S1E90: What to expect when caring for an end-of-life patient at home

Synopsis: Every first and third Wednesday of the month, The Straits Times helps you make sense of health matters that affect you. The Singapore Government is keen to boost support for palliative care to help more end-of-life patients spend their remaining time at home, if they prefer to do so. For every patient who chooses to die in the comfort of his or her own home, there has to be a caregiver willing to provide the care. In the previous two episodes, we covered what palliative care is about, how it can help a dying person live well and what it takes to see more end-of-life patients live out their last days at home. In this episode, ST senior health correspondent Joyce Teo discusses the practical and emotional realities of what to expect when caring for a dying person at home, with Mr Tay Jia Sen, a medical social worker at HCA Hospice, the largest home hospice care provider in Singapore.  Highlights (click/tap above): 1:04 When does hospice care start? Jia Sen describes a typical hospice "home visit" assessment 6:09 Helping patients who are unable to accept death 9:25 How hospice care supports caregivers; mental preparation 14:45 End-of-life symptoms to look out for when you're caring for someone at home 19:28 What happens after the patient dies? 22:27 Advice for caregivers Listen to Health Check Ep 89: What can be done to help more end-of-life patients fulfil their wish of dying at home?: https://omny.fm/shows/health-check-1/what-can-be-done-to-help-more-end-of-life-patients Listen to Health Check Ep 88: Preparing for a good death with palliative care: https://omny.fm/shows/health-check-1/let-s-talk-about-palliative-care Listen to In Your Opinion Ep 9: Let’s talk about death and end-of-life plans: https://omny.fm/shows/in-your-opinion/let-s-talk-about-death Produced by: Joyce Teo ([email protected]), Ernest Luis, Teo Tong Kai & Eden Soh Edited by: Eden Soh Follow Health Check Podcast episodes out here every first and third Wednesday of the month: Channel: https://str.sg/JWaN Apple Podcasts: https://str.sg/JWRX Spotify: https://str.sg/JWaQ Google Podcasts: https://str.sg/J6Wv  SPH Awedio app: https://www.awedio.sg/ Website: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Feedback to: [email protected] Read Joyce Teo's stories: https://str.sg/JbxN --- Discover ST's special edition podcasts: Singapore's War On Covid: https://str.sg/wuJa The Unsolved Mysteries of South-east Asia: https://str.sg/wuZ2 Stop Scams: https://str.sg/wuZB Invisible Asia: https://str.sg/wuZn --- Discover more ST podcast series: Asian Insider: https://str.sg/JWa7 Green Pulse: https://str.sg/JWaf In Your Opinion: https://str.sg/w7Qt Your Money & Career: https://str.sg/wB2m #PopVultures: https://str.sg/JWad ST Sports Talk: https://str.sg/JWRE Bookmark This!: https://str.sg/JWas Lunch With Sumiko: https://str.sg/J6hQ Discover ST Podcasts: http://str.sg/stpodcasts Discover BT Podcasts: https://bt.sg/pcPL Follow our shows then, if you like short, practical podcasts! #healthcheckSee omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.