Page 29 - Sphere No.23 (Dec 2008)

SPHERE 27
HEY ARE NOT healthcare professionals but they
make patients feel better; they do not know how to
administer medication, but they are their charges’
“miracle drug”.
They are Hospice Ambassadors, “angels” who lessen the
physical pain andmental anguish of terminal cancer patients by
providing themwith emotional counselling and spiritual care.
Funded by the Li Ka Shing Foundation’s Heart of Gold
Hospice Programme, day care hospice centres were set up
in Hong Kong’s eight major public hospitals last year. At the
same time, a team of Hospice Ambassadors was formed to
tend to the needs of the terminally ill, ably assisted by 40
members of Hutchison Whampoa Limited’s (HWL) Volun-
teer Team who lend valuable support to those in need.
Each year more than 10,000 people in Hong Kong die of
T
HEARTS OF GOLD
ACCORDING TO Dr Anne W M Lee, head of
the Department of Clinical Oncology at Pa-
melaYoude Nethersole Eastern Hospital, plans
for opening a day-care hospice centre began in October
2007 and the centre finally opened in August this year.
The establishment of this centre involved a number of
departments in the hospital, including physiotherapists,
occupational therapists, nutritionists and volunteers.
“The centre organises various activities such as tai
chi sessions, aromatherapy courses, cooking classes and
birthday parties,” said Dr Lee. “The aim is to relax the
patients’ minds and lift their spirits.We put notices in
the newspapers to recruit more volunteers.We man-
aged to recruit more than 70. As long as you have a
willing heart, whether you are a homemaker, a cook or
a white-collared worker, you can join us.”
Before the HWLVolunteerTeam members could serve
at the hospice, they had to undergo a training course
given by the hospital to learn about the principles of hos-
pice volunteer service and the scope of their work. They
also learnt about caring for cancer patients and the atti-
tudes they had to adopt. To date they have organised two
activities: a birthday party in the hospital for patients and
their families, and a Mid-Autumn Festival party.
AliceTang of the A SWatson Group is a group leader
of the HWL Volunteer Team’s Palliative Care Services
Group. “Allowing patients and their families to forget
their physical and emotional pain for just a few hours.
Allowing them to enjoy the activities cheerfully, basking
in the warmth of human kindness. That is something we
find very meaningful,” she said.
The volunteers provide non-therapeutic support. This
involves chatting with patients, accompanying them on
visits to the doctor and taking part in activities with them.
These simple acts of kindness may seem trivial but they
help patients forget their worries temporarily.
“A volunteer once told me that the reason why the
food prepared by Dae Jang Geum (the protagonist in
the Korean television drama series A Jewel in the Palace)
was exceptionally good was because she had put her
heart and soul into her cooking. It was the same dedica-
tion as that of the volunteers,” said Dr Lee.
She said that although the food prepared by the vo-
lunteers might not be the same as those served in ho-
tels, they put their hearts and souls into it – something
that is deeply appreciated by the patients.
The volunteers
lend a sympathetic
ear to their
patients while
keeping them
company on their
final journeys