Bachelor of Science in Nursing with Honours- Singapore

November 20, 2018 by Leave a comment

Disclaimer: This is a paid post

The Bachelor of Science in Nursing with Honours will equip you with the advanced, specialist knowledge to provide the best possible care, to pioneer innovation and deliver improved outcomes for patients and their families. Graduates will hold a degree from King’s College London – one of the top universities in the world at which to study nursing.

Programme Structure

 

Core modules:
  • Research methods, critical appraisal and statistics
  • Legal and ethical issues for professional practice
  • Teaching, learning and assessing for nurses
  • Advanced assessment skills and clinical decision making
  • Dissertation
Elective modules:
  • Palliative and end of life care foundations OR Fundamental knowledge and skills in older person’s care
  • Leadership and clinical governance in healthcare OR Team-based health care practice and decision making

You can sign up for the Programme Preview every Friday 5pm at Ngee Ann City here.

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Exciting new journey for China SIG

November 5, 2018 by Leave a comment

Written by: Prof Enoch Lai, Chair, China Special Interest Group (SIG)
Edited by: Joyce Chee, APHN Executive

In the Asia-Pacific region, the Mandarin speaking population forms a significant percentage of the total population. Geographically, they are found in most of this region, and comprises of various ethnic groups and nationalities. Views on life and death are closely linked to the culture, background, customs and traditions of the individual. This in turn reflects on how palliative care is provided. Speaking the same language and having similar cultures, the Mandarin speaking population have a unique point of view when it comes to end-of-life issues.

The largest proportion of the Mandarin speaking population is located in China. In recent years, palliative care services are sprouting and developing at an unprecedented speed in China. The next step ahead will be to connect to the international palliative care community, work towards setting up a common standard and accreditation system and also to encourage mutual exchange. As the palliative care landscape continues to evolve in China, they can also be connected with other Mandarin speaking communities in the region, have access to resources and best practices around the world that is unique to the Chinese. These experienced professionals from other Mandarin speaking communities in Asia Pacific can provide palliative knowledge and skill to palliative professionals who are situated across all provinces in China to ensure that pain-free, dignified and quality end of life care is accessible to all Chinese.

One of the goals of the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) is to assist countries in the Asian-Pacific region in building capacity, improving service quality and increasing accessibility. Driven by this common purpose, Prof Cynthia Goh, Chair of APHN, Prof Enoch Lai, Chair of APHN China SIG and Prof Amy Chow, convened a mandarin speaking pre-conference under the Conference – “Innovation and Impact: The Review and Vision of Community End-of-Life Care” hosted by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and the Faculty of Social Sciences of the University of Hong Kong on 16 June 2018. Palliative professionals and experts were invited to exchange ideas and to explore the future development and international cooperation of palliative care in the region.

The meeting was attended by 20 palliative care professionals from Mandarin speaking regions. Action plans are currently in progress and updates will be provided at the next meeting during the Mandarin pre-conference workshop in APHC 2019 in Indonesia. We are all very excited to be in this journey and look forward to meeting again.

Lastly, we will like to thank to the Hong Kong Jockey Club Charities Trust and Prof Amy Chow for making this meeting possible by providing the venue and logistics support.

Filed under ehospice, Home, In the region, International

APHN Mini Interview Series- Dr Rumalie (Mae) Corvera, Philippines

October 31, 2018 by Leave a comment

Article written by Marita Linkson (APHN Volunteer)

This is the first in a mini-interview series featuring members of the 18th Council of the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN).

Dr Rumalie (Mae) Corvera 1 was recently elected to the APHN Council, and represents The Philippines.

I asked Dr Corvera about her palliative medicine experience and influences, and where she sees her role on APHN Council 2.

  1. What can you tell me about your role establishing the Home Care and Hospice Program, University of Perpetual Help (Dalta) Medical Center.

After my Fellowship training in Supportive Palliative and Hospice Care, I was invited, along with a colleague, to help set up the HCH Perpetual Help; there was an initial proposal authored by Family Medicine Specialist, Dr Elinore Alba. The Medical Director, Perpetual Help, asked us to help with the implementation; which was rewarding in itself; but to see that it actually could be done, despite a few challenges, including slow acceptance by fellow physicians and budgetary constraints, was the most fulfilling part – coupled with the feedback from patients and families. They expressed gratitude for being cared for by a team from the hospital in the comfort of their own homes, and for us caring enough to see them where they lived.

