Goh C R, Shaw R J
Hospice Care Association, Singapore.
Ann Acad Med Singap. 1994 Mar;23(2):275-81.
The hospice movement in Singapore was started in 1985 when St Joseph's Home opened its doors to terminally ill patients by setting aside 16 beds for hospice care. A newspaper article about this work brought together a group of volunteers who started a hospice home care service under the auspices of the Singapore Cancer Society in 1987. This service was originally entirely staffed by volunteers until a charitable foundation made possible the employment of a nurse coordinator in 1988. Nearly two years later, in December 1989, the Hospice Care Association, a new charitable organization specifically devoted to the promotion and provision of hospice care, was formed. With charitable funding from the community, the new organization built on the experience of the volunteer-run hospice home care service and developed it into one in which professionals provide most of the care, supported by volunteers. Full-time staff were responsible for the day-to-day running of the service, providing for reliability and setting and maintaining of standards, while the role of volunteers changed to that of supporting, supplementing and enhancing the quality of the care given to patients. This paper chronicles the evolution of this service and describes its present functioning.
新加坡的临终关怀运动始于1985年，当时圣约瑟夫之家为绝症患者敞开大门，预留了16张病床用于临终关怀护理。一篇关于这项工作的报纸文章召集了一群志愿者，他们于1987年在新加坡癌症协会的支持下启动了临终关怀家庭护理服务。这项服务最初完全由志愿者提供，直到1988年一个慈善基金会使得雇佣一名护士协调员成为可能。将近两年后的1989年12月，临终关怀护理协会成立，这是一个专门致力于推广和提供临终关怀护理的新慈善组织。在社区慈善资金的支持下，这个新组织借鉴了由志愿者运营的临终关怀家庭护理服务的经验，并将其发展成为一个由专业人员提供大部分护理、志愿者提供支持的服务机构。全职工作人员负责服务的日常运营，确保可靠性并制定和维持标准，而志愿者的角色转变为支持、补充和提高给予患者的护理质量。本文记录了这项服务的发展历程并描述了其目前的运作情况。
