Singapore Patient Caregiver Award (Individual)
Mr Chua Joo Ee
Commitment and steadfastness – Mr Chua Joo Ee embodied these characteristics as he shouldered on the role as the main caregiver for both his parents. His mother was diagnosed with dementia and depression in June 2010 while his father suffered from kidney failure. Having little knowledge of dementia care, Mr Chua picked up basic caregiving skills from scratch so that he could provide daily assistance to his mother. After she suffered two rounds of stroke in 2014, Mr Chua decided to devote his time to caregiving on a full time basis.
Despite the adversities he encountered in life, Mr Chua actively contributes and supports fellow caregivers in the Alzheimer's Disease Association Caregiver Support Group (CSG) since 2010. He also shared his personal journey in providing care to a dementia patient at the World Alzheimer's Day Public Forum in 2012. After undergoing Basic and Intermediate Caregiver Facilitator Training, Mr Chua is currently serving as a facilitator in the Chinese CSG.
Singapore Patient Caregiver Award (Individual)
Mr Michael Wong
At 78 years old, colon cancer survivor, Mr Michael Wong is still standing strong and full of energy. Undefeated, he is also the main caregiver for his wife who suffers from dementia. Mrs Wong is wheelchair bound and unable to speak and requires help with the day-to-day activities that we often take for granted. Faithfully and tenderly, Mr Wong would take his wife for walks each day and would make the extra effort to talk to her often just to coax a familiar smile from her.
An active and avid Patient Support Group volunteer at Tan Tock Seng Hospital, Mr Wong also contributes as a counsellor for patients with the Colon Cancer Support Group since 2013. He accompanies patients for their appointments; visit the wards with flowers with words of encouragement for them. He improves himself by keep abreast with new developments and research regarding colon cancer and dementia, enabling him to provide the necessary emotional support required by both his wife and fellow colon cancer patients.
Singapore Patient Caregiver Award (Individual)
Mdm Hoong Mee Nguek
Since November 2013, Madam Hoong Mee Nguek has dedicated her time to be a full-time caregiver to her dementia stricken mother, Madam Wong.
Knowing the pains of caring for a loved one with dementia, Madam Hoong has also been an eldersitter with the Alzheimer's Disease Association since 2013. She would often go the extra mile beyond her call of duty to work with healthcare workers so as to ensure that her dementia client's concerns and needs are met.
With the desire to improve dementia care for others, Madam Hoong continues to attend eldersit training programmes to upgrade her caregiving skills and knowledge. She has also volunteered her time to participate in a dementia research project to play a part in advancing knowledge and research in dementia care.
Singapore Patient Advocate Award (Individual)
Mdm Junainah Eusope
Madam Junainah Eusope has been a dedicated and passionate mental health advocate with the Institute of Mental Health since 2012 where she actively shares her story of recovery and struggles faced with the media. She is also a committee member of the Voices of Experience programme initiated by IMH in 2014 for the purpose of engaging and involving consumers in mental health advocacy, patient care and consultancy work to improve the hospital's services and programmes. Her willingness to share with Berita Harian is most commendable as her story has touched many readers in the Malay community and encouraged them to seek treatment for their mental health issues.
A certified peer support specialist with Club HEAL, a Voluntary Welfare Organisation that reaches out to the Malay community and support those with mental illness, Madam Junainah lends a listening ear and helps her clients create their own individual wellness and recovery plans. Tapping on her flair for art, she teaches volunteers and clients handicraft as part of their therapy. Madam Junainah also organises empowerment camps to boost clients' confidence and to develop their empowerment skills to combat social stigma through self-advocacy.
Singapore Patient Advocate Award (Individual)
Dr Choo Bok Ai
As the medical adviser and co-founder of the Nasopharyngeal Cancer (NPC) OneHeart Support Group, Dr Choo Bok Ai hopes to establish a platform that transcends medical treatment to provide emotional and psychological support for cancer patients. T He has spearheaded four annual public forums to raise awareness on early detection and improvement in cure during the Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month among his many contributions to cancer care at the National University Cancer Institute, Singapore and Tan Tock Seng Hospital.
A believer in activating and empowering patients, Dr Choo and his team of volunteers comprising mainly of cancer survivors, organise monthly educational meetings on healthy living and management of long term side effects of radiation therapy for the past seven years. He often goes the extra mile by lending a listening ear to patients, answering their questions and sharing inspirational quotes in the NPC OneHeart group. Through his advocacy work, Dr Choo established peer-to-peer support amongst cancer patients with the Befriender programme in 2012, which introduces newly diagnosed patients to cancer survivors, to help them tide through these difficult moments in their lives. He established a cancer blog which he still actively writes in, and is a sought after speaker for cancer talks to large organisations and NGOs.
