A B O U T C A L
Caregivers Alliance Limited (CAL) is a non-profit organisation in Singapore dedicated to meeting the needs of caregivers of persons with mental health issues through education, support networks, crisis support, tailored services and self-care enablement. While there are other organisations providing support to the community affected by mental health issues, only CAL focuses exclusively on supporting caregivers.
CAL was incorporated on 25 October 2011. Our founding members are Singapore Anglican Community Services, Caregivers’ Association of the Mentally Ill and BinjaiTree Limited.
In 2019, CAL won the Charity Governance Award 2019 (medium charities category), awarded by the Charity Council in recognition of it having adopted the highest standards of governance, in line with the Code of Governance for Charities & IPCs. In 2021, CAL was conferred the President’s Volunteerism & Philanthropy Awards 2021: Organisation of Good (Non-Profit Organisation) Category. Organised by the National Volunteer & Philanthropy Centre (NVPC), this is the pinnacle award and platform to recognise individuals, organisations and leaders who have achieved excellence in giving.
CAL is an approved Institution of a Public Character (IPC).
C2C - PMHI
Persons with
Mental Health Issue
12 weeks
Topics include:
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Mental health conditions & the brain
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Medications and their effects
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Communicating with a loved one with
a mental health issue -
Understanding recovery and resilience
C2C - ED
Eating Disorder
12 weeks
CAL occasionally holds other training programmes for the benefit of our caregivers. Some of these may focus on specific mental health conditions, such as eating disorder, while others may concentrate on specific aspects of caregiving, such as mindfulness.
C2C -
DEM
Dementia
8 weeks
Topics include:
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Understanding and managing dementia
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How to handle challenging behaviour of loved ones with dementia
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Difference between dementia and signs of normal aging
TIC 1hr
Talk
Trauma Informed Care
This introductory talk explores what a shared understanding of trauma entails, its prevalence in Singapore, and how trauma can be caused by an event like the COVID-19 pandemic. Participants also learn how to identify trauma in children and youth caused by Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
C2C - YCG
Young Caregivers
8 weeks
Topics Include:
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Holistic view of Mental Health & Caregiving
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Problem Solving Framework
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Practicing of Empathy
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Effective Communication and more
Criteria: For YCGs of persons with PMHI (Age 18-35 years old)
TIC 4hr
Workshop
Trauma Informed Care
This workshop helps parents and caregivers how to integrate trauma informed care into their interactions with children and youths, as we help you understand:
1. What trauma entails
2. Trauma informed approaches
3. Implementation of trauma informed care
4. Healing and recovery
This campaign aims to raise awareness of mental health and the importance of caregivers.
To view our Caregivers-to-Caregivers (C2C) training programmes. visit www.cal.org.sg/c2c
Dr Rinkoo Ghosh: Living An Empathic & Resilient Life
Being a caregiver to her dementia conditioned mum and to her late father has brought Dr Rinkoo Ghosh on an arduous and priceless journey. She tells us how she shifted the gears from one of surviving to one of thriving.
I Used to Hear Voices, Now I’m a Peer Support Specialist
In this story, Lucas (not his real name) tells us about his experience with psychosis and how early treatment together with support from his caregivers aided his recovery. Consistent research has shown that early intervention reduces the duration of untreated psychosis and produces better outcomes in the long run