  1. What do you think are the specific challenges for providing hospice and palliative care in The Philippines?

The lack of Government Support and Community Awareness. The Medical Community is also still in the uphill process of integrating it into “standard practice,” but I believe we are gradually getting there.

  1. What do you hope to achieve in your capacity as an APHN Councillor?

I would be most grateful to help in the area of training and education; not just by teaching, but by helping APHN to promote standards and develop references and resources for training, especially for our less developed Asia Pacific country members. I am also willing to be an advocate for establishing and empowering “Compassionate Communities” in the Asia Pacific region, in line with APHN Council’s vision and mission.

  1. What and/or who inspired you to specialise in Palliative Medicine…

My training at the country’s largest government hospital, Philippine General Hospital, where patients are often told “nothing else can be done,” and the life legacy of Palliative and Hospice Care Pioneer, Dr Josefina Magno.

…and what would you say to doctors or medical students who might be considering this path?

The APHN Council consists of 7 members to be appointed by sectors on a rotation to be determined alphabetically according to the name of the sectors (Constitution 12.2a), 7 elected members, and 6 Co-opted members.

That a critical core in the practice of Medicine is the embracing of true compassion…and to quote Joan Halifax.:

“First, compassion is comprised of that capacity to see clearly into the nature of suffering. It is that ability to really stand strong and to recognize also that I’m not separate from this suffering. But that is not enough, because compassion means that we aspire, we actually aspire to transform suffering. And if we’re so blessed, we engage in activities that transform suffering. But compassion has another component, and that component is really essential. That component is that we cannot be attached to outcome.”

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APHN Volunteer Reflection

October 31, 2018 by Leave a comment

“You make a living by what you get. You make a life by what you give.” ~Winston Churchill

Below is an article written by one of our volunteers, Li Ying. Li Ying is a Year 2 medical student at The National University of Ireland, Galway.

A Reflection on Volunteering with APHN

by Li Ying (article edited by Marita Linkson)

The healthcare industry often conjures up images of doctors with stethoscopes and patients in wards. However, so much more goes on behind the clinical setting; hidden from the public eye. Volunteering at APHN has opened my eyes to the work of regional networks and the most important aspect of their role; connecting medical professionals so they can share information and promote seamless integration of patients into different healthcare settings.

As a volunteer with APHN, my primary role was to assist with administrative tasks. One of my roles was to help collate and update the directory of palliative care services in Asia Pacific. Although seemingly mundane work, my volunteer coordinator, Joyce, regularly encouraged me to read more about palliative care and recommended courses for me to broaden my understanding. She took the time to explain her role and told me what palliative care meant to her. This helped me to really appreciate the value of my work.

A bonus of my volunteering stint at APHN was the opportunity to visit a local hospice and immerse myself in the services offered to patients. I had the privilege of both visiting the day care hospice facility, and following nurses on their home visits. Both experiences gave me first-hand experience interacting with the ultimate beneficiaries of APHN. Meeting the patients and staff devoted to palliative care dispelled some misconceptions I had about palliative care; for example, that palliative care is mainly for end-of-life patients. While that is generally true in a hospice, there are also patients who have outlived their prognosis, hence being admitted into a hospice is definitely not a death sentence! Early recognition of the need for palliative care helps to chart the journey for improving a patient’s quality of life before it gets too late. I have learnt to recognise that palliative medicine is as much an investigation into the patient’s beliefs, hopes and desires, as it is a focus on symptom and pain management.

Volunteering at APHN really gave me a more holistic view of palliative care – a perspective I would not have gained if I had simply volunteered to befriend patients. Thanks for this opportunity, APHN!

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BNI Palliative Care Scholarships 2019

October 31, 2018 by Leave a comment

BNI New Zealand is now accepting applications for scholarships from health professionals wishing to undertake postgraduate study in 2019. 

Applications close at 5pm on Wednesday 28 November, 2018. For more information and to download the application form, please click here.

