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About the Speaker

      

Ms Melissa Khoo

Senior Physiotherapist
Physiotherapy
Assisi Hospice, Singapore


Melissa is a physiotherapist who is currently working in Assisi Hospice, Singapore. She currently provides physiotherapy services primarily for the hospice daycare centre patients and homecare patients who have been referred for palliative care.


Prior to her move to Assisi Hospice 2 years ago, Melissa had 10 years of clinical practice in the acute cardiopulmonary rehabilitation settings. In this current palliative care community setting, she incorporates her knowledge as well as previous experience of working with critically ill patients in the intensive care unit to provide rehabilitation for the hospice daycare patients. As such, she has interest in working with patients with end organ failures. She is indeed privileged to be able to share how physical activity is safe, essential and beneficial for palliative care patients.


Presentation Abstract

The Role of Physical Activity in Hospice Patients

As the scene of Singapore healthcare evolves, we begin to have a larger proportion of frail cancer survivors as well as patients with end stage organ failure. As such, palliative care in Singapore aims to partner with primary care teams at earlier stages of the patient's diagnosis to provide continual holistic care for the individual til the end of his/her life. Similarly, palliative care physiotherapists also see the same change in the mix of patients that we are referred to. In Melissa's presentation, she will provide an overview of the Assisi Hospice Daycare exercise programmes and discuss about appropriate exercise prescription for a few complex case studies; while Huixin will give an insight on how exercise as well as physical activity is still safe and possible for inpatient hospice patients who have short 3 month prognoses.