Talk openly about death, say experts

• QX179R

  13 Jun 11, 10:04

  SINGAPORE: Health experts say Singaporeans should be more open to talking about death. About 30 of them are calling for more dialogue on the taboo subject to help improve the treatment for patients who are nearing the end of life.

  The experts' views are reflected in a study by the Lien Foundation, a Singapore philanthropic organisation.

  Last year, the Lien Foundation commissioned the Economist Intelligence Unit to devise a "Quality of Death" Index to rank countries according to their provision of end-of-life care. Singapore was ranked 18th among 40 countries surveyed.
  
  Lee Poh Wah, CEO of Lien Foundation, said: "The fear of death and dying can be alleviated when you have knowledge, when you can talk openly about it, when you are prepared and of course, when you have access to the solutions for it to make it a better experience for yourself and your family."
  
  The Lien Foundation study also highlighted the need to reform the medical sector to focus more on palliative care.
  
  Experts are suggesting that palliative care be given more resources or is made more commercially viable.
  
  Dr Jeremy Lim, Lien Centre for Palliative Care's executive director, said: "What the government can do more of is.....not just in the resourcing but in the organizing, in how we can shape the many helping hands so that nationally we are coherent and and there is an overarching strategy where every provider knows what he is supposed to do."
  
  The study also proposed ways for the government to provide better care for the dying, including calls for the National Development Ministry to look into moving the elderly closer to their caretakers, and for the Trade and Industry Ministry to support commercial end-of-life care initiatives.
  
  - CNA/ir

• ^Acid^ aka s|aO^eH~

  13 Jun 11, 10:10

  abit wrong...

   

  But here's a joke:

  家屬一å†�å�®åš€æŽ¢ç—…者："醫生說他活ä¸�久了，所以麻煩你é�¢å°�病人時，表ç�¾å¾—樂觀一點，å�ƒè�¬åˆ¥é¡¯éœ²å‡ºä¾†……"

  探病者："放心，我知�該怎麼�。"

  當他走進病房後，第一�就說："哇�你看來氣色好多了，一點都��是快�死的人�"