2nd issue 2014 - Hospis Malaysia

KDN PP8369/10/2012(031405)
BERITA HOSPIS
ISSUE 02/2014
EDITORIAL NOTE
Palliative Care
campaign continues
to make impact
I
IN THIS ISSUE
n April this year, Hospis Malaysia took the initiative
to launch the world’s first symbol for palliative care
and a nationwide awareness campaign. This initiative
took off after having identified a projected rise in the
numbers of people being diagnosed with serious or lifelimiting illnesses. The general population having a longer
life expectancy and the caregiving realities faced by the
families can also be attributed to the rising numbers of
people living with serious or life-limiting illnesses. This
is a large responsibility for the Malaysian health system
(which is substantially hospital-based) and will be an
even bigger issue in the future if appropriate measures
are not put in place at a higher level to support the
growth of palliative care and in particular, community
based palliative care in the country.
Identifying the above, Hospis Malaysia took the
initiative to launch the world first’s symbol for palliative
care and a nationwide awareness campaign in April this
year. To date, the campaign continues to be a success in
terms of bringing brand recognition and funding for
the development of palliative care delivery in Malaysia.
The need for palliative care is expected to increase as
the Malaysian public are beginning to be aware of the
benefits of palliative care for the patient, family members
and caregivers alike.
EDITORIAL note
Palliative Care Campaign Continues
to Make Impact
FEATURES
Doctors: Born or Made?
EDUCATIONAL NOTES
Dexamethasone in Palliative Care
1
3
4
Attendees showed their support towards the campaign by
wearing T-shirts and button badges adorned with the new
symbol.
Spreading awareness of palliative care through its
symbol itself has proved to be a success in recent months.
Thousands of people have embraced the positive elements
associated with the symbol. Elements portrayed in the
symbol, such as infinite connections between patients,
families and carers, provide hope and endurance in the
face of difficulties for those affected with life limiting
illnesses.
FEATURES
Hospis Malaysia Employs
E-Health Technology
11th Malaysian Hospice Congress
EVENTS
“Who cares? We do!”
5
6
SPECIAL FEATURE
A Tribute to Simon Featherstone
7
Thank you
8
9
TRAINING & EDUCATION
10
Upcoming Events
11
ADVOCACY
Pledge and Symbol
12
The challenge now is to continue promoting
the symbol to the international arena so
it becomes the ‘pink ribbon’ equivalent for
palliative care
Council members
Chairman:
Brig. Gen (Rtd.) Dato’
Richard Robless
Vice-Chairman: Datin Kathleen Yeoh
Secretary: Dr Michael Adaikalasamy
Treasurer: Ms Fairly Yap Swee Eng
Members: Mr James A. Menezes
Tan Sri Lim Leong Seng
Dr Ednin Hamzah
Dr Azlina Abdul Aziz
Advisor: Dato’ Sir Peter Mooney
HOSPIS MALAYSIA (2237675-X)
2 Jalan 4/96
Off Jalan Sekuci
Taman Sri Bahtera
Jalan Cheras
56100 Kuala Lumpur
Tel: (03) 9133 3936
Fax: (03) 9133 3941
E-mail: [email protected]
Website: www.hospismalaysia.org
HospisMY
HospisMY
Palliative Care Malaysia
an initiative by Hospis Malaysia
Website: www.palliativecare.my
PalliativeMY PalliativeCareMalaysia
Over the course of the 5-day exhibition, attendees showed their support
towards the campaign by wearing T-shirts and button badges adorned with
the new symbol. 200 goodie bags filled with information on palliative care
were eagerly collected by exhibition attendees within a mere two hours of the
exhibition. The highlight was the 15,000 hits garnered towards the end of the
exhibition on the newly launched www.palliativecare.my, the official one-stop
resource portal for palliative care in Malaysia. The challenge we face now is to
continue promoting the symbol to the international arena so it becomes the
‘pink ribbon’ equivalent for palliative care.
