Relawan gunting rambut pesakit demi bawa keceriaan (Volunteer brings cheer to patients with haircut service)

​Mr Mohd Taha Lema, a volunteer who offers free haircut services for patients at Jurong Community Hospital, shared that after his wife’s passing, he hopes to contribute his time to help those in need. Through volunteering as a barber, he gets to interact with seniors and give them words of encouragement. It also allows him to reflect on life and reminds him on the importance of health. There are three volunteers in the hospital’s free haircut programme which benefits about 30 patients every month.

灵活调整健康餐盘 外食也能营养均衡 (Flexible eating patterns with My Healthy Plate allows nutritional balance when eating out)

​Ms Lee Loo Yee, Dietitian, Dietetics & Nutrition, NTFGH, shared that healthy eating shouldn’t be a ‘diet’ that we follow for a short duration of time. Instead, it should be regarded as a sustainable lifestyle that is adaptable to suit different cultures, food preferences and budgets. Rather than having a deprivation mentality where we cut things out, we should look at what we can add or swap in our diets. She elaborated that Health Promotion Board’s My Healthy Plate concept acts as a guide to allow flexible eating patterns so that we can make choices and simple adjustments, which can go a long way towards healthy eating.

Registration details of JCH’s virtual caregiver talk titled “Healthy Eating Made Easy” happening on 26 November 2022 are listed.

避免伤脚 穿对鞋有学问 (Choosing the right footwear to prevent foot injury)

​Ms Jolene Tai, Senior Podiatrist, Podiatry, NTFGH, shared tips on choosing the right footwear to prevent foot injury. She explained that foot blisters are caused by excessive pressure, friction or shear, which are most commonly caused by poor-fitting footwear. She elaborated that poor-fitting footwear in terms of length and width at the toe box may result in cramping of the foot within the shoe structure. These may cause excessive rubbing and pressure on the bony prominences such as the toes, which can form corns or callus, which become potential areas for wounds.

Registration details of JCH’s virtual caregiver talk titled “Keeping on Your Toes” happening on 29 October 2022 are listed.

让科学走入生活 (Let science be part of life)

​Commonwealth Secondary School Eco Club’s teacher-in-charge Mr Jacob Tan shared how he stimulates students’ interest in science by using living materials. Together with art studio Wild Dot, he led 20 Eco Club students in the creation of an exhibition featured at this year’s Arts&Health Festival organised by NTFGH and JCH.

The project made from botanical ink is inspired by the koi pond in JCH’s Healing Garden, and patients were involved in painting the tiles. The exhibition will be ongoing till end November before the artworks are displayed in wards and clinics for patients and visitors to enjoy.

本地医院举办以持续性为主题的艺术与健康节 (Local hospitals organise sustainability-themed Arts&Health Festival)

After two years, the Arts&Health Festival organised by NTFGH and JCH resumes its physical format. Themed "Uplift", the sixth edition of the festival features eco-art exhibitions and activities. The artworks are co-created by more than 150 patients, community partners, hospital staff and artists.

本地医院时隔两年再办艺术与健康节 (Local hospitals organise physical Arts&Health Festival after two years)

​This year’s Arts&Health Festival organised by NTFGH and JCH focuses on sustainability and features artworks co-created by over 150 patients, community partners, hospital staff and artists. The sixth edition of the festival takes place from 28 – 30 September, showcasing exhibitions, performances and workshops for the public.

Mr Lee Sze-Chin, an art therapist at JCH, engaged patients with dementia to create an exhibition to explore their memories of birdwatching. NTFGH CEO Dr Quek Lit Sin shared that the activities are meaningful and will boost the morale of patients and healthcare staff.

Tracing Ripples

​Tracing Ripples is one of the six exhibitions featured at this year’s Arts&Health Festival organised by NTFGH and JCH. Art studio Wild Dot’s co-founder Ms Liz Liu and Commonwealth Secondary School Eco Club’s teacher-in-charge Mr Jacob Tan shared the process of creating the artwork with JCH patients. They also elaborated on the significance of this creative collaboration to create a healing environment for patients and visitors.

