FRIDAY, MARCH 10
EYE CONDITIONS IN CHILDRENLearn why children squint and whether atropineeye drops can slow the progression of myopia.Also, find out when to seek help for lazy eye atthis talk by Dr Cheryl Ngo , a consultant atNational University Hospital’s Eye Surgery Centre.Health Education Hub, NUH, Main Building 1.Free. 1pm to 2pm. To register, call 6772-2184.
SATURDAY, MARCH 11
SUSTAINABLE EATINGFind out how to reduce food waste, learn aboutthe different types of vegetarianism and how togrow edible plants at home. This public nutritionforum Healthier Waist With Less Waste alsofeatures a cooking demonstration and the launchof Khoo Teck Puat Hospital’s (KTPH)Garden-to-Table recipe card series.Learning Centre, Tower B, Level 1, KTPH,9am to 12.30pm, $5. To register, go toktph-nutritionforum2017.eventbrite.sg
WOMEN’S HEALTH CONDITIONSStay abreast of common conditions that affectwomen and learn how you can improve yourhealth and well-being at every stage of your life.Also learn about breast health at this women’spublic forum called The Glow Of Good Health.Changi General Hospital Training Centre, Level 1,Auditorium, 9am to 11am, free. To register, sendyour name, contact number and number of paxto [email protected] or call 6426-7271between 9am and 6pm on weekdays.
MANAGING DIABETESLearn about this condition and get tips on how tomanage it at a talk conducted by the SingaporeHeart Foundation (SHF).SHF Heart Health Hub, Fortune Centre, 04-34(retail section), 10am to 11am (English) or 11am to12pm (Mandarin), $5. To register, call 6336-9337.
HAVE A HEALTH-RELATED EVENT?
E-mail [email protected]. Send theinformation at least two weeks before the eventand specify LISTINGS as the subject. We reservethe right to list events for publication at ourdiscretion.
Abigail Ng
Retiree Lee Kok Siang, 96, spentmore than six months at varioushospitals after being admitted forinjuries, after a fall in July last year.
“He had six stitches for a cutabove his eyebrow and was finallydischarged in September, but justtwo days later, he had a second falland had to be admitted back intothe hospital,” said his daugh-ter-in-law Florence Lee, 59.
When he was warded in Singa-pore General Hospital (SGH) for thesecond time, his case was flagged toa team of “patient navigators”.
These are nurses who are special-ly trained to plan post-dischargecare for patients with complexhealth and social issues to helpthem transition home smoothly.
The scheme, introduced in 2014in SingHealth group, also aims toprevent repeat incidents that willland the patient back in hospital.
There are nearly 100 such naviga-tors in hospitals and speciality cen-tres, such as KK Women’s andChildren’s Hospital and the Nation-al Heart Centre Singapore.
At SGH, the scheme has been suc-cessful in cutting the number of vis-its to the accident and emergency(A&E) department.
From April 2015 to June last year,SGH identified nearly 5,000 pa-tients who needed more post-dis-
charge help due to chronic condi-tions or inadequate support athome, by tracking A&E attendanc-es. Patients who repeatedly visitedthe department were assigned pa-tient navigators.
For the next six months, the totalA&E attendances for the samegroup of patients were reduced by52 per cent, compared to the pre-ceding six months.
Senior staff nurse Benecia Tan,28, who is Mr Lee’s patient naviga-tor, said: “Many elderly patientslike Mr Lee have high risk of fallsand may be readmitted as a result.Other factors we look out for are pa-tients who live alone or are on multi-ple medications for chronic condi-tions.”
The navigators also make care ar-rangements for patients, based ontheir preferences and needs.
For example, after Mr Lee wastransferred to Bright Vision Hospi-tal for rehabilitation, Miss Tan rec-ommended that he move to a nurs-ing home to prevent further falls.
However, Mr Lee wanted to stayat home, so Miss Tan arranged forhim to attend an eldercare pro-gramme by Tsao Foundation.
Mr Lee, who now attends HuaMei Centre for Successful Ageingevery weekday, said in Cantonese:“I’m very happy and comfortablehere, it is like my second home.”
Ms Wong Yock Leng, 47, a seniorcare manager at the Hua Mei cen-
tre, said working with patient navi-gators helped to facilitate a cleartransition of care from hospitals tothe community.
“Previously, service providerssuch as ourselves were unsure whothe main contact point is – who cangive us accurate and clear informa-tion about the patient who has beenreferred out to the community forcontinual support,” she said.
Patient navigators go throughfour months of training, and eachtakes care of 40 or more patients.The follow-up period ranges fromthree months to a year, dependingon the patient’s condition.
Once the patient’s condition isstable, patient navigators will leavetheir care to community partnerslike the Tsao Foundation.
