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SINGAPORE: For some people, like Ms Pauline Yap and her father-in-law, making frequent trips to the hospital are too exhausting for the family.
Constantly ill with what Ms Yap describes as "old person's sickness", stroke patient Mr Loke Yong Kiew was admitted to hospital at least once a month.
"It was too much for him and for us," said the 52-year-old mother of two.
So one-and-a-half years ago, she brought the hospital to Mr Loke — who was 86 then — by engaging home-care service provider MW Medical.
The private provider, founded in 2002, is the first Ministry of Health-licensed clinic specialising in home care. For a fee, patients can enjoy a "hospital at home" one-stop service.
At a time when Singapore's population is rapidly ageing, demand for the kind of comprehensive home care service that MW offers is likely to grow in the near future.
MW Medical's network of medical services includes 24-hour island-wide home visits by doctors, nurses or therapists. It currently has a team of over 15 personnel.
The clinic also provides, for sale or rent, home aids and medical apparatus such as wheelchairs, hospital beds and oxygen concentrators.
A service, called mobilehealth, even allows patients to undergo health screening at home. Using a range of mobile medical devices, patients can go through physical examinations, such as blood tests, X-rays and mammograms.
MW's founder and managing director Dr Madeleine Chew described her service as a step up from Health Minister Khaw Boon Wan's push for community-based healthcare.
Dr Chew said: "MW Medical merely took this to a higher level (by adding) technology in both clinical and administrative areas to complete the healthcare model."
The home care services the company is offering certainly caters to an expanding elderly population, said Dr Chew. For instance, it addresses mobility problems and provides customised treatments based on the home environment.
Most elderly patients prefer to spend time at home where they are most familiar, or they feel their dignity is preserved by being treated at home, added Dr Chew.
MW Medical sees over 60 consultations per week, with 65 percent of them elderly. Common treatments are for multiple chronic diseases like diabetes mellitus, hypertension as well as oncology cases.
The clinic, however, has also noticed that more tourists and younger workers are seeking its services.
The personalised home care that the clinic is offering comes with a hefty price tag.
A doctor's visit would set you back between S$200 and S$350, while a nurse's visit costs from S$75.
As former client Ms Yap said, while the clinic provides "excellent care ... you must be able to pay".
For her, the savings in time and trouble was worth the estimated S$80,000 spent over the one-and-a-half years.
"At least with home care, we know what is happening to (my father-in-law) immediately, there is less red tape and he is happier," Ms Yap said.
When cost is a constraint, voluntary welfare organisations (VWO) offering home care is another alternative. Most offer a graded charging scheme, ranging from free to S$200, based on household income.
Their services usually revolve around routine checkups, assessments and supporting caregivers and patients so they can remain living at home for as long as possible, said Dr Tham Weng Yew, president of the Home Health Care Association.
They also coordinate with other community agencies like day cares, clinics or meal deliveries to help the patient, he said.
However, for these organisations, the criteria "would be more to ensure that this patient is deserving of home care", such as being home-bound from some disability, Dr Tham added.
One example of a VWO home care service would be Tsao Foundation's Hua Mei Mobile Clinic. It provides routine medical, nursing and social service for homebound elderly. Prices are based on a case-by-case basis.
Private homecare services are usually provided on an ad-hoc basis for anyone. For example, private general practitioner Dr Choo Wei Chieh runs a 24-hour, island-wide service called TheHouseCallGP.
He provides mainly ad-hoc acute emergency services, or serves those with mobility problems.
While he is a solo act, Dr Choo will link up with other private nurses or therapists if needed.
- TODAY/so
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