The post campaign statistics tells us that, interests and demand for palliative
care have reached new heights. As the campaign for palliative care picks up
its pace through various media coverage, the general public are now asking
questions. Is this a medical sub-specialty that might prove useful for me
and my family in years to come? Where can I get palliative care? What are
the standards of palliative care provision in Malaysia? The answer remains
disappointing. There still exist strong barriers to care that include the lack
of trained workforce to provide palliative care (the vast majority of health
professionals worldwide have little or no knowledge of the principles and
practices of palliative care, WPCA* 2013), lack of availability of opioids or
the restriction of their use, cultural attitudes of physicians and patients, and
minimal fund allocation that deters the development of palliative care.
In June, academicians, clinicians, policy makers and other allied healthcare
professionals gathered together to assess the state of palliative care in Malaysia
at the 11th Hospice Congress (read more on Pg. 6). Hospis Malaysia took
this opportunity to feature the palliative care themed photography exhibition
with hopes that these leading advocates of palliative care will be inspired to
take the exhibition back to their home states. This resulted in several hospices
nationwide initiating dialogue with Hospis Malaysia to spread the awareness
in their own states.
In October this year, in collaboration with Charis Hospice,
the nationwide palliative care awareness campaign and
photo exhibition continues in Penang. The photography
exhibition will be featured at the Gurney Plaza on the
10th-16th October at the Ground Floor (New Wing).
Come find out how quality palliative care
can make a difference!
Advocating for greater awareness of palliative care should be a responsibility
taken on by anyone who understands its vital need in our society today. To
address the challenges of palliative care services and to ensure that quality of
care is not compromised, Hospis Malaysia is continuously lobbying for setting
minimum standards for palliative care provision in Malaysia. We are urging
the public to take a stand and pledge their support to the future development
of palliative care in our country.
To find out more about the pledges, please refer to page 12 or visit
www.palliativecare.my.
*WPCA- Worldwide Palliative Care Alliance
2
FEATURES
Doctors: Born or Made?
‘The practice of medicine is an art, not a trade; a
calling, not a business; a calling in which your heart will
be exercised equally with your head. Often the best part
of your work will have nothing to do with potions and
powders, but with the exercise of an influence of the strong
upon the weak, of the righteous upon the wicked, of the
wise upon the foolish’
- Sir William Osler ( 1849 – 1919 )
I
n recent times, there has been much controversy in
the Malaysian media about students with excellent
academic grades who fail to gain places in medical
schools. There is also much concern surrounding the
number of medical schools mushrooming around the
country that has effected the lenient entry requirements
needed to gain entry into medical school. This has
subsequently affected the quality of doctors that the
country produces regardless of being local graduates or
international graduates.
Sir William Osler was a Canadian physician who
frequently has been described as the ‘Father of Modern
Medicine’. Though he practised from 1872 until the early
1900s, much of his teaching is still relevant and much
revered till today.
Amongst some of his teachings and sayings are students learn from seeing and talking to patients. He
said ‘listen to your patient, he is telling you the diagnosis’,
which emphasises the importance of communication
and gathering information. His also highlights that ‘it is
much more important to know what sort of a patient has
a disease than what sort of a disease a patient has’. Much
of Sir William’s teaching resonates with the practice of
palliative care but some has been lost in the current
methods of educating our young doctors.
In 1998, Hospis Malaysia started teaching palliative
care to Year 4 of the University Malaya (UM) medical
students. The sessions lasted about 2 hours and each
group that attended the tutorials equalled to about 25 – 30
persons. The main aim of the tutorials was to introduce
these students to palliative care.
