Jaga-Me helps terminal patients make their last journey home

Jaga-Me helps terminal patients make their last journey home

Jaga-Me Team

Imagine that a doctor tells you, that your loved one; who had been fighting a long hard battle with cancer was no longer responding to treatment, and that it was time to prepare for the worst. With as much tact and empathy as possible, the medical coordinators advise you that the best option would be to transfer your loved one to a hospice that specialises in end of life care.

You walk back into the room and look at your fading loved one, who asks yet again; hopefully but weakly, “What did the doctor say? Can I go home now?”

While you try as hard as you can to fight back the tears, you attempt a smile and walk back to the coordinators; hoping to find another solution. After making some calculations, you realise that home nursing care is a lot more expensive than the hospice charges, which thankfully provides a subsidy scheme that favours the lower income groups.

After all the time and money spent on medical treatment, sometimes, there is not very much left in the bank account or mental strength reserve.

Many families are usually forced to take the practical route, and sometimes, regrettably, let their loved ones live out their final days in a cold, sterile environment.

Then there were those few brave souls who would try their best to care for their loved ones at home by themselves. But without relevant palliative care knowledge, many could only watch helplessly as their loved ones suffer; and sometimes, pass away in excruciating pain.

Although these are very commonly heard cases in the palliative care industry, there is little support available for terminal patients who wish to go home. Having served hundreds of family caregivers, Jaga-Me, a social enterprise that provides home nursing care services understands how the presence of a trained nurse can make a huge difference for the grieving family and their loved one.

Catherine Heng, Nurse Coordinator at Jaga-Me; who is also a registered nurse frequently encounters clients who are burnt out and at their wits’ end by the time they approach Jaga-Me. Patients were so physically weak that it would usually be the last few days or hours of their lives.

Inspired to make professional home care services available to the underprivileged, this bubbly team of six started Project Going Home with the aim of raising $20,000 to provide free home nursing care services for 20 beneficiaries referred by the Hospice Care Association (HCA).

In less than a month, Project Going Home raised its target sum on crowdfunding portal, GIVE.asia. Visit http://bit.ly/jagamehome

“The platform is really easy to use and the people at GIVE.asia were very helpful. When we first started, Aseem gave us tips on how to do the write up. There are a couple of good features, such as Updates which I will use when we roll out the program in May,” Community Champion; Japhia Yeo shares.

Jaga-Me promises that every single cent will go to providing professional nursing home care. With $1,000 for each beneficiary, they will receive 48 hours of 1-on-1 home nursing care which can used in 12-hourly intervals or continuously as needed by patients and their family.

The professional nurses from Jaga-Me provide respite care by administering pain medications and other treatments to help patients feel as comfortable as possible. Caregiving duties such as positioning, toileting and symptom monitoring. are also offered to give family members a chance to focus on spending time with their loved ones.

We came into this world noisily, crying; with much fanfare from our loved ones to mark the beginning of a new life. It is only apt that one leaves peacefully when the curtain falls.

If you feel inspired to help make changes within your community, GIVE.asia provides a comprehensive platform that will make your fundraising efforts a breeze.

Visit Jaga-Me website: https://www.jaga-me.com/

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