Believing in this holistic model of cancer supportive care, he further launched another rare cancer support group. The Singapore Sarcoma Support Group was established on 7 May 2016, by Dr Choo, bringing together a multi-disciplinary Sarcoma team at the NCIS in collaboration with the National Cancer Centre, Singapore, KK Women's and Children's Hospital and the Singapore Sarcoma Consortium.
Singapore Patient Support/Volunteer Group Award (Group)
Medi Minders
Being a caregiver can be an onerous task, which might take a toll on one's mental and physical health.
The Medi Minders of HCA Hospice Care was set up to provide respite care for caregivers of Star PALS (Paediatric Advanced Life Support), a paediatric palliative care service of HCA Hospice Care. They interact and engage with patients in activities customized according to the individual patient's needs, be it reading or singing. This provides the opportunity for the caregivers to catch up and spend more time with their other children in the family lest they feel neglected. The home respite service allows short breaks for caregivers without the need to transfer the child out of the home.
The group often rises above situations to provide the best care in line with the patient's needs, especially those nearing the end of their lives. Many continue to care and provide bereavement support to the family members left behind when their child passes on.
Singapore Patient Support/Volunteer Group Award (Group)
The Tri-Generational HomeCare @ North West
The Tri-Generational HomeCare @ North West (Tri-Gen) initiative was developed to support and empower the elderly to age well in the community. It involves these three collaborators, which believe in investing in intergenerational bonding:
- Alexandra Health System (AHS) Ageing-In-Place Programme (AIP)
- North West Community Development Council (NWCDC)
- National University of Singapore's student volunteers
As of September 2016, 222 NUS students and 301 secondary school students from the Tri-Gen team provided companionship and assistance to 108 seniors in their self-care routines. Acting as an extended arm of the AIP community nurses, the volunteers conduct home visits after office hours. Through guidance from the AIP community nurses, the Tri-Gen team has supported patients in medication reconciliation and referrals to social agencies. This has also enabled the elderly patients to engage with younger generations, thereby promoting intergenerational communication and increasing social engagement for the patients.
Singapore Patient Support/Volunteer Group Award (Group)
IMHope
IMHope is an independent and passionate volunteer group comprising working adults and students as partners to long stay patients at the Institute of Mental Health (IMH). The team has adopted Ward 53A and they have dedicated their time to befriend the patients so as to improve their social and independent living skills.
Through their regular interactions with individual patients, the team has also discovered the patients' hidden talents and interests and often empowers these patients by giving them meaningful activities and responsibilities.
IMHope also aims to guide and educate budding volunteers. They seek to destigmatise mental illness and help volunteers see the difference that they can make in the lives of the mentally disadvantaged.
Singapore Patient Support/Volunteer Group Award (Group)
KK Women's Cancer Support Group
The KK Women's Cancer Support Group, KK Women's and Children's Hospital (KKH), was established in 1991 by nurses and allied health professionals to provide emotional and psychological support to gynaecological cancer patients through counselling sessions, home visits and befriending services. Social activities are also organised to create a platform for patients and their families to interact among each other to enhance their coping skills.
The annual 'Cancer Survivor Celebration' organised by the support group, for instance, celebrates the lives of cancer survivors who have been cancer-free for five years or more. While sharing personal experiences of how they have coped with the illness, the survivors bring hope and strength to newly diagnosed patients.
Singapore Patient Engagement Initiative Award (Team-based)
No One Dies Alone
As they approach the last leg of their journey in life, hospice patients may feel a great sense of loneliness as they are reminded of their mortality.
Started in 2014, Assisi Hospice's No One Dies Alone programme (NODA), aims to help such patients with little or no family support, by having volunteers journey with them upon admission.
NODA volunteers spend time with patients, often building close bonds and friendships, so that it is natural for them to be the surrogate 'family' to the patients and keep vigil during their final hours.
Through the dedication and commitment of the volunteers, the team has been able to deliver concerted efforts to help these patients walk their final lap in life knowing that they were loved and cared for to the end.
Singapore Patient Engagement Initiative Award (Team-based)
Local Exercise Group
Exercise regularly and eat right! This is what the Local Exercise Group (LEG) seeks to help cardiac patients adopt as part of their new lifestyle. Formed by the Tan Tock Seng Hospital (TTSH) Cardiac Rehabilitation Support Group in 2002, this initiative brings cardiac patients from all walks of life together for some light exercise every Sunday morning. It offers the opportunity for fellow cardiac patients to bond with one another and share their own treatment journey and to encourage each other to lead a healthier lifestyle. To help each other eat 'right', the team encourages the patients to eat their favourite local delicacies in moderation by sharing it.
LEG has inspired new cardiac patients to take charge of their health and make the right lifestyle choices. Starting out with less than ten cardiac patients from TTSH, this initiative has grown to a national level initiative, supporting over 30 cardiac patients from various hospitals.