Today, Hospis Malaysia provides education on palliative care to a burgeoning number of medical students
from University Putra Malaysia (UPM), University
Teknologi Mara (UTM), University Kebangsaan Malaysia
(UKM), International Medical University, Cyberjaya
University College of Medical Sciences, Monash
University and Perdana University. Over time, medical schools have recognised the importance of education in palliative care. This has motivated us to strive to
equip these future medical practitioners with the correct
knowledge and skill when dealing with those suffering
from life limiting illnesses. Through small group discussions and through direct contact with patients and their
families, we are able to access and refine their attitudes
and values that will further guide them in this vocation.
“The learning of factual information such
as anatomy, physiology and pathology may
be easier for many and can be challenging
in palliative care as the focus goes beyond
factual information. Palliative care tackles
practical issues surrounding communication,
empathy, compassion, and suffering, making
decisions, pain management, ethics and duty
of care, amongst others.”
The students we see are keen to learn and succeed
though many are thrust into a profession they scarcely
understand. They are often motivated mainly to fulfil the
ambitions of their well-meaning parents. The learning
of factual information such as anatomy, physiology and
pathology may be easier for many but in palliative care;
the focus goes beyond factual information. It tackles
practical issues surrounding communication, empathy,
compassion, and suffering, making decisions, pain
management, ethics and duty of care, amongst others.
In these areas where reasoning and reflective
thinking is required, our students have generally been
3
ill prepared. These students are accustomed to a general
attitude of simply remembering factual information
without understanding the context or without being able
to effectively assess a situation. Students now prefer to
communicate with others through a technical interface
instead of face to face interactions. They often replace
true expressions of empathy with emoticons. This could
eventually result in a narrow minded thought process for
our young doctors to be.
Most students that we get for a palliative care
attachment have a chance of meeting and engaging with
patients and their families in their homes. A primary
feature of palliative care is treating a patient where they
are most comfortable. Generally, if given the choice, most
people will prefer to receive care at home rather than to
be in hospital. Home certainly provides a more conducive
environment than a hospital in creating a feel good factor.
However, many of our students or young doctors are
unfamiliar with this aspect of healthcare. Their training
has engrossed them in a culture where the treatment of
patients can only happen in hospital where the doctor is
most comfortable and the patient is not!
Our young doctors are also more focussed on aspects
of the disease and investigations rather than evaluating
the perception, expectations and impact of the illness for
the patient and family.
Osler had said ‘Care more for the individual than for the
special features of the disease. Put yourself in his place…the
kindly word, the cheerful greeting, the sympathetic look…
these the patient understands.’
Helping students develop soft skills and compassion
at the very beginning of their training still remains one
of the most difficult tasks we face. A student equipped
with practical knowledge but lacking compassion and
kindness will still be a doctor of questionable quality
when dealing with patients in palliative care.
At present, developing a workforce of caring
doctors with compassion and competence is extremely
challenging. Simply easing medical school access for
students and parents who have neither a genuine interest
nor the right attitude will affect us all later when the need
for quality medical care arises.
It is pivotal that the country meets certain standards
in terms of the quality of doctors produced. We are
ultimately dealing with the health and lives of people. It
is one thing to have an MBBS attached to one’s name; it
takes much more to be a doctor that possesses traits of
kindness, compassion and genuine interest.
Hospis Malaysia is advocating for the inclusion
of palliative care in all healthcare training and
system. Please turn to pg. 12 for more details or visit
www.palliativecare.my/support.
EDUCATIONAL NOTES
Dexamethasone in Palliative Care
Dexamethasone is a form of anabolic steroid. In palliative care, it is usually prescribed
for the following reasons:
1. To relieve certain types of pain (used in conjunction with other pain killers)
2. To improve appetite
3. To reduce nausea and/or vomiting
4. To improve breathing (if there is airway obstruction)
Dexamethasone is most commonly given in tablet form. However, injections are
available in case you cannot swallow tablets. The dose prescribed varies depending
on the symptoms you have. You may be concerned of its side effects
(e.g. sleep disturbance, oral thrush, raised blood sugar, fluid retention
and stomach irritation). A medicine to reduce stomach irritation can
be prescribed. However, side effects are less likely if dexamethasone is
used only on a short term basis.
