Close
Comfort and joy at the end of life need not come from grand gestures. At HCA, they can begin with a pair of hands guiding a brushstroke or playing a melody on a keyboard, awakening forgotten memories. These are the healing hands that create good days for our patients.
Tuning Into Each Other
During a music therapy session, the melodies filling the room are accompanied by laughter and chatter. With HCA Music Therapist Cassandra playing the keyboard, patients take turns singing their favourite songs.
First-timers often feel shy singing in front of an audience, but Cassandra eases their nerves, valuing what each patient has to offer. “This isn’t a performance, and it is okay to not be pitch perfect,” she encourages.
Unlike karaoke, music therapy is fluid. Cassandra slows the tempo so frail hands can clap along, and stretches the songs beyond their final chords upon patients’ requests. Simple instruments are passed around for all to contribute, building a sense of community in the face of isolating illnesses.
“I used to sing this when I was a scout.”
“Me too!”
Over time, patients find shared memories in familiar tunes and friendships form as conversations flow.
With Cassandra’s music, connections linger long after the last note fades.
A Language Without Words
To HCA Art Therapist Leng Hong, a picture truly speaks a thousand words. In her sessions, words take a back seat, and patients who struggle with expressing their feelings are offered another voice through art. “I don’t interpret their artwork. I let them tell me what it means to them,” she explains.
Here, art serves as a mirror. By speaking through a character in their drawing, some patients find it less intimidating to reveal their innermost feelings. “Through the process and interactions, I learn so much more about them,” she adds. But not every patient connects with drawing. Leng Hong adapts to each patient’s comfort and interests – offering words, pictures, stickers or even clay. Whether it’s writing a few lines or labelling emotions, she meets them where they are.
In moments of loss, art can become a profound form of bereavement support. Bringing it to a patient’s wake, Leng Hong once guided a family in creating a handprint tree, bringing comfort, connection, and closure amid grief through the shared tribute.
With every brushstroke, sticker, or carefully chosen word, Leng Hong draws hearts closer, letting art bridge the unspoken words.
Pill-ars of Care
Doctors, nurses and social workers are familiar faces of care. But behind the scenes, our pharmacists work quietly with equal dedication. Though not physically present, their care reaches right into patients’ homes.
Beyond merely packing medication, they also advise our doctors and nurses on all things related to medication, navigating complex drug issues to ensure drug orders are safe. When no commercial medication fit our patients’ unique needs, they innovated, compounding a custom drug by combining medications to ease symptoms while reducing the burden of administering multiple drugs.
They also pack the Comfort Care Kit, a simple but useful pack that empowers families to confidently manage their loved ones’ symptoms. “Managing medication can be stressful and we wanted to make their life easier,” HCA Pharmacist Hui Boon shares.
When staying at home is one’s final wish, our pharmacists are also instrumental in fulfilling it. They manage and maintain the medical equipment like oxygen concentrators that are loaned to patients to ensure safety and comfort in their cherished space.
While their hands may not hold the patient, they add a vital dose of care as we journey alongside them.
Polished and Cherished
As Mdm A walked into the spalon at HCA Oasis@Outram Day Hospice, she beamed, proudly showing off the manicure she got with her children at Hai Di Lao weeks ago. “They’re too long now,” she chuckled, holding out her hands to Jasmine, a volunteer manicurist.
Jasmine trimmed her nails, careful not to nick the delicate skin. Noticing the polish had chipped, she offered a fresh coat, matching the colour with practiced care. As she painted, they chatted about everything – food, childhood memories, and the occasional loneliness.
“Nails are the first thing people neglect when life gets hard,” she shares. “Many patients have spent their lives caring for others, and never learned how to care for themselves.”
At HCA, a manicure is more than just for appearance. It restores dignity, maintains hygiene, and helps our patients reconnect with a sense of self. “Patients tell me their friends and even doctors compliment their nails,” Jasmine added. “I hope my hands give them a kind of warmth that words cannot.”
