Havenue
Introduction
HCA Hospice Care is a registered charity that provides comfort and support to patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families.
Celebrating a beneficiary’s birthday during home visit
What we do
Our volunteers visit the terminally-ill patients weekly and conduct befriending sessions and also some basic housekeeping. We’ll spend most of our time talking to them and engaging in activities such as bringing them to coffee shops to have their lunch and even singing Karaoke! Even though our beneficiaries are terminally-ill, you can hardly tell it as they are cheerful and lively. Frequently, they will share their interesting stories that happened during their youth with us. Visits are fun activities not only for the beneficiaries but for the volunteers as well!
Bringing our beneficiary around the neighbourhood
Besides making weekly home visits, our volunteers also participate in other activities, such as Festive Cheer events, where we will visit the beneficiaries during Deepavali, Hari Raya, Chinese New Year and Christmas and spread the festive joy! In addition, every year, we will organize a Christmas Party, which is a day packed with fun and laughter spent with the beneficiaries at the HCA daycare centre!
Volunteers at our Christmas Party at HCA Day Care Centre
Join us today and make a difference to the beneficiaries’ lives!
Where:
Island-wide, depending on where beneficiaries stay
When:
Saturdays, 10am to 1230pm
Contact:
Volunteer’s thoughts:
- Felicia Khoo
- Maurice Ng
- Havenue Introduction Workshop
19th September 2011 - X'mas Party
18th December 2010 - Project Alive
22nd Sept 2010 - HCA Workshop Staying Alive!
25th October 2009 - Sungei Buloh Outing
19nd Sept 2009 - Chinatown Outing
18th January 2009 - Christmas Celebration
22nd December 2008 - Tan Chiu Lee - Chairperson
- Maurice Ng - Vice Chairperson
- Lin Xinying - Secretary
- Norhidayah Binte Mohamed Noor - Treasurer
- So Man Shan - Welfare
- Michelle Lee Jia Xin - Volunteer Management
Life is short. However, it is not the years in your life that count, but the life in your years. Many a time, we take our loved ones for granted, be it family members, relatives or friends. Especially in Singapore, where the standard of living is so high and everyone is busy working towards a materialistic lifestyle. However, it is only when we come to a certain point in life that we realize nothing actually matters more than to keep our loved ones with us and watching them stay happy every day.
Humans often learn things the hard way – only appreciating and cherishing our loved ones when they are no longer around us.
This is the main reason why I joined NUS HCA; to not learn things the hard way. Through my weekly visits, I have learnt more than just that. Looking at some patients, one can hardly tell that they are diagnosed with life-limiting diseases from the way they interact with us. Keeping a positive mindset is one good practice, which I felt many of us can learn from.
Everything comes to an end eventually. Therefore, I hope to accompany these patients through their last phase of life and through the process, learn how to handle my emotions. Finally, what I hope to put across to everyone is to always leave your loved ones with good words, because we never know when they will leave us.
The initial motivation behind me joining HCA was because it is elderly-oriented and it is not just the usual visiting of old folks home but rather going all the way to their house to visit them! We get first-hand experience on their living conditions and the elderly at different places are all unique, who have their own special traits! I enjoy having interaction with elderly because they always have interesting life stories to tell and it is enjoyable to just listen to them narrate about their significant happenings in life. Moreover a simple smile from them can literally warm your heart and make you feel appreciated. Not forgetting the other fellow volunteers who always bring much fun and laughter to the visits and i really enjoy going on visits with them!