Special instructions and precautions:
1. It is important that you take dexamethasone with food.
2. Take your dexamethasone no later than lunchtime to
prevent sleep disturbance at night
3. Never stop taking dexamethasone suddenly as it may
make you feel unwell. You will be given advice on how to
reduce or stop it gradually.
4
FEATURES
Hospis Malaysia employs
E-Health technology
T
he cornerstone to palliative care is communication.
Palliative care involves the effective communication
across a multidisciplinary team such as clinicians,
nurses, carers, physical therapists, social workers and
more. At Hospis Malaysia, our nurses are empowered to
be at the forefront of patient interactions, our nurses are
full partners with providers from other disciplines and
play central roles in care teams. Being able to accurately
assess and subsequently report patient consultations with
the multidisciplinary team is essential to the delivery of
quality palliative care.
The use of E-health can be an effective way to support
communication amongst participants in the process of
palliative care delivery. E-health is the application of
Internet and other related technology in the healthcare
industry to improve the access, efficiency, effectiveness,
and quality of clinical and business processes utilised
by healthcare organisations, practitioners, patients and
caregivers in an effort to improve the health status of the
patient. It is an expanding concept being drawn on in
various countries for its vast benefits.
Around the world, healthcare industries in countries
such as Spain, Germany, and Portugal have already begun
to utilise the benefits of E-health technology to improve
their services. Examples of such ICT projects include the
use of “a service that is able to fully monitor a patient to
prevent a relapse from patients, which causes a reduction
in hospital readmission of them. Several projects offer
patients a virtual platform to manage their health.
Examples include a drug intake schedule, an educational
service and virtual healthcare teams. The latest projects
developed are trying to give access to electronic health
records (EHR) to their patients. These projects are trying
to use ICT’s to get a synchronous link between patients
and health professionals.”
(left) Lee Dong Yong, President of Samsung Malaysia Electronics ,
Dr Ednin Hamzah, CEO & Medical Director of Hospis Malaysia and
Wing K. Lee, CEO, YTL Communications with Hospis Malaysia’s new
E-health patient management system.
Our nurses are progressively making the transition
from recording patient data on a paper based system to
documentation on a web based patient management system.
Earlier this year, Hospis Malaysia developed a webbased enterprise application to automate its patient
recording capabilities with the help of TMS Berhad &
Joget Workflow. In August this year, with special thanks
to the Samsung GALAXY Tab S and YES Broadband
Huddles that were donated to us by Samsung Malaysia
and YTL Communications, Hospis Malaysia is now
able to take a step towards the next generation of digital
healthcare in Malaysia.
The upgrade from recording patient data and assessments on paper files to having a synchronised programme that can be accessed instantly by each member
of the clinical team is another step towards improving the
quality of patient care provision. The newly developed
web-based system accessed with the Samsung GALAXY
Tab S enables better documentation; easier tracking of
patient information and ultimately improves efficiency
of patient care. This paperless system also enables instant
communication between members of the clinical team to
ensure a quick turnaround with referrals, medications,
reporting and auditing of patient cases. The new system
aims to improve the quality of patient care and enable
data mining to support research initiatives.
Our nurses are now able to reap the benefits of having
an electronic patient recording system, which enables
them to easily exchange notes and update patient records
in real time and document photographic records for
more precise medical reporting with doctors. In the
near future, Hospis Malaysia aims to further improve its
patient management system by incorporating periodic
reminders to the system to alert its nurses on pre-set
dates for patient contact.
5
FEATURES
11th Malaysian Hospice
Congress asks Palliative
Care… Where are we now?
W
here are we now? Such a question only comes
to mind when we are lost or have become
uncertain with the direction of our journey.
Palliative Care was formally introduced to Malaysia
in the early 1990’s by Hospis Malaysia (HM) in the Klang
Valley and the National Cancer Society of Malaysia
(NCSM) in Penang. The Ministry of Health supported
the setting up of a palliative care unit in Kota Kinabalu in
1995 and since then we have several dozen hospitals and
community palliative care services around the country.
