Vedina Goyena first joined as a nursing aide at the Red Cross Home for the Disabled (RCHD) in 2004. Now, as a Senior Nursing Aide, she shares the challenges faced, how she overcame them and the satisfaction she has gained in her career.

"The happiness and radiant smiles of the residents give me the greatest satisfaction!" said Vedina Goyena, 39, a Senior Nursing Aide at Red Cross Home for Disabled (RCHD).

After working as a private nurse in the Philippines, Vedina made a life-changing decision to relocate and join the Singapore Red Cross' RCHD in 2004. Embracing passion, compassion and professionalism, Vedina first joined RCHD as a Nursing Aide, where she attended to the residents' daily needs. 

Vedina naturally faced challenges in her career. She acknowledged that it was particularly challenging at the onset as she empathised with the residents' conditions. However, she later gleaned a different perspective when she observed that despite such conditions, the residents often smiled and were grateful despite being differently abled. This made her more appreciative of the blessings in her life and reaffirmed her purpose. Another challenge was the language barrier, which made it challenging to meet their needs. She subsequently overcame through experience, by observing the residents' emotions and needs over time.

Over the years, she has since been promoted to Senior Nursing Aide. Her responsibilities include leading her team of nursing aides in her ward, dispensing timely medication to the residents, scheduling the employee roster, and caring for the residents’ Activities of Daily Living (ADL). 

Sailing strongly together through COVID-19  

Besides the challenges mentioned earlier, Vedina shared that the COVID-19 pandemic presented unprecedented challenges that radically transformed her work. Residents could not connect with their families physically. Her team did their utmost to connect the residents with their families digitally while caring for, protecting and ensuring the happiness and well-being of the residents. Residents were split into different zones to stave off the spread of COVID-19. Her team took on the challenges in their stride and soldiered on by making several adjustments in their day-to-day workflow and even curtailed outings on their day off to protect vulnerable residents.

Just as we all crave the comfort and love of our family, so did Vedina, who could not travel to meet her family since the onset of the COVID-19 outbreak. She was also afraid that she might inadvertently jeopardise the health of her family, colleagues, and the residents at RCHD. She turned to religion and prayer, which brought her solace and hope. In her free time, she would connect with her 10-year-old son through video calls and share with him the situation at RCHD and the importance of her work so he could better understand her rationale for not being able to return home. 

Caring for our residents brings bliss 

Nevertheless, she cherishes her interactions with the residents every day. These memories are held close to her heart.

“Whenever I see them smiling, it makes me happy. I feel great no matter how tired I am. These memories are worth cherishing forever!" she quipped.

Vedina further explains that she goes beyond her role as a caregiver of the residents. By showering them with love, care and support, Vedina makes the residents feel they are part of the Red Cross family. She would crack jokes to entertain them. Witnessing their smiles and laughter gives her a sense of fulfilment. Every morning, she looks forward to her duties with a positive mindset. 

“I feel energetic. I love my job and our residents. Every day is exciting!" she says while counting her blessings in life with gratitude.

Helpful and supportive colleagues

Vedina is grateful for her helpful and supportive colleagues who make the work more smooth-sailing.

"I am very grateful to my colleagues for bringing hope, joy and laughter to the residents. They have made a difference in the lives of our residents," she says.

She believes that passion will enable people to overcome the roadblocks in their careers. 

“When you love your career and adopt a positive mindset, you will overcome the challenges that come your way," she says. 

She also hopes that RCHD will garner more support to continue providing residents with professional care and engaging them in activities that enhance their social, emotional and physical well-being. 

Vedina summed it up best when she said, “If you are open-minded, dedicated and have the willing heart to help, you will succeed in your career. If you want to make a difference in the lives of others, especially those in need, join our team as an employee, member or volunteer. By working or volunteering with us, you will learn to appreciate life and its many blessings!”

By Aashish Sharma, Volunteer
Copyedited by Ruth Lee, Volunteer