As the anchor physiotherapist at SPD@Melody Spring Yishun, SPD’s newest centre providing day care and community rehabilitation services for adults and seniors with disabilities, senior physiotherapist Winson Teng wears many hats – from helping clients attain their rehabilitation goals, to assisting with centre setup and supporting capability building. In this instalment of the Power of Care series, Winson shares how he balances these responsibilities and leverages collaborations to deliver holistic care to our clients.
UPDATES: Tell us more about your role as a senior physiotherapist. How does your day-to-day work look like?
Winson: In my current role, I am responsible for assessing clients’ care needs, planning and conducting therapy sessions, assessing new clients and maintaining accurate clinical documentation. I also provide supervision and support to therapy assistants and serve as a clinical supervisor for physiotherapy students from Singapore Institute of technology (SIT) during their clinical placements.
I am currently based at our newly established senior care centre in Melody Spring Yishun, where I work closely with the centre manager and team to ensure smooth daily operations and the consistent delivery of high-quality care. My role also includes contributing to service development, staff training and fostering multidisciplinary collaboration to enhance care delivery and operational efficiency.
UPDATES: What are some challenges you face in your current role and how do you overcome them?
Winson: As the sole physiotherapist in our centre currently, it is essential to have effective strategies to navigate a high and varied workload. This includes prioritising tasks, communicating challenges with the centre manager and team to enable collaborative problem-solving, and delegating tasks where suitable to ensure efficiency and continuity of care. Equally important is exercising mindfulness, which helps me cope with work stress amidst time pressures.
UPDATES: Can you share an example of a time when strong teamwork made a big difference in delivering care?
Winson: Holistic care is at the heart of all we do for our clients. I have come to realise that sometimes individual effort alone may not be sufficient to meet the increasing care needs of a client. In such cases, I work closely with different professionals in our rehabilitation team, as well as external primary care partners to address care gaps. We also consider the needs and concerns of caregivers in the care plan to ensure comprehensive support.
UPDATES: How would you define “care”?
Winson: To me, care is about empathy, attentiveness and partnership – supporting our clients not only in their rehabilitation process, but also their emotional and psychosocial wellbeing.
UPDATES: Can you share a meaningful experience in your work that gave you a sense of fulfillment as a therapist?
Winson: The opportunity to make a positive impact on others gives me a deeper sense of purpose and fulfillment in my work. I was especially moved by the gratitude of a client who, after a serious illness, was initially unable to walk but is now able to do so. This powerful transformation has been extremely meaningful, not just to the client, but also for our rehabilitation team.
Winson’s journey highlights the importance of holistic care and collaboration in achieving meaningful outcomes for our clients. When professionals, caregivers and stakeholders work together, our clients receive holistic support they need to make steady progress.