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Award for Palliative Care Leadership Programmes 2019

October 22, 2018 by Leave a comment

For more information, visit: https://www.eupca.eu/menuleiste1/leadership-award/

Filed under Home, In the region, International, Training & Education

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day Events

October 12, 2018 by Leave a comment

World Hospice and Palliative Care Day (WHPCD) is coming up on the 13th of October 2018!

WHPCD is a unified day of action to celebrate and support hospice and palliative care around the world. This year's theme is: Palliative Care- Because I Matter!

The materials for WHPCD 2018 are provided below in English and Mandarin (中文版翻译):

In conjunction with WHPCD, here are the list of events happening in our various sectors:

WHPCD Events

Indonesian Palliative Society 

27th October 2018: Indonesian Palliative Society Surabaya Branch and the Surabaya Palliative Foundation have collaborated to hold a seminar about palliative care and the theme is “Mengapa perawatan paliatif penting untuk penderita kanker? “KARENA ANDA BERHARGA”

Venue: Ballroom Grand City Convention Exhibition Surabaya

Time: 0800-1230

This activity is also supported by the Mayor of Surabaya, Dr. (H.C) Ir. Tri Rismaharini, MT as a Keynote Speaker and other speakers with topics Useful always and valuable until the end of life (Tetap berguna dan berharga sampai akhir hayat) by Prof. Marlina S. Mahajuddin., dr., SpKJ(K),PGD.Pall.Med (ECU) and The Role of Palliative Care in Cancer Patient (Peran Perawatan Paliatif Pada Pasien Kanker) by Wiwiek Indriyani Maskoep,dr,SpPD.FINASIM. It will be attended by 1200 participants from all elements, consisting of patients and family, volunteers, employees, health care professionals, NGO, and others in the community interested to be involved and know more about Palliative Care.

Click here for schedule: Palliative Care Seminar Schedule (Indonesia)

Hospice Palliative Care Japan (HPCJ)

7-13 October 2018: HPJC have established a special "Hospice Palliative Care Week". The members of HPCJ, hospice palliative care units, palliative care team and home care services will have special events in each hospital or community (e.g. hospice palliative care forum or symposium, concert, open house, photo exhibition, special counseling room etc.)

Mongolian Palliative Care Society (MPCS)

13th October 2018: MPCS will host an 8 hour conference on "Ethical problems in palliative care or advanced directives". In the conference, we will have presentations and role play on breaking bad news, DNR (Do Not Resuscitate), DPA (durable power of attorney), TPN (total parenteral nutrition), PN (parenteral nutrition), bowel obstruction.

Venue: Conference Hall of the Ministry of Health

14th October 2018: MPCS planned to organize a sports day within our hospices for the prevention of burn out syndrome with basketball and table tennis games. 

Makati Medical Center

15 October: 3rd Integrative Palliative & Home Care Post Graduate Conference "The Care that You Deserve"

Venue: Makati Medical Center, 8th Floor Auditorium, Tower 2

2 Amorsolo Street, Legaspi Village

Makati City, Philippines 1229

Time: 0800-1700  

Singapore Hospice Council (SHC)

1-31st October 2018: SHC in collaboration with the National Library Board (NLB) to host exhibitions and public education and engagement programmes across 9 libraries islandwide. The objective is to increase understanding of palliative care and end-of-life care among Singaporeans

The exhibition and programmes are open to public and prior registration to attend the programmes is required. For full programme listing and registration, please visit SHC’s website at https://singaporehospice.org.sg/events/

SHC has published the first of a series of Life Books titled “Lawrence of Arabia”. It is an illustrated book to help readers understand more about palliative care, celebrate the lives of palliative care patients and the legacies they leave behind. Published in both English and Chinese, the books will be made available to the public for borrowing at all libraries soon. An eBook version will also be available at SHC’s website by 1 October 2018. Lien Center

  • 8th October 2018: A talk by Professor Eric Finkelstein, Executive Director of the Lien Centre for Palliative Care, Duke-NUS Medical School.

