SINGAPORE – For the past 15 years, Mr Yong Kwon Seng, 39, has shown up almost every Saturday and public holiday at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to befriend long-stay patients.

He has missed only two sessions – in 2022, when he was too bereft to turn up after his mother died of a stroke. 

While most Singaporeans gather for family meals on weekends and during festive periods, the educator spends his time with people who often have no one waiting for them.