CWS Home of Peace: Home for the elderly needs your support

By Ivy Chai

The Home of Peace located at Jalan Landeh 10th Mile, Kota Padawan, is a Home for the elderly built by the Catholic Welfare Services Council Sarawak (CWS). The Home is managed by the Sisters of St Francis of Sarawak (SSFS).

Home of Peace was established in 2009 as a Home for the poor and destitute irrespective of race, religion or creed. However, with the expansion and opening of Phase 2 in 2019, it now accepts applications from retirees with monthly pensions, as well as the elderly who can contribute donations toward the operations and maintenance costs of the Home.

In an interview with Sr Ursula Lian, the Matron of the Home, she expressed surprise that after 12 years, many people are still unaware of the existence of the Home. “They only know when they run around looking for a place to put their elderly parents. Even Catholics do not know we have a Catholic Home for the elderly,” she said.

The Residents

Currently, there are 34 residents, of whom three (3) are bedridden and 13 wheelchair bound. Some have dementia and require nursing care. A team of 23 staff and Sr Eunicia help Sr Ursula to take care of the residents. “I am very happy that all of them are very committed, reliable and responsible people. That’s a consolation for me personally. I thank God for that,” she said. “These are challenging times, and with more people applying to enter the home, we may need to increase the number of staff to serve the Home and its residents.”

Sister says the residents of the home are well taken care of, especially where both their physical and spiritual needs are concerned. “They are very devoted to their prayer life. They pray daily, with Rosary prayers in the morning and Divine Mercy prayers every afternoon. They offer special prayers especially for ‘Friends and Benefactors of Hope’, donors, staff, the Bishops, Priests and even for those who ask for their prayers. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, they cannot attend physical Mass, but they never miss the live-stream Mass every Sunday and whenever there is a feast day or live-stream Mass for the sick, either from St Ann’s Church or St Joseph’s Cathedral.”

The PAVILION

Sr Ursula hopes that the PAVILION built in 2015, can be rebuilt and put to better use. She says it can be converted to serve as a multi-purpose area. “It can be used as the residents’ recreational corner with TV, where they can have coffee/tea break there, at the same time the nurses can check their blood pressure and TPR there too, because the present nurses’ area is too small and congested.” Sister proposed that the Pavilion can also house additional toilets for the convenience of the residents who are often faced with insufficient toilets in their rooms.

Friends of Hope

According to Sr Ursula, the Home is presently facing financial constraints as less people have come forward with donations because of the pandemic. “Now we are only left with a few regular donors, and benefactors. Luckily, we have Friends of Hope, otherwise how to survive? Friends of Hope at least give us some relief. I really appreciate them very much. I hope and appeal for many more people to come forward to register themselves as Friends of Hope.”

Friends of Hope is a continuity programme that the Home launched last year (May 2020) at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic which caused a drastic drop in collections for the CWS Annual Lenten Appeal. To help with the operating costs of the Home, donors register to either contribute a monthly minimum amount of RM100 or make a yearly contribution.

The current estimated total operating expenses for the Home is RM50,000 per month. The Friends of Hope programme has raised RM506,755 since its introduction to 30 June 2021.

Presently, there are parts of the main building that are in need of repair and maintenance, especially the roof, ceiling and gutters. At times of heavy downpour, “you can see leaking everywhere,” says Sr Ursula. Some utilities also need urgent attention, like the pipes, toilets, sinks, lighting and wheelchairs. Even the bush cutter and washing machines need repair from time to time.

Sr Ursula expressed her gratitude to all Friends of Hope. “I assure you of my prayers. I especially pray that God may bless you and your family members abundantly, and may we all be protected from harm and danger, especially from COVID-19. Thank you and God bless.”

For more details of the Home of Peace and on how to participate as Friends of Hope, you can contact Sr Ursula Lian at 018-2401337, 014-3942425 (Office).