ways to ignite fond memories and spark connection, she told CNA Women.
Re2ignite engages individuals with moderate dementia with art therapy such as creating a self-portrait or painting a mask, and those with advanced dementia with music, scent, sensory massage, as well as video, images and items reflecting the week’s theme, such as travel or childhood toys.
Bielig recalled how a bedridden woman with advanced dementia who had not spoken a word in two months during their sessions together shocked everyone by suddenly saying that she went to Hong Kong.
Another woman who used to be a piano teacher even managed to play the piano again with some hand-over-hand support, Bielig recalled. “Nobody thought it would be possible because she usually doesn’t move at all and has a very limited field of vision.”
Indeed, even those with advanced dementia who cannot speak can express themselves through facial gestures, eye movements or slight movements of their hands, Bielig added.
For Sahara, one of the best parts of the job is witnessing residents do things nobody thought they could do again. “When we share these stories, it is very rewarding to witness the new hope in family members, especially for people with end-stage dementia,” she said.
Sometimes, family members are so inspired after the sharing session that they also learn to engage their loved ones through non-verbal gestures, Sahara said.
When memory fades and words fail, what is important “is the feeling that we leave our loved ones with – they might not remember our name or who we are, but they still can feel”, she added.
THE STORIES THAT SHAPED THEM
Both Sahara and Bielig were inspired by their personal experiences to begin their journey in caring for persons living with dementia.
When Sahara was in the early 20s, her mother, who had heart issues and diabetes, suddenly experienced memory loss for a few weeks before she died from a stroke.
“Witnessing memory loss in my late mother was an emotional roller coaster,” says Sahara. (Photo: Nur Sahara Kamsani)
“She suddenly ‘remembered’ that she had only one child, when there are actually four of us. She only looked for one of my siblings, even though the rest of us were there too,” Sahara said.
“That was my first time witnessing memory loss. I felt worried and scared – was I losing her, although she’s physically there? Why didn’t she remember me? Did I do anything wrong? There was a lot of self-blame.”
The experience helped Sahara empathise with the caregivers of persons living with dementia, who go through a much longer and more difficult journey.
Bielig’s early experience with dementia was very different. Growing up in a small village in Germany, she spent much of her childhood at a neighbour’s place, caring for her neighbour’s mother, whom she called oma (grandmother in German).
As a child, Bielig cared for her neighbour’s mother who had dementia, and it gave her a sense of purpose. (Photo: Louisa Bielig)
“Oma (in this picture) and I had a very lovely relationship until she passed on a few years later,” says Bielig. (Photo: Louisa Bielig)
“Although I didn’t know what dementia was then, when I went over, part of my job would be to make sure that she drank her water, and to put lotion on her bug bites to make it itch less.
“In exchange, I would get to ride on her lap where she’d go up and down with her legs like a horse,” laughed Bielig.
This “happy early childhood memory” created a very early connection with a person living with dementia, she reflected.
Bielig has since taken care of many grandmothers and grandfathers living with dementia. Although she admitted that witnessing their gradual physical and cognitive decline has an emotional impact on her, she also finds the job immensely rewarding.
“After witnessing the long, rich histories of the people I’ve cared for, I’ve gained a very different kind of perspective on life – how it moves, how seasons come and go, and how relationships ebb and wane. And it has made me more grounded and settled in myself as a person,” she said.
Sahara added that the job has inspired her to be more present with her loved ones.
“We all are busy in our daily lives. We are all hustling. But I take the opportunity to talk to my loved ones whenever I can, as much as I can, rather than wait till they fall sick or something happens.
“It’s about just preserving whatever memory that you have as early as you can and finding opportunities to connect genuinely as much as we can,” she said.
CNA Women is a section on CNA Lifestyle that seeks to inform, empower and inspire the modern woman. If you have women-related news, issues and ideas to share with us, email CNAWomen [at] mediacorp.com.sg.
Continue reading...