Assisi Hospice has stepped up its community outreach efforts with the first concert ever held at its courtyard this evening. Together with families and caregivers, more than 100 patients of Assisi Hospice and residents from St Theresa Nursing Home and Canossaville Children & Community Services, and the elderly from Toa Payoh West estate attended.
Commenced at 4.45pm, the concert ‘An Evening of Music’ kicked off with ‘Rhythm in Me’, an activity that engaged the audience in creating a rhythm with tapping and drumming which was led by music therapist, Ms Tammy Lim. The concert also featured WindWorkz, a band that has been performing at many charity events in the past decade. Led by Ms Samantha Chong, principal trombonist of the Singapore Lyric Orchestra and who volunteers with WindWorkz, the 19-piece band of saxophone, trumpet, trombone and rhythm sections, charmed the audience with their repertoire of renowned pieces such as ‘The Moon Represents My Heart’, ‘Besame Mucho’, ‘Quando Quando Quando’ and ‘What A Wonderful World’. The band was accompanied by main vocalist Mr Titus Cheong, a jazz singer trained in classical piano who has been performing at social and alumni events, charity and gospel outreach.
Art activities, appropriate for the different groups of concert attendees, were available throughout the evening. Art therapists, Ms Grace Ong and Ms Vivian Wong led children in making masks and jewellery, while the elderly were taken on a reminiscent journey of their past with memory boxes and photo frames.
Ms Choo Shiu Ling, Chief Executive Officer, Assisi Hospice said that the concert offered a glimpse of the activities held daily at Assisi Hospice and their relevance to not just hospice patients but also the community. “We wanted to share the creative activities that keep our patients engaged and active daily in Assisi Hospice. Knowing how music and art therapies can benefit anyone and not just those with life-threatening illnesses, we are dedicating this evening’s event of art and music to our neighbours. It is a great pleasure to share our space as well as the goodwill and support that we have been receiving with the less privileged and the community.”
The outdoor concert, a first of such events in Assisi, was also made possible because of kind donations that had gone into creating spaces to hold public performances and collaboration with WindWorkz who believed in our cause.
Ms Chong, who is also a well-respected musician in the local scene and music director of many award-winning school bands said that such a collaboration is aligned to the band’s motto on supporting good causes. “In our ten years, our collaborations with Assisi Hospice have been delightful and we feel privileged to perform for the hospice once again. This collaboration with Assisi Hospice is very much aligned with what WindWorkz has been doing the last 10 years to support charities and good causes.”
With newly available spaces in the hospice’s premises, plans are in the pipeline to hold community events for patients, caregivers as well as the less privileged and the public at large. Such events would include organised facility tours, exhibitions, public forums, dialogues and volunteers’ workshops to be held at the educational facilities that have been built to raise the bar on public understanding of palliative care. Since January 2017, the hospice has started hosting programmes for exchange and learning for the sector by the sector. There is potential for the knowledge and expertise that is currently confined within the sector to be translated into better outcomes for public education.
Assisi Hospice provides palliative care for patients and families that preserves their dignity and quality of life. Patients of any race, faith and financial position are cared for by our team of specialist doctors, nurses, allied health and pastoral care professionals. When faced with life limiting illnesses, our patients receive medical care, as well as psychosocial, emotional and spiritual care.
Assisi Hospice provides care for patients across the continuum of Home Care, Inpatient and Day Care. This allows patients and family members to journey with a clinical team they are familiar with, and to receive care in the way that they need.
In January 2017, we moved to our new six-storey purpose built hospice which has a homely ambience, and is designed to provide a lot of natural light and contact with nature. With the many cosy quite spaces and comfortable furnishing, we hope to provide comfort and dignity for patients and loved ones in a life-affirming space. With a doubled capacity for Home Care and Day Care, 85 Inpatient beds, new wards for Dementia Palliative Care and Paediatric Palliative care, a Sensory Garden, Chapel and Roof Terrace, we will serve more than 2,000 patients a year.
We are supported by donors, volunteers and corporate organisations who journey with us in our cause. Through meaningful engagements with them and providence, we are able to serve our community of patients and families with love and compassion.
Veronica Lee
Communications Manager
6832 2851 / 9450 4017
veronica.lee@assisihospice.org.sg