The programme mentioned that this year’s Arts&Health Festival is taking place from 28 – 30 September, and it will feature exhibitions, workshops and performances for the public to enjoy. After the festival’s opening events, exhibitions will be ongoing till end November before the artworks are displayed permanently in the hospitals’ wards and clinics.

别让噪音损听力 (Do not let noise damage hearing)

​Ms Lee Si Ting, Audiologist, Audiology, explained how noise exposure can lead to permanent hearing damage. She elaborated that noise-induced damage can occur when an individual is exposed to loud sounds over a prolonged duration, or when there is sudden sound exposure at hazardous levels. As individuals with hearing loss are likely to increase their listening level for better speech perception, it can put them at greater risk to noise-induced damage. She also shared what caregivers should look out for when seniors start using hearing aids, and the role of audiologists in caring for someone with hearing loss.

Registration details of JCH’s virtual caregiver talk titled “Induced Hearing Loss and Hearing Aids” happening on 24 September 2022 are listed.

裕廊社区医院疫情后 首次为病人举办户外中秋节活动 (Jurong Community Hospital holds first outdoor Mid-Autumn Festival event since pandemic)

​Jurong Community Hospital held an outdoor Mid-Autumn Festival event for more than 40 patients on 6 September. Patients enjoyed performances of familiar tunes and took part in themed activities like lantern painting and lantern riddles. The first outdoor concert event after two and a half years was well received by patients. This is part of the hospital’s concert series under the Arts&Health programme supported by the JurongHealth Fund.

石头作画 姿彩人生 (Enriching life with rock art)

​Mr Ang Gee Seng, a cancer survivor who moves around in a wheelchair, shared how he picked up rock painting while volunteering in his community garden. A kindergarten student asked whether he knew how to paint, which sparked his interest in creating art. The self-taught artist has created countless rock art, and his proudest work was a creation exhibited at the Singapore Garden Festival and posted on PM Lee Hsien Loong’s FB page. Mr Ang’s works will be featured at this year’s Arts&Health Festival, and he will be presenting a workshop on 29 September.

How risk of vision impairment increases with age

医院疗养院办演出 让住院者感受国庆气氛 (Hospitals and nursing homes organise performances for patients to immerse in National Day atmosphere)

Ms Vanessa Phang, a musician from Myo Entertainment, will be performing National Day songs in JCH wards on 5 August. She hopes that the familiar songs will spread cheer to the patients. The article also mentioned that NTFGH and JCH have progressively resumed the Music-on-the-Move programme in May.

Healthcare’s helping hands

​In this feature on hospital volunteers, NTFGH’s long-serving volunteers Mr Johari Nazir, Mdm Aisha Pwee and Ms Angie Ng shared their roles and responsibilities as Patient Navigators in the hospital’s outpatient clinics. They also elaborated how they started volunteering, and what gives them the passion to serve patients.

The article also mentioned that there are about 60 volunteers across NTFGH and JCH, and listed the various programmes available in the hospitals.

老人跌倒别大意! (Do not overlook falls among elderly)

​Ms Tou Yu Fang, Senior Physiotherapist, JCH, explained that falls among elderly can lead to devastating health consequences like head injury, hip or spine fractures, or even death. She also listed the environmental and human factors that increase fall risk, and demonstrated simple tests one can do at home to rate strength and balance.

Registration details of JCH’s virtual caregiver talk titled “Catch Yourself Before You Fall!” happening on 30 July 2022 are listed.

掌握家人服药信息 妥善上心管理药物 (Understanding family’s medications for effective management)

Ms Syatirah Harun, Pharmacist, JCH, shared that caregivers can help to prevent medication errors by ensuring that the five “rights” of medication administration are followed: right patient, right medication, right time, right dose and right route. She added that patients or caregivers who are more IT savvy can make use of phone apps such as HealthHub to keep track of medication lists. Another option is to take pictures of all the medications with clear labels and keep them in an album in the phone. Otherwise, a note in the phone or a handwritten medication list would suffice. She also mentioned that some patients may be overwhelmed or confused if they have many different conditions and medications. To simplify medication-taking, it is advisable to separate long term medications from those which are taken on a “when necessary” basis. This will avoid inappropriate administration of medication.