Exploring the Complicated Decisions Around End of Life Care: Research at the Lien Centre for Palliative Care, Singapore

Time: 4pm – 6pm

Venue: Central Public Library, Multi-Purpose Room

             100 Victoria Street, National Library Board, Singapore 188064

  • 23rd October 2018: A talk by Professor Semra Ozdemir, Assistant Professor, Health Services & Systems Research, Duke-NUS Medical School.

Exploring Treatment Decisions of Elderly Patients with Kidney Failure: Research at the Lien Centre for Palliative Care, Singapore

Time: 3pm – 5pm

Venue: Tampines Regional Library, Programme Zone, Level 6

            1 Tampines Walk, #02-01 Our Tampines Hub,  Singapore 529684

 
    • 30th October 2018: A talk by Professor Carl Becker, Specially Appointed Professor of the Policy Science Unit, School of Medicine, Kyoto University.Supporting the family before and after a deathTime: 3pm – 5pmVenue: Duke-NUS Medical SchoolAmphitheatre, Level 28 College Road, Singapore 169857
   

 Palliative Care Association of Sri Lanka

13th October 2018: Palliative Care Association of Sri Lanka will have a programme for about 150-200 participants comprising of Doctors, Nurses, Para Medics, Medical Students and lay people. We will have the Mallika Khoja Oration for the second consecutive year, the topic being "Melodies for Maladies that Linger" followed by a symposium. Also there will a book launch the two books  titled " Hand Book for Carers" in local languages - Sinhala & Tamil.

Venue: Dr. Prathap C. Reddy Auditorium, Lanka Hospitals Click here for schedule: WHPCD Sri Lanka Programme

13 October 2018: Integration of Palliative and Long-Term Care Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital | 高雄醫學大學附設中和紀念醫院

12 October 2018: 2018 World Hospice and Palliative Care Day Charity Sale |2018年世界安寧日環保二手安寧義賣活動

Kaohsiung Medical University Chung-Ho Memorial Hospital is having a Charity Sale for second-hand goods in honor of 2018 World Hospice and Palliative Care Day.

http://www.kmuh.org.tw/ Palliative Care Center | 美醫院緩和醫療中心

2-4 October 2018: Grace Hospice Ward: 10th Anniversary Charity Sale | 奇美醫院緩和醫療中心-奇恩病房10週年義賣

In celebration of its 10 year anniversary and to raise awareness for hospice & palliative care in honor of World Hospice and Palliative Care Day, Grace Hospice Ward hosted a charity sale on the first floor of the hospital building on October 2nd~4th. Chi Mei Hospital | 奇美醫院  

6 October 2018: Cycling for Love: Raising Awareness for Palliative Care | 「騎出安寧活出愛美麗人生大會師」鐵馬行活動

2018 is a special year for Chi Mei Hospital as it marks the 50th anniversary of Chi Mei Medical Center, 20th anniversary of the hospice and palliative care team, as well as the 10th anniversary of the Grace Hospice Ward. To celebrate this meaningful year, patients, family members, family members of deceased patients, doctors, nurses, and hospital staff of the three hospital branches joined together in a cycling event to bring awareness to hospice and palliative care, patient autonomy, life and death education, and advance care planning.

News Links: https://news.sina.com.tw/article/20181006/28393300.html
                    https://www.ettoday.net/news/20181007/1275733.htm
Pingtung Christian Hospital | 屏基醫療財團法人屏東基督教醫院 

1. 17-21 September 2018: Hospice & Palliative Care Awareness Week | 安寧傳愛週

To promote public awareness of palliative care, Pingtung Christian Hospital held a series of events between September 17~21st which included activities such as a flashmob in the hospital lobby, a writing competition, experiential workshop activities open to the public, and a conference on palliative care.

News links:
http://www.epochtimes.com/b5/18/9/18/n10723225.htm
http://news.ltn.com.tw/news/life/breakingnews/2555019
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1iSJW8_n_8&feature=youtu.be 2. 5 October 2018: Flashmob at the Pingtung Train Station | 屏東火車站快閃活動

On October 5th at 4pm, crowds at the Pingtung Train Station were pleasantly surprised by a flashmob of a group of 30 doctors and nurses from Pingtung Christian Hospital who performed three popular Taiwanese songs and held up signs that read, “Celebrating World Hospice and Palliative Care Day: I support Hospice and Palliative Care” before dispersing into the crowd.

