Did you know? 

In Singapore, an average of 5.5 people are diagnosed with kidney failure every day. 

Kidney failure refers to impairment of the renal function which leads to the accumulation of toxins in the body.

Most kidney patients have to go through 3 dialysis sessions each week.

Each dialysis session takes around 4 hours 

Senior Medical Social Worker, Alvin Chen:
Coming for dialysis is a very huge lifestyle change which can be very difficult for patients to adjust to. Finance is a very huge concern. These are times when speaking to someone will really help.

On this day, many Tzu Chi volunteers are present at Kidney Discovery Centre. 

To serve care recipients with kidney failure better, Tzu Chi Singapore has invited its long term partner --- the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) to customise 9 training sessions for 34 volunteers and staff from related departments. 

Social Service Associate, Alex Chen:
Tzu Chi has been supporting kidney patients who have just started undergoing dialysis. We noticed that besides financial needs, they also require physical and mental support from others. By working with NKF, we get to learn a lot more from them with regards to the needs of kidney patients. By doing so, our volunteers would have a better understanding of the patients’ needs and thus, enhance their home visit skills.  

Lecturer: Even they have lost hope in believing themselves. Believe him. That is the idea of compassion. It can be very powerful.

The course is designed with empathy as its focal point. The lecturer unreservedly shared about the effective ways to communicate with kidney patients under different circumstances in order to effectively walk them through the turning point in their life.  

Senior Medical Social Worker, Alvin Chen:
It is so important for patients to have a hope to look forward to. In a way, we help the patient to accept how they feel, so as to explore what else can motivate them in their life.

Learning is only the preliminary step, the key lies in knowing how to apply what they have learned. For this, the lecturer has arranged for various interactive learning sessions such as brainstorming and role play. 

Course participant, Goh Ket Yin: 
Whenever a care beneficiary tells me about his problems, I keep thinking how I can help him. The lecturer shared that our main role is to be a guide, which is to guide him to express his deepest wish. It shouldn’t be about what we think is right and what is helpful to him, we should let him decide for himself. 

Course participant: That’s right, I do not want to do dialysis. I just want to continue working and live life as usual.

Course participant, Kan Chee Heng: 
With such a role-play session, it enables us to understand the course better and makes it easier to remember. 

The training course with 9 lessons is coming to an end. Moving on, the lecturers will continue to guide the volunteers through case supervision. Together, everyone will do their part to take care of the physical and mental wellbeing of kidney patients.

“Filmed during Phase 3”