These services were set up by the Ministry of Health,
universities, non-governmental organisations, faith based
organisations and private entities.
Every two years, the Malaysian palliative care
community assemble in a meeting to access the best
and current practices in palliative care. The 11th Edition
of the Malaysian Hospice Congress was recently held
in Seremban and hosted by the Seremban Hospice.
Certainly the theme was an interesting choice to pose
to the speakers, delegates and perhaps to the Malaysian
public in general.
Based on a research by Temel et al (published in the
New England Journal of Medicine, 2010), patients
with advanced lung cancer that were treated with
standard cancer treatment and quality palliative care
showed a longer survival rate than those that received
standard cancer treatment minus palliative care.
This outcome should change the way we approach
patients. Many patients feel that accepting palliative
care means that hope is lost or diminished. This
viewpoint may also be shared by some doctors.
Perhaps we are lost?
6
Palliative care aims to optimise the quality of life for
patients with serious illnesses through the ongoing and
comprehensive assessment and care planning to meet
the needs and wishes of the patient, their caregivers and
family. Search for palliative care service providers in
Malaysia and whilst you will come across Hospis Malaysia
and many others, there is no way of knowing whether the
services are run by those with a competent knowledge of
palliative care. Presently, there are no requirements (you
do not require a licence or certification of standards) - to
provide palliative care in Malaysia. Hence, the public will
find dozens of nursing homes, clinics and well-meaning
community based services that claim to provide such care.
Perhaps we are lost?
Palliative Care was first accepted as a medical specialty in
the United Kingdom in 1987 and is an evidence approach
to care. Years of training are required to be a competent
palliative care physician. A palliative care physician is
probably unable to do a heart transplant and will probably
readily admit to not being competent. Yet many doctors
and specialist from other medical fields commonly claim
to know and pass judgements on areas of palliative care.
Perhaps they are lost?
At the conference, Dr Richard Lim, Chair of the Malaysian
Hospice Council and National Advisor for Palliative
Care to the Ministry of Health said that he envisaged
new opportunities for both government and nongovernmental organisations (NGO) to partner one another
to enhance the provision of palliative care in the country.
Perhaps he knows where to go?
In conjunction with Hospis Malaysia’s (HM) recent launch
of a new symbol for palliative care and national palliative
care awareness campaign, HM continues to campaign for
standardisation for palliative care services nationwide.
“Why was palliative care introduced in Malaysia? What do we fear, want, expect of a
palliative care approach to our lives? After 20 years or so of palliative care, are we meeting
public expectations and that of our own? Do the patients and the community know what good
palliative care can deliver?”
If we are accountable for the palliative care services we
provide and the public is aware of the scope of services
available, perhaps we can assess what the Malaysian
public wants. If we measure the efficiency of a particular
pathway of care by reviewing its outcomes, we will
probably know where we are and where we want to go.
At the conference, Hospis Malaysia prompted a call-toaction to support:
1. Better access to quality palliative care 2. Meeting international standards of care 3. Integrating palliative care into general and
specialist training 4. The development of partnerships between public
and private healthcare providers.
Anyone who would like to take a stand on the future
development of palliative care in Malaysia can permanently
mark their support through a pledge petition.
To find out more about the pledges, please refer to page 12 or
visit www.palliativecare.my/support.
Hospis Malaysia believes in providing professional
and quality palliative care that complies with
the international standards of care delivery.
We believe strongly that ‘standards allow patients to
know the scope and level of services being provided
and also for further improvements to be sought’
Hospis Malaysia is involved in teaching palliative
care from the undergraduate to specialist palliative
care training levels. With a cohort of international
palliative care professionals, 8 palliative care
workshops are conducted annually at our premise.
Our staffs are also involved in regional training in
palliative care.
