By Andrew, with input from Eng Hui

Last Saturday a bunch of us together with some CSC guys went down to the HCA headquarters to attend Project Alive. I had a wonderful time and learnt a surprising amount from the event, and it would be utterly selfish if I do not take this opportunity to share my experience with you.

Jacqueline, one of the senior staff at HCA gave us a tour around the building and explained to us the good work they do with the chronic patients there. Of interest was their day care service which features a giant living room style kind of place where there are giant TVs and other recreational devices.

The facilitator was this guy called Paul whose rich experience in working with the elderly was evident as he zealously shared with us fragments of anecdotes here and there.

The program itself was modelled after Mitch Albom’s “Tuesdays with Morrie”. Having been a follower of Albom’s series of deeply introverted and reflective novels, this I consider one of his best. We were shown clips of the show “Tuesdays with Morrie” and asked to reflect on the concepts in the clips. We were also asked to try to put ourselves in the shoes of the people with life limiting illness.

The novel sheds light on the state of mind of chronic patients, their compelling hopes and expectations, regrets and insecurities. Exactly the skills we need to cultivate to help in our work as volunteers working with hospice patients.

The thought-provoking novel is brought to life by the enthusiast and zeal that Paul injects into his presentation, which adds a further layer of meaning to the program.

As you would expect, the day ended with a group lunch at Novena Square.

PS: Drop me an email if you want to borrow the abovesaid novel or “for one more day”, a similar novel by Albom.