More palliative nurses as population greys by Ashley Chia Dec 11, 2012 (TODAYonline) SINGAPORE – The number of nurses trained to look after terminally ill patients rose in recent years as palliative care is increasingly integrated into mainstream care.Across the public healthcare sector, there are currently 337 nurses trained in palliative care – a 31-per-cent […]

(Ashoka Newsletter December 3, 2012)   Rachel House staff nurse provides home care to patients in Jakarta SINGAPORE – Lynna Chandra of Medan, Indonesia, has been selected by Ashoka: Innovators for the Public as a member of its global fellowship of leading social entrepreneurs. Lynna Chandra is changing the way children with terminal illnesses are treated […]

Working together to care for terminally-ill kids President Tan meets volunteers, staff at Jakarta hospital Published on Nov 30, 2012 Flanked by his mother, a patient in the SIF Palliative Care Project at Dharmais Cancer Hospital welcomes Dr Tan and his wife Mrs Mary Tan, Ms Lynna Chandra (right) and SIF executive director Jean Tan […]

How to Die By BILLKELLER (TheNew York Times, Published: October 7, 2012 )   ONE morning last month, Anthony Gilbey awakened from anesthesia in a hospital in the east of England. At his bedside were his daughter and an attending physician. The surgery had been unsuccessful, the doctor informed him. There was nothing more that could be done. […]

HEARTBREAK AND HOPE     When medicine and doctors can no longer help a dying child, it helps to have knowledgeable and empathetic support. Indonesian NGO Rachel House is showing the way, with a little  help from Singapore friends. By Kimberly Kraft and  Elaine Foo  (Source: http://singaporemagazine.sif.org.sg/heartbreak-and-hope/ ) The child was screaming. He was screaming […]

With a vision that no child should ever have to die in pain without love and care, Rachel House has set itself a seemingly unattainable goal. With only a handful of nurses on our team, it was clear to us that as soon as the first team is sufficiently confident in their knowledge of palliative […]

“I have started this diary to record as accurately as possible not only what I have seen at Rachel House but the way it has struck me emotionally. I first got involved with Rachel House because, after working in the corporate world for seven months, I found that I had developed a desperate need to […]

What happens after treatment stops? Palliative Care in Indonesia POSTED ON JULY 31, 2012 BY JACQUELINEINTHEFIELD On July 24, I accompanied Rachel House on a home visit to one of its patients – a 7-year-old boy who has leukemia and relapsed just before he was supposed to start the new school year. After visiting Rachel House’s office to meet […]

“When children are dying, religion & medicine can clash….”  IN most Western countries it is generally accepted both legally and by the community that parents do not have the right to refuse potentially life-saving treatment for their children because of their own religious or other beliefs. The best known example relates to Jehovah’s Witness where parents cannot […]