A tribute to the late Simon Featherstone (1958-2014)
Hospis Malaysia extends their deepest
condolences to the family and friends of
Simon Featherstone, the former British
High Commissioner to Malaysia, who
passed away on 26th August this year.
Simon Featherstone was an outstanding
diplomat who served his country with
great dedication and skill.
At Hospis Malaysia, he and his wife
Gail have left us a legacy of care that
will carry on and continue to touch the
lives of those in need of palliative care.
Hospis Malaysia will forever be grateful
for their passion and efforts to help
develop palliative care in Malaysia. We
are deeply saddened to have lost Simon
Featherstone – a supporter, an advocate
and a friend.
7
THANK
YOU!
Latin American Festival
2014
April: The Latin
American embassies in
Malaysia organised its 6th
annual Latin American
Festival in Malaysia.
HM was a beneficiary
to the funds raised.
Manuel Antonio Guzman
Hernandez, Ambassador
of Venezuela to Malaysia
and Dean of the Latin
American Embassies in
Malaysia indicated that
HM was shortlisted as
a beneficiary for social
responsibility through its
informative website and
social media sites, which
are frequently updated.
BP Business Service
Centre Asia Sdn Bhd
May: Staff members of
BP Business Centre Asia
felt inspired after hearing
about the work carried
out by HM through a
colleague. Through a staff
fund­raising activity, all
proceeds collected were
used to buy an oxygen
concentrator that will
greatly benefit patients in
need.
8
Aunty Rosie’s Nyonya
Blanket + MilkADeal
Malaysia
May: Auntie Rosie sold
her handmade patchwork
blankets at MilkADeal
Malaysia, an online
shopping portal owned
by her grandson (& a
close friend of our staff).
She elected HM as the
beneficiary as she was
moved by the hard work
and dedication of our
staff and of the cause we
support.
Charity Golf
Tournament- Interact
Club SMK Sultan Abdul
Samad
June: Members of the
Interact Club SMK
Sultan Abdul Samad
organised a Charity
Golf Tournament and
elected Hospis Malaysia
as its sole beneficiary.
The club said that they
elected Hospis Malaysia
based on the work we
do; researched through
our comprehensive social
media sites. Thank you for
your support!
Cross Country Run
– Wesley Methodist
Interact Club
August: The student
members of WMIC KL
organised a Cross
Country Run. The
students elected Hospis
Malaysia as one of the
charities to benefit from
this annual fundraising
event after learning about
the work we do from our
website. Thank you for
your support!
for his family and his late
wife. Hospis Malaysia is
grateful for the ongoing
support.
Asian Medical Student
Association of IMU
(AMSA-IMU)
September: A majority
of Hospis Malaysia
patients are treated and
cared for in the comfort
of their own homes
with their families.
With this in mind, the
Swan Foundation has
generously donated
bags designed and
manufactured by them
for our clinical team.
The donation of bags
will ensure better
organisation and easier
accessibility of medical
equipment and supplies
as our clinical team carry
out their visits.
August: The student
members of AMSA
– IMU organised a
fundraising activity
and elected us as the
beneficiary. The decision
to elect Hospis Malaysia
was through the student’s
exposure to the recently
held palliative care
awareness campaign
and after learning about
Hospis Malaysia through
our website.
Swan Foundation
Wedding of Mr Choi
Yew Hong & Ms Jecelia
Ng
The Red Swastika
Society (KL)
August: The Red
Swastika Society (KL)
organised a luncheon
fundraising event for
its 65th anniversary.
The society’s President,
Dato’ Tan Kah Choon
initiated this fundraising
activity to help Hospis
Malaysia raise funds
after having experienced
first-hand palliative care
September: The
newlyweds invited Hospis
Malaysia to use their
wedding celebration as
a platform to raise funds
and spread awareness
on palliative care to
their guests. Mr Choi
was thankful to Hospis
Malaysia for the care
provided to his mother
who had a life limiting
illness. We extend our
heartiest congratulations
to the lovely couple!