News Link:
https://www.ettoday.net/news/20181005/1274506.htm  

The Department of Palliative Care from University of Medicine and Pharmacy

13th October 2018: The Department of Palliative Care from University of Medicine and Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City, in partnership with Ho Chi Minh City Oncology Hospital and University Medical Center, would host the first Vietnam National Palliative Care Conference to celebrate this year World Hospice Palliative Care Day. 

Venue: Great Lecture Hall. University of Medicine & Pharmacy at Ho Chi Minh City

217 Hong Bang Street, District 5

Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam

Time: 0800-1200 Click here for schedule: WHPCD Vietnam Schedule

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Australia organises EPEC-Pediatrics course

October 8, 2018 by Leave a comment

Friday 8th & Saturday 9th March, 2019 Sydney, Australia

The EPEC-Pediatrics curriculum is held over 2-days and features state-of-the-art knowledge in pain and symptom management and training in the skills required to address key domains for paediatric palliative care. The program is designed to give paediatric healthcare professionals (incl. physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, social workers, psychologists) the knowledge and skills needed to provide excellent palliative care to their patients and their families.

Participants will also be equipped to become EPEC-Pediatric Trainers who can educate interdisciplinary teams providing care to children with serious illness.

Numbers are strictly limited. Don’t be disappointed the last time this was held Down Under (Auckland, New Zealand 2016) the course was very quickly over-subscribed.

Registration Fee:  

Regular  AUD $ 1,250
Low and Middle-Income Countries AUD $    600

Registration details will be provided on acceptance.

To be considered for EPEC-Ped please forward an Expression of Interest with short CV (maximum 1 page) to Dr Ross Drake at rossd@adhb.govt.nz

Registration Includes:

  • 2-day Train-the-Trainer Conference attendance
  • Access to 18 self-study online modules on pain and symptom management, grief and bereavement, child development, and more
  • Receipt of all training materials in the curriculum upon successful completion of the course, including:

o 24 PowerPoint Presentations

o A comprehensive teaching handbook for each module to teach interdisciplinary teams

o Trigger videos

DISCLAIMER: PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS COURSE IS NOT ORGANISED BY THE APHN

Filed under Events, In the region, Paediatric, Training & Education

KOSISH- India

September 26, 2018 by Leave a comment

KOSISH- the Hospice

Mission statement

To provide compassionate, individualized, holistic and supportive care for all patients with life-limiting illnesses, their carers and families.

Service description

Palliative care is still in its infancy in most parts of India, with more than 99% of the population being deprived of its benefits. Availability of resources is a major problem and this factor is compounded by lack of affordability. Accessibility is a major issue in small towns and villages – 70-80% of the population of India still live in villages and small towns. The sad result is that majority die undignified deaths and often leaving the families in a state of prolonged bereavement.

We are pioneering the cause of rural palliative care in the tribal state of Jharkhand & West Bengal in India through our hospice, KOSISH, which is the first NGO in Jharkhand providing palliative care services to the elderly and the terminally ill. We have been providing our services to the community since 2006. Narcotic rules vary from state to state and administrators in most areas consider a low priority issue. Illiteracy, poverty, ignorance are the rule of the day. Most people do not have access to basic health amenities. Care of the terminally ill remains a low-priority issue with them. Death means a mouth less to feed – economics simplified!

Focusing on the available ‘resources’ i.e, addressing the spiritual & psychological needs of the dying, in addition to the physical needs, would go a long way in preventing such ‘undignified’ deaths. We ‘tap’ into these resources and provide the best possible care in accordance with the local social & cultural background.

We provide ‘home care’ for the patients, where our team consisting of a doctor, nurse, and volunteer visit the patients at their homes and address the symptoms in a holistic fashion, providing relief, sustaining dignity & empowering the family in the care of the patient.

In addition, we conduct ‘heath check-up camps’ for the Elderly in villages, for they would find it difficult to access our center…we have coined the term of ‘preventive palliation’ in this context for the Elderly. In providing a holistic nature of care, it is our endeavor to address poverty, as far as practicable.

We distribute ‘used clothes’ to the poor when we conduct camps in the remote villages. This promotes goodwill and trust.

