Caring for three people made him a better person
For retired air force colonel Frank Singam, 67, the greatest challenge was caring for the three women closest to him - his mother, wife and late sister.
In 1975, he became primary caregiver to his sister, who had cerebral palsy and epilepsy.
In 2011, his wife, now 64, became paralysed and wheelchair-bound after an accident with a golf buggy.
Around that time, his mother, now 90, was diagnosed with vascular dementia.
"Caring for three people was exhausting, but they are my family," Mr Singam said.
He hired a domestic helper and admitted his sister into a nursing home in 2014. She died of pneumonia two years later.
To relax, Mr Singam spent his free time exercising, meditating and going out with friends.
He also pursued his life-long interest in counselling and obtained a master's in 2014. Last year, he became a part-time counsellor at Brahm Centre.
His wife has recovered and is now fully mobile.
Mr Singam said: "I sometimes questioned why I had to shoulder all these responsibilities. But caregiving has given me the opportunity to become a better person by loving others."
In 2010, Mr Lim Wee Peng, 64, quit his job at a sofa factory to care full-time for his mother, Madam Tan Ah Lian, now 86, after she was diagnosed with diabetes.
He said: "I have only one mother. If I do not care for her while she is still alive, who will?"
In 2014, Madam Tan was diagnosed with dementia and gradually lost the ability to walk, talk and keep her eyes open. In 2015, Mr Lim was diagnosed with chronic liver disease.
"I was constantly worried about my mum. Though I was tired, I was too stressed to sleep at night," he said.
A 2011 survey on informal caregiving found that caregivers with chronic diseases have a higher level of stress.
Two years ago, Mr Lim sent his mother to daycare so he could have a break.
Mr Lim, who sings to relieve stress and exercises regularly, said: "I have to make sure I stay healthy so I can give my mum the best care she deserves."
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