Besides the eldercare pro-gramme, Miss Tan also arranged formeals to be delivered to Mr Lee’s
home on weekends.Additionally, she coordinated a
home visit by therapists and doc-tors who suggested safety modifica-tions to Mr Lee’s home to reducehis risk of falls. This included rear-ranging furniture so he does notneed to get up from the bed towatch television.
They also taught him how to usetwo types of walkers – with andwithout wheels – to facilitate move-ment at home.
Both Miss Tan and Mrs Lee ob-served that Mr Lee appears muchhappier these days, and even lookslike he put on some weight.
Said Mrs Lee: “He used to nag meevery time I visited him in the hospi-tal, asking when he could go home.He ate very poorly then. As family,we’re happy as long as he’s happy.”
(From left) Patient navigator Miss Tan, Mrs Lee and her father-in-law Mr Lee, and Mr Andrew Soh fromthe Tsao Foundation's Hua Mei Centre for Successful Ageing. Mr Lee attends the centre everyweekday, where he is placed under an eldercare programme. ST PHOTO: JONATHAN CHOO
‘Patient navigators’ help to prevent patientsfrom making return visits to the A&E
Caring forpatientsbeyondthe hospital
early 40% of the world’s adult popula-tion is either overweight or obese and a
tenth of the world’s population is affectedby Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).1,2 Raisingthe alarm that the two problems often gohand-in-hand, the annual World Kidney Day2017 on 9 March will once again serve as areminder for you to be mindful of thesehealth issues.
Obesity & CKDObesity – excessive fat that may lead toother health problems like high blood pres-sure and diabetes which can increase therisk of developing CKD.3
This condition is not only affecting adults buthas also become a growing problem amongchildren. 41 million children worldwide underthe age of 5 years are overweight or obese,and nearly half of them live in Asia1, accord-ing to the latest global statistics.
Childhood obesity is associated with ahigher chance of adult obesity, heart disease,diabetes, premature death and disability inadulthood. In addition to these increasedfuture health issues, obese children mayexperience breathing problems, increasedrisk of broken bones, high blood pressure,and even psychological effects.1
No parent or carer wants any of this fortheir children. But how do we compete withadvertising of fast foods and sugary softdrinks? And how can we encourage childrento have less ‘screen time’ to go outdoors formore physical activity?
Unleash TheKidney Kid In YouDedicated to inspiringthe world to adoptlifelong healthy habits,Fresenius Medical Care,one of the world’s lead-ing provider of dialysisproducts and services,presents The KidneyKid to help bring great-er health awareness.
The Kidney Kid will takechildren on a series of
adventures where they will learn moreabout their ‘super organ’ kidneys and howto keep them healthy through interactiveand engaging activities and platforms inclu-ding an activity book and an animated video.
Join the Fun!To celebrate World Kidney Day, The KidneyKid interactive programs will be held byFresenius Medical Care employees through-out Asia and the Pacific region.
“Closer to home, Fresenius Medical Care Sing-pore is holding an event on 10 - 12 March to engagechildren, parents and carers to increase awarenessof our kidneys and the vital role they play in our health.
Come, join us at United Square Shopping Mall forexciting activities including educational material andhealth screening by Fresenius Medical Care nurses.”
Anthony Tann, Managing Director ofFresenius Medical Care Singapore
HealthierKidneys,FitterYou
1 World Health Organization Media Centre, Obesity and overweight fact sheet, updated June 2016.Available from http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs311/en/
2 http://www.worldkidneyday.org/2017-campaign/2017-wkd-theme/3 Obesity, hypertension, and chronic kidney disease. Int J Nephrol Renovasc Dis 7:75-88, February 20144 http://www.worldkidneyday.org/faqs/take-care-of-your-kidneys/8-golden-rules; accessed on February, 20th, 2017* People of these cultural backgrounds have a higher risk to developing CKD
N
As Chronic Kidney Disease statistics peak aroundthe world, prevention is more important than everand should start with the youngest in society– our children. As a leading global healthcarecompany, Fresenius Medical Care will continue toutilise its experience and expertise to raise aware-ness of good kidney health as part of the company’slifelong commitment to local communities.
Harry de Wit, President and CEO ofFresenius Medical Care Asia-Pacific Limited
Fresenius Medical Careintroduces its superhero– The Kidney Kid,as part of its CorporateSocial Responsibility(CSR) initiative.
8 Golden Rules4
Keeping your kidney in check is simple and shouldbe part of your daily routine. With these tips in mind,you can lower your risk of getting CKD!
1 Stay fit and active
2 Keep regular control of yourblood sugar level
3 Monitor your blood pressure
4 Eat healthily and keep yourweight in check
5 Maintain a healthy intake of fluids
6 Do not smoke
7 Do not take over-the-counter pillson a regular basis
8 Get your kidney function checkedif you have:• diabetes• high blood pressure• African, Hispanic, Asian, or Aboriginal origin*
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HealthDiary
| TUESDAY, MARCH 7, 2017 | THE STRAITS TIMES | MIND&BODY B15
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