Meaningful Last Moments

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Through collaboration between SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH) and HCA Hospice, a palliative patient was able to enjoy his favourite activity and find comfort during the end stage of his life.

"Look at what I did!” exclaimed Mr W. His eyes sparkled with excitement as he proudly held up his masterpiece to the patient sitting beside him. Mr W was glad that he could still find peace and lose himself in his creativity during the final stage of his life.

KEEPING ACTIVE
Mr W suffered from metastatic appendiceal cancer, but despite his condition, he was a cheerful person with a pleasant disposition. After his retirement and diagnosis of cancer, Mr W began his palliative journey at Oasis@Outram, HCA’s newest day hospice, where he spent many enjoyable hours indulging in his passion for arts and crafts. Mr W had always been an artist at heart. Even in his ailing condition, he found comfort and joy in creating beautiful masterpieces with his own hands. As his condition worsened, Mr W could no longer make his way to the elder day care centre by himself. Furthermore, his wife was unable to provide adequate care for him at home.

To address his health issues, he was admitted to Outram Community Hospital (OCH), part of SingHealth Community Hospitals (SCH), for inpatient palliative care in January 2023. As part of an ongoing collaboration between SCH and HCA, he resumed his routine at Oasis@Outram, where he continued to engage in his favourite activity and connect with his friends.

“The objective of this collaboration is to improve patients’ quality of life and fulfil their last wishes,” said Dr Sharon Harvinder, Senior Staff Registrar, Post-Acute & Continuing Care (PACC) at OCH. This is done via shared activities and the joint use of HCA and OCH facilities within SingHealth Tower so patients could improve their well-being through social activities such as table games, and simple arts and crafts.