Project Heart

Beneficiary: HCA Hospice@Oasis

Mission: To bring warmth, joy and life to the patients at the hospice care

Activities: Carnival style games, karaoke sessions

Socials: @proj.heart

"Through the planning and execution process, our group has gained innumerable lessons on the importance of organising FOR the beneficiary and WITH the beneficiary. As such, we would definitely advise our juniors to take their time and patience to understand their beneficiaries needs and requirements. Service learning is never meant to be superficial, and there must always be a clear purpose and goal behind the work that you do. Two-way communication is essential in establishing boundaries and certain needs that must be fulfilled.

Ultimately, our project taught us gratitude. Realising that many of these patients were unable to carry out even the most basic of activities such as walking, and carrying objects, made us really appreciate the value and vulnerability of the human life and body. More importantly, understanding how exhausting treatment can be for patients, gave us much insight into the hidden struggles that many patients go through, that we tend to gloss over. As such, we gained a lot of respect for HCA Hospice, and their dedication towards providing patients the best quality of life, through understanding their needs and physical capabilities. This is exemplified through their committment towards maintaining the dignity and self-worth of patients, by acknowledging the qualities that make them unique individuals. Through facilities such as the spalon, as well as the movie theatre, patients are free to move around wherever they please and can engage in leisure activities that contribute to their sense of purpose and belonging. We would definitely advise our juniors to make the most out of any opportunity they can get during the process of service learning, and take every session as a learning opportunity to learn from your beneficiary, because these experiences that we gain from interacting with the wider community will definitely remain with us for life."