In our endeavor to empower the ‘girl child’, we arranged for the moral education of the village girls in our center by providing them with basic education, food and clothing.

We have also started a system where we have trained a few village women to conduct door to door surveys of the Elderly, asking questions in a holistic manner, and providing a routine check of physical parameters like blood pressure.

We also have constructed a residential ‘Long term care facility for the Elderly & terminally ill’ at Vill.Pindrajhora, Bokaro, which is about 300 km from Kolkata, for providing residential care.

As a part of continuing education, we conduct the Indian Association of Palliative Care certificate course in Essentials of Palliative Care for doctors, nurses & dentists, at our center. We have had many original research published in indexed journals.

We are happy to welcome people interested in seeking ‘clinical attachments’ at our hospice and also offer our expertise in working in resource poor settings.

Contact details:

Kosish- the Hospice

Village: Obra, Thana: Pindrajhora, District Bokaro, Jharkhand, India. 827013.

Email: ratuldam@yahoo.com

Facebook: kosishthehospice, www.kosishthehospice.webs.com

 

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23rd Congress of the Japanese Society for Palliative Medicine 2018

August 29, 2018 by Leave a comment

On 15-17 June, the Asia Pacific Hospice Palliative Care Network (APHN) had the opportunity to participate in the 23rd Congress of the Japanese Society for Palliative Medicine (JSPM 2018) held in Kobe, Japan. It was the first time that the APHN had been invited by a sector to their local conference to set up an outreach booth.

The JSPM 2018 is one of the largest palliative care conferences in the world and this year’s conference theme was “Quality Palliative and End-of Life Care”. In line with the theme, doctors, nurses and researchers from Japan and overseas shared their experiences and expertise during the panel discussions, workshops and plenary sessions. More than 10 well-known palliative care researchers from around the world were invited. The conference provided a platform to promote non-cancer palliative care, to share information about how to organize community based palliative care in a hyper-aging society, research and clinical implementation of Advanced Care Planning (ACP) internationally, particularly in the Asia Pacific Region. This was also the first time the JSPM Annual Congress conference organized an ‘international day’ on the third day of the conference where outstanding world-class experts presented all the sessions in English..

The APHN had set up the booth with posters of collaborative research in Asia to reach out to potential future collaborators.

The booth allowed the APHN to showcase our activities and more importantly, bring to the awareness of thousands of participants the existence of APHN as there are still many palliative care experts in Japan who have never heard of APHN. Hence, the booth served as a stepping stone to raising awareness amongst Japanese palliative care professionals.

Clockwise from left: Joyce with APHN Council members Professor Kizawa and Professor Kim; Joyce with Professor Kashiwagi (1st chairman of APHN); APHN Council member Dr Mori, with colleagues at the booth.

One of the posters described the ongoing APHN research project involving an international survey on Advanced Care Planning (ACP), which we hope will help to lay the foundation for the future development or implementation and research or education of ACP in many Asia-Pacific countries/regions. Dr Masanori Mori stopped by the booth and interacted with some visitors. Through the booth set up and interactions, many people now know about the opportunities for them to contribute towards the improvement of palliative care in the Asia and Pacific region. Through this experience, we have been able to reach out to more people and share about what we do at APHN, which was one of our main goals for this conference.

Professor Kim (middle) with Japanese faculty at dinner

Group photo

A dinner was organized to facilitate networking among the many healthcare professionals and we got to meet and interact with local palliative care colleagues where new friendships were forged.

We would like to thank Professor Yoshiyuki Kizawa for inviting APHN to the conference; it was a truly enriching experience.

APHN Executive, Joyce (left), with participants from Singapore!

APHN Executive, Joyce (right) with Dr Woo Kam Wing from Hong Kong

 

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Rachel House- Jakarta, Indonesia

August 29, 2018 by Leave a comment

Patient playing with a Rachel House nurse

There are close to 700,000 seriously-ill children in Indonesia. However, right now less than one percent of these children have access to pain relief or palliative care. At Rachel House, we have pioneered palliative care in Indonesia for these seriously-ill children from marginalised communities since 2006. We are driven by the vision that no child should ever have to live or die in pain, and that everyone is entitled to palliative care regardless of income, illness or education.

