This project takes place at TLC Nursing Home. As the name implies, the project focus on nursing skills and how do people and those around them cope with ageing and living with diseases. This week, I have been exposed to many new hands-on skills, including turning and positioning patients in bed, bathing, changing, feeding (with and without Ryle’s tube) and wound dressing. I also learned the steps and precautions to prevent falls and bedsores. 

 
Points To Remember From Week 1!

I learnt by observing, direct hands-on then trial and error. Although there are only around 25 people for us to take care of, but the workload is more than expected. Thus, there is no orientation nor spoon-feeding. My take-out points for week 1 would be, 1) Communication is the key, regardless if it’s with the old people themselves or the caregiver team 2) Being fit and strong is an essential element of being a caregiver and 3) Being extra observant is very important especially when you are dealing with old people 4) Know your own limit and ask for help when you need it, it’s not a one’s-man work and teamwork is necessary.

 

Putting aside the skills and technique said above, I have quite a lot going in my mind throughout the week. The first thought was that 'Health is priceless', being in a nursing home sick is the last thing a person would wish for. It made me even more determined to stay healthy and fit for as long as possible. Ageing is unavoidable but we can make the process slow and graceful. Secondly, from a caregiver point of view, it is exhausting! It’s a different kind of exhaustion from being in the medical team. It’s physically and emotionally draining, needing to be on full alert every shift, noticing every minor changes and shifts in patients, dealing with the patient’s mood swings and their family members’ requests, which are sometimes too much.

The main difficulty is I am not yet familiar with the routine and specific care of each patient. The only way to overcome this difficulty is to keep working and try remembering the routine. Another major difficulty is that I lack in physical strength, which is something very essential in this job. However, I am getting better day by day with practicing and learning the correct techniques to maximize my strength when I am lifting the patients. In the meantime, I always ask help from the other caregivers when lifting patients to prevent any unwanted incidents.

 

Insightful, Tiring

 

I will be continuing the same schedule for the next week. But I want to sharpen my skills and heighten my observation and sense of awareness towards the changes in every patients. 

A175041

24/7/2022

2. What have you done?
I’ve decided to take an online japanese course via udemy as my elective posting. For the past one week, I learnt how to write and read 2 of the japanese writing system which are katakana and hiragana. I’ve also learnt how to great, introduce myself, and counting numbers.

3. Points to remember from week 1!
- there are 3 types of writing system used in japanese which are hiragana, katakana, and kanji.

- the stroke order for each letter/character are important when writing them to make it easily recognized.

- diacritical markers are used in hiragana and katakana to form new sound without creating new words.

4. Your feelings & thoughts 
I was very excited to learn japanese and i hope that i can maintain this spirit throughout these 4 weeks.

5. Any difficulties/concerns? How did you cope?
I found it confusing at first to recognize some of the letters as they may appears the same to each other. For example the hiragana letter for wa ‘わ’ is different from ne ‘ね’ and re ‘れ’ each has different curve at the end. I manage to differentiate them though afterwards as I keep encountering them during practice.

6. 2 words to describe elective posting progress so far
Relaxing and enjoyable.

7. Your plan for next week (Week 2)

I plan to start learning some basic grammar in japanese and keep on adding new vocabularies into my dictionaries.

PUTERI NUR ANEESAH BT MEGAT SHAFRI (A174285)

21/7/2022 - 23/7/2022

 

2. What have you done?

I have volunteered at the Kechara Soup Kitchen (KSK) together with my other two friends for the past three days which was from Thursday to Saturday. We were acquainted with our supervisor Ms.Maya on the first day and she showed us what we’re expected to do for the food distribution. We actually arrived early, so we started off the day by packing the face masks in packs of 5. At around 10.30 am, we would start receiving the dishes from their sponsors and we have to repack it. It required good team work so that we can distribute the food on time for lunch which starts at 11.45 am. We would finish the distribution at around 1 pm and clean up the kitchen before leaving. On Friday, Ms. Erzarif gave us a tour of the place, introduced us to the KSK team and explain the different programs that they do.

On Saturdays, the process of food distribution is slightly different. We would start packing at around 2.30pm. We were divided into groups as there were many things to settle in a short time. My friends and I were in charge to pack the biscuits, breads and banana into the carts. It was a large amount as it will be distributed to 7 locations around KL. It was quite hectic as everyone was rushing around. Overall, it felt fulfilling to know that I get to contribute to the society by doing this. 

3. Points to remember from week 1!

 

4. Your feelings & thoughts 

At first, I was quite nervous since this was the first time I have volunteered. I guess I was scared because I didn’t know what to expect from this. After warming up and getting to know the people at the KSK, it is actually fun and I look forward for it every time I go to volunteer. 

5. Any difficulties/concerns? How did you cope?

Since it was the first day going to KSK, my friends and I did not know exactly where the place was. We initially used Google Maps to get there after getting off the MRT but at one point we were unsure if we were going the right way. We called our other friend that has been there before to show us the way. Thankfully, we arrived there safely despite the heavy traffic at Bukit Bintang. 

 

6. 2 words to describe elective posting progress so far

Fresh experience 

 

7. Your plan for next week (Week 2)

I plan to be more systematic in doing the food distribution and try to make new friends with the other volunteers. 

 

INTAN SOFIAH BINTI MOHD NASIR (A174253)

( 18/7