[ About hospice and palliative care ]

Checklists

You may also wish to use the checklists for patients on general, in-patient, day care and home care matters.

Medical Matters

Get a referral letter from the patient's doctor.
Prepare detailed information about the patient's condition. Include diagnosis, past and present treatments, assessment of current physical and mental conditions, and required medications.
For in-patient care:
Check whether the chosen hospice provides the medical services that the patient requires.
For in-patient care / day care:
Communicate the patient's nutritional and medical requirements to the hospice.
If necessary, continue seeing the patient's doctor for regular checkups and updates on his condition. (Not all patients will need to, or even want to, continue going back to see their doctors)

Financial Matters

Check whether the patient is eligible for early CPF withdrawal, and/or activation of Dependants' Protection Scheme (DPS) and Home Protection Scheme (HPS). If so, an application to the CPF Board can be made, accompanied by a doctor's memo stating that the patient is unfit for work due to his illness.
For home care:
Home care is provided free of charge.
For in-patient care / day care:
The patient may qualify for subsidy according to the means test. Visit http://www.moh.gov.sg/corp/elderlycare/subsidies/intro.do for more details.
Have a discussion between the patient and his family on how to meet the costs for the unsubsidized portion of the patient's hospice and palliative care, as well as other end-of-life matters. If there are financial concerns, they can approach a medical social worker through the hospital where the patient is receiving treatment or through the patient’s chosen hospice.

Hospice Matters

Have a discussion with the patients, family members and loved ones and the caregiving team on the patient's preferences regarding forms of therapy and methods of caregiving.
Discuss with the patient's doctor, family members and hospice caregiving team on the appropriate type of hospice and palliative care (home care / day care / in-patient care).
Meet up with the hospice caregiving team for face to face discussion of patient's needs.

Personal Matters

Have the patient discuss his concerns about his condition and the care that he will be receiving.
Encourage the patient to speak to a religious leader to help him deal with his condition.
Have the patient plan an advance directive to assign someone to make decisions regarding his health and wellbeing when he is no longer able to coherently decide for himself.
Encourage the patient to draw up a living will that contains instructions to the decisions to be made when he is no longer able to coherently decide for himself.
Check whether the patient has made his CPF nominations. Initiate a discussion with a lawyer on making a will regarding inheritances.
Encourage the patient to speak to his family and friends, and deal with unresolved personal issues.
Help the patient express his dying wishes to his family.