Patient is playing with a Community Network Palliative Care volunteer

We provide home-based palliative care services across Greater Jakarta to seriously-ill children with Cancer and HIV AIDS, free of charge. This allows the children to live pain-free and in the comfort of their own home, surrounded by family and friends. In addition, we educate and equip medical professionals and empower local communities (overwhelmingly women) with palliative care skills, as well as knowledge to provide care for those in need.

A Rachel House nurse on a home care visit to a patient

Our Clinic-In-A-Box program is Indonesia’s premier palliative care education program for nurses and allied health professionals, with world-leaders in palliative care designing and delivering the program.

We are working to build the palliative care ecosystem across Indonesia to make a sustainable change to the country’s healthcare system – and we welcome any partners International or National to join us on this journey.

 

To find out more, please visit: https://rachel-house.org/

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The start of something new – Education in Palliative and End of Life Care (EPEC) – Paediatrics workshop 2018

June 28, 2018 by Leave a comment

EPEC-Paeds Workshop 2018

The estimated number of children in need of palliative care at the end of life is almost 1.2 million globally, of which 24% comes from the Southeast Asian Region.[1] There is significant pain and suffering to be addressed, yet paediatric palliative care is largely still developing in this part of the world.

Particularly in Asia, there is a scarcity of training opportunities and limited dedicated resources in this field of work. Recognising this need, the Paediatric Palliative Care Special Interest Group (PPC SIG) of the Asia Pacific Hospice and Palliative Care Network (APHN) partnered with EPEC headquarters in the US to bring its leading training programme at a much subsidised rate to practitioners here.

Small group teaching

This inaugural train-the-trainers programme in Paediatric Palliative Care was jointly organised by  APHN and Hospis Malaysia. It consists of 2 components – an online curriculum, which participants first have to complete beforehand, followed by an in-person training workshop. The latter was held from 18 – 19 May in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

The programme was originally intended for only 40 participants but in just 2 weeks after application opened, more than 70 registrations were received! Due to overwhelming response, registrations closed much earlier than anticipated. Such massive latent demand for PPC related education indeed!

After much deliberation with programme leads, the PPC SIG released more slots for participation. Eventually, 64 professionals from 11 different countries in the Asia Pacific were enrolled.  Over the 2 day workshop, participants soaked in knowledge on how to teach and facilitate classes, discussed clinical challenges with faculty, and exchanged experience with each other. They practically shared stories, laughed and ate together like long lost friends.

Small Group Discussions

An APHN networking group was also created for the class of 2018. Even after the workshop, participants can continue to participate in discussions with the faculty and fellow classmates. One participant even commented, “Now I know where to ask for help if I face any difficulty when I am working at the hospital, even in the middle of the night.” Indeed, no one will ever feel alone or without any support now, even if they are the only paediatric palliative care practitioner in their service!

Our faculty

This workshop would not have happened without the support of supporting partners and advocates. We will like to especially thank our faculty members, Dr Ross Drake (New Zealand), Ms Stacy Remke (New Zealand), Dr Mary Ann Muckaden (India), Ms Jody Chrastek (USA), Ms Karyn Bycroft (USA) and Ms Lee-Anne Pedersen (Australia) for delivering such a wonderful experience in KL.

We thank the Hong Kong Hospice and Palliative Care Foundation Limited for their kind donation to APHN and Hilton Kuala Lumpur for providing us special rates for faculty accommodation.

Tea time!

If you will like to find out more about the next APHN-EPEC Paediatric workshop, sign up to join our mailing list at https://aphn.us8.list-manage.com/subscribe?u=a5b9404e71f8cf038c7cc5f0f&id=9ce5eaa9b0.

If your organisation will like to support us in future runs of this workshop, please write to the APHN Secretariat at aphn@aphn.org or call +65 6235 5166 to find out more!

[1] World Health Organization. (2014). Global atlas of palliative care at the end of life. World Wide Palliative Care Alliance & World Health Organization. http://www.who.int/nmh/Global_Atlas_of_Palliative_Care.pdf

 

 

Filed under Home, In the region, Paediatric

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