HCA Hospice

Do children understand the concepts of death and dying? The answer is… yes!* Having worked with over 150 HCA families with children under 18 years old, our Medical Social Workers often find that kids know and pick up on things, more than what we give them credit. Sometimes, they can even teach us more about life and death from their perspective. We invited children of different ages and races to share their nuggets of wisdom and their understanding of death and dying with us in the video below. Watch the full "Treasure Box" video here: https://lnkd.in/g5iu7jPD You can also read more about the initative here: https://lnkd.in/gyNN6ygP #Kindle #Children #TreasureBox #Hospice #Palliative *They may still need guidance from adults around them.

Seeking help as an adult is often stigmatised as ‘shameful’ and ‘weak’. In reality, it is one of the bravest decisions one can make. But what if one struggles to recognise or articulate the need for help, like a child who has never experienced a death in the family and is unable to cope? For this vulnerable group to navigate the grief journey, our medical social worker, Gracia, proposes a multifaceted approach, involving family members, friends, social workers, school faculty, and social service agencies to support these children. She pens down her experiences with the different families and children that we have served through this insightful piece published in the The Straits Times. Read the article here: https://lnkd.in/g_X4DvKG #grief #children #youths #bereavement #hospice #childhoodgrief

“The weekly visits by the doctors and nurses have been a good source of assurance for us… I can seek advice for any physical changes in my mum, without going to the hospital. The team manning the 24-hour hotline is also very responsive and experienced,” shared Jit Seng, a caregiver to his mother and HCA patient, Mdm Chua. In our experience as a home hospice specialist, we realise that caregivers, like Jit Seng, play the most important role in their loved one’s care at home. Their daily interactions with their ill loved ones allow them to best understand and advocate for the patient to our medical care team, who work against the clock to ensure the patient’s end-of-life care needs are met. This synergy, if present, can help caregivers like Jit Seng find meaning and support in their caregiving journey, even if it may be difficult. Jit Seng’s caregiving journey began as a young adult, who had just graduated, and had hoped to travel the world and build a career—but life had other plans. A stroke had left his mother, Mdm Chua, who had always been an independent woman and social butterfly, immobile. “It was a big change for her and for us,” Jit Seng shared.   Thus began a series of health scares, multiple lengthy hospital stays and eventually, a dementia diagnosis. As the only child, Jit Seng took on this marathon of ups and downs alone for the past 15 years. Earlier last year, Mdm Chua lost her ability to eat, drink and speak.   “We nearly thought we had lost her,” Jit Seng recalls. “But she slowly willed herself back. The following day, she started to smile again.”   Mdm Chua was referred to HCA’s home hospice service shortly after, and it was a decision that Jit Seng has never looked back on.     “Our medical social worker has also given us a lot of emotional support – a phone call to follow up means so much, knowing there is someone to fall back on.”   Thank you Jit Seng for sharing your caregiving story with us, and showing the impact of an active caregiver’s initiative and our organisation’s support. And thank you, for the opportunity to support you and your mother. #caregiver #hospice #palliative #support

True to the Oasis@Outram vision, this legacy video project with Society for WINGS focuses on restoring #dignity and celebrating the rich and unique lives of our patients, beyond their conditions. “The essence of these legacy videos lies in drawing out stories and unforgettable memories from terminally ill patients, and stitching them together into a video,” said Ms Boey Lai Hsia, HCA Oasis@Outram Day Hospice Centre Manager.   Read the full article: https://lnkd.in/gDG5pZKU #palliativecare #legacy #hospice #OasisAtOutram

Welcome the new year with warmth and joy as we share heartwarming news about the incredible impact you have made on palliative care through Walk With Me, HCA’s inaugural charity walkathon. 🌟 Click to discover the reasons behind the smiles lighting up the faces of our patients and their families! The hybrid event which started with a physical event on 19 November has successfully concluded on 31st December with over $500,000 raised from over 1200 participants such as yourself. You have helped us exceed our fundraising target for HCA to care for an additional 277 patients and families in the coming year, bringing comfort and care to the terminally ill and their loved ones. Grateful thanks to our cherished partners, sponsors, donors, dedicated volunteers, participants, and even our resilient patients, who walked alongside us, making every step count. Your compassion has turned this event into a remarkable success, filled with love, unity, and hope. #WalkWithMe #Volunteers #Fundraising

It has been a fruitful year for all of us at HCA. From the fun moments of our staple events like Star PALS Family Day and Family Foto Fair, to the cosy lights of remembrance at our memorial events, it has been a privilege for us to serve our patients and families. We have also rounded off our inaugural Walk With Me charity walkathon, which was a resounding success, thanks to all of our supporters! See you in the new year! #HCA #Hospice #Palliative #Events #NewYear

Grief is especially devastating when it strikes the most vulnerable among us – children. With confusion, misconceptions and disrupted routines thrown into the mix, the experience of losing a parent can be immensely crushing for young ones. Adverse physical and mental health consequences may be carried into adulthood, if the grief or trauma is not addressed. In this CNA commentary by our medical social worker, Gracia, read more about how we, as a society, can collectively care for grieving young hearts and their surviving parent. Read the commentary here: https://lnkd.in/g-by9MqY #HCA #Hospice #Palliative #Grief #ChildhoodGrief

For podiatrist and HCA volunteer Fiona Hu, podiatry is not just a career, but also a work of love for our patients, and a means to restore their dignity at the end of life. Despite juggling her own busy practice and caring for three young daughters, Fiona, who has been volunteering with HCA for 10 years, always makes time to take on referrals made by our clinical team, for patients who require podiatry services for ingrown toenails. “It is a privilege to give back to the community,” shares Fiona, who is thankful for the opportunity to study podiatry abroad, on scholarship. Not as much is known about ingrown toenails, but it is a fairly common issue that afflicts our patients, exacerbated by illness, medication and immobility. If left unattended, ingrown toenails may cause infection and pain. But beyond treating the condition, Fiona’s work also brings comfort and dignity to patients, helping their feet and toenails to look neat and clean again. “There was once a patient’s daughter told me that it felt so good to see her mother’s feet in such good condition,” she recalls. #HCA #Hospice #Palliative #Charity #Volunteers #Podiatry

Nestled within our Oasis@Outram Day Hospice is the Spalon, where patients can receive various beauty treatments. It is also where our volunteer, Adrian Teo, spends most of his time. No, he is not a hairdresser, manicurist or makeup artist. He is an IT professional who is also … a masseur! With his background in sports massage, Adrian lends his skills to provide a healing touch to our patients, who may suffer from aches and pains due to their conditions and immobility. Watch him share some techniques and his experience as one of our only masseurs in the video! #Hospice #Palliative #Volunteers #JustGiveLah #GivingWeekSG #SGCares #CityofGood

Vital, Open-hearted, Lively, Unique, Nurturing, Talented, Empathetic, Enthusiastic, and Remarkable– there are so many ways to describe our volunteers, yet they all have one thing in common–the heart to serve terminally ill patients and their caregivers, and help #AddLifetoDays. On behalf of our beneficiaries and staff, and from the bottom of all our hearts, a big THANK YOU to all our volunteers for your time, effort and heart work! Happy International Volunteer Day! #IVD #IVD23 #JustGiveLah #SGCares #CityofGood #Hospice #Palliative #GivingWeekSG