Home is where the heart is, and Assisi Hospice’s Home Care Team brings palliative care to our patients’ homes; which may not always be the usual type of home you might imagine. For 65-year-old Mr Thian Hock Guan, a halfway house for persons rehabilitating from past drug addiction, is the place he calls his second home. He works there and is staying there most of time. For the past ten months, our Home Care Team has been visiting Mr Thian at the halfway house, providing palliative care.
Mr Thian first encountered drugs when he was 18 years old. Even after getting married and having children, he was in and out of prison numerous times for drug-related and other offences, hurting his family members deeply. This led to the end of his marriage and loss of custody of both his children.
When he was released from prison at 46 years old in 2005, he returned to an empty house, not knowing where his family had moved to. This time, a Bible verse prompted him to reach out to a faith-based halfway house. He finally managed to overcome his drug addiction and became a full-time staff there, overseeing all work relating to maintenance, as well as being involved in the rehabilitation journey of newly released ex-inmates. After close to twenty years of remaining drug-free, he mustered up his courage to reach out and found forgiveness, reconciling with his ex-wife and daughter. The exchange of messages, calls and having meals together were newfound joys to him.
However, Mr Thian was diagnosed with advanced stage bile duct cancer in May last year. He felt such intense pain that he had to tie a rope to the top of his bunk bed and used it to help him get out of bed. He came under the care of Assisi Hospice Home Care Team. Our doctors and nurses help to manage his symptoms while our medical social worker provides him with psychosocial support, and assures him that inpatient care is available at the hospice if he is unable to manage on his own at the halfway house.
He said, “As a father, I had not done much for my children. It was only recently that I gave my daughter an ang bao on her birthday for the first time, when she’s 37 years old. I just wish for more moments like this, and to seek forgiveness from my sister and son.”
This Christmas, as you prepare presents for your loved ones, gift us the support that our patients need as we bring care to their homes, enabling them to have precious moments and live meaningfully in the final mile of their lives.