EVENTS
World Hospice & Palliative Care Day: Who cares? We do!
There is a great need for palliative care globally and
acknowledging this need is one of the main aims
behind the annual observation of World Hospice and
Palliative Care Day. The day is a united day of action to
commemorate and support hospices and palliative care
around the world. It aims to increase the availability of
hospices and palliative care throughout the world by
creating opportunities to speak out about the issues; to
raise awareness and understanding of the needs- medical,
social, practical, spiritual – of people living with a life
limiting illness and their families and to raise funds to
support and develop hospice and palliative care services
around the world.
How you can help support and promote palliative care
through this year’s theme of “Who Cares? We do!”
Anybody can get involved in World Hospice and
Palliative Care Day, to raise awareness and funds for their
local palliative care service providers. Hospis Malaysia
welcomes your help to ensure that people living with
life limiting illnesses, their families, friends and carers
receive the care and support that they need.
Here are some suggestions to help you get started:
Share your palliative care stories. Stories
can be a powerful way to give hope and inspire others.
We want to hear from you about your experience and
understanding of palliative care. Whether you are a
person living with a life limiting illness, a carer or family
member, a friend, and advocate, a health professional or
a policy maker, we want to hear your story.
Who Cares?
You may receive care from an
interdisciplinary team comprised of doctors,
nurses, carers, personal support workers,
social workers, volunteers, spiritual care
professionals and many others.
DID YOU KNOW?
400,000+
1,200,000 +
There are over 400,000
palliative care staff
internationally.
There are more than
1.2 million volunteers.
9,000,000 +
10,500,000 +
There are over 9 million people
acting as family carers.
Worldwide, over 10.5 million people
are involved with delivering
hospice palliative care.
Who Cares? We Do!
OCTOBER 11, 2014
www.worldday.org
You may do so anytime by sending your story to us at
Hospis Malaysia’s PR Department [email protected]
or visit palliativecare.my to read other’s stories.
Organise a fundraising event! How about
organising a fundraising event to raise funds for Hospis
Malaysia? If you plan to do this, please ensure you
contact us as soon as you start to plan your event.
Sponsor Our Printing
As a leading advocate for professional palliative care, we
continuously strive to increase the level of public awareness
towards this area of specialised healthcare. Earlier this year, under
the guidance of Palliative Care Australia, we developed a localised
series of palliative care information brochures (Available in 4
languages – English, BM, Chinese, Tamil). These brochures are
essential to facilitate public awareness and education.
We invite you to join us in our efforts by sponsoring the
printing of our next batch of brochures and consequently making
our vision to reach out to more people in need of palliative care
attainable. For more information on how you can be a sponsor,
please call 03-9133 3936 or email us at [email protected].
9
Past & Upcoming Workshops
Suffering & Hope (PC4)
8 - 10 August 2014
Workshop facilitators:
Dr Sue Marsden, New Zealand, Palliative Care
Consultant
Liese Groot-Alberts, New Zealand, Professional Grief
Therapist
“As a palliative care nurse dealing with children, even
assessment of pain and symptoms are conducted differently. Children communicate their pain and symptoms
differently. Understanding how to communicate with
these children was most insightful and informative to
me.” Emily Yap, Palliative Care Nurse
UPCOMING WORKSHOPS
Pain & Symptom Management (PC6)
22-24 November 2014
“Patients upon finding out they have a life threatening illness
will first ask: ‘What hope is there for me?’”
Key takeaway: Conversations that take place between
caregivers, healthcare providers and patients can either
support or damage one’s hope. Giving a patient or their
caregivers more control over their illness will ignite more
meaning to their lives and subsequently more hope as well.
“I find that I can better understand the complex and
changing nature of hope and how it evolves in someone
with a life-limiting illness. I witness suffering in my daily
work, but through appropriate establishment of hope, I
believe I can help alleviate their suffering from the initial
stages they receive bad news to cope with what follows
through the different stages of their illness”. Apple Lee,
Palliative Care Nurse
Paediatric Palliative Care (PC5)
13- 14 September 2014
Workshop facilitators:
Joan Marston, South Africa, chairs the International
Children's Palliative Care Network (ICPCN)
Dr Anthony Herbert, Australia, Staff Specialist in
Paediatric Palliative Care, Royal Children's Hospital,
Brisbane
Key takeaway: Dramatic life changes will happen to both
the child and the family upon learning of their illness.
As a palliative care provider, working side by side with
the active-treatment team to treat and guide the child
and their caregivers through every step of their illness is
essential.
10
Workshop facilitators:
Dr Ghauri Aggarwal – Palliative Medicine Consultant,
Concord Hospital Sydney
Dr Jan Maree Davis – Palliative Care Service Lecturer,
Sydney
Palliative care providers need to be equipped with
essential knowledge and skill on pain and symptom
management as pain is a common symptom experienced
by palliative care patients. This 3 day workshop facilitated
by pain and symptoms management experts will explore
both pharmacological and psychological issues to ensure
patients are able to live out their days with as little distress
as possible. Registrations are now open on our website
www.hospismalaysia.org.
Grief & Bereavement Care (PC7)
20-21 December 2014
Workshop facilitator:
Professor Amy Chow, Grief and Bereavement
Specialist, Hong Kong
Gilbert Fan, Manager at National Cancer Centre
(Singapore), Psychosocial Oncology Dept.
One of the aims of palliative care is to provide support to
patients to guide them through the experience of death,
anxiety and stress resulting from cumulative loss.
This two day workshop will walk palliative care
providers to better understand the process of grief and
bereavement so they are able to create a conducive
healing environment for patients and their caregivers.
Registrations will be open soon on our website
www.hospismalaysia.org.
Upcoming EVENTS & FUNDRAISING
Health in the City 2014
Hospis Malaysia will be the sole beneficiary of this year’s
‘Health in The City 2014’. There will be various health
talks by professionals, games, lucky draws and many
exciting giveaways. Come and support us on Sunday,
19th October 2014.
Ride for Palliative Care
This coming November 30th, a cycling race for palliative
care will take place to raise funds for Hospis Malaysia
and to spread awareness on palliative care. This event,
brainchild of a patient at Hospis Malaysia, Hasmah
Ibrahim and her husband Saharuddin Jafaar was
organised to inspire others that are suffering from lifelimiting illnesses. Cycling enthusiast can expect nothing
short of a ride to remember around the precincts of
Putrajaya.
Stay in touch as we’ll bring you further information
on the race registration and details very soon on
www.hospismalaysia.org or via Facebook: HospisMY
Hospis Malaysia + Soul Society’s
Christmas Bazaar!
Save the date! This, 7th December 2014 Hospis Malaysia
will be collaborating with Soul Society to bring you an
exciting Christmas themed Bazaar. You can expect an
array of food, unique finds and chances to win exciting
prizes. Stay tuned as we’ll bring you more information
on our website and Facebook on how you can spend the
upcoming season of joy and sharing.
Interested to be a vendor? Please contact the PR
Department at [email protected]
FUNDRAISING
Compilation of Poetry for Hospis
Malaysia
The students and English faculty of Garden International
School (GIS) has put together a compilation of poetry
and have directed the proceeds collected from the sale of
the books to Hospis Malaysia. For a minimum donation
of RM15, you can enjoy a wide selection of poetry crafted
by these young students.
11
ADVOCACY
Would you like to take a stand on the future
development of palliative care in Malaysia?
The next step in our advocacy work has led us to identify the need to campaign for standardisation in palliative care
nationwide. We aim to collect 15,000 pledge petitions by June 2015 to be presented to the Malaysian Ministry of
Health for further action. If you are interested to sign-up to it, please visit: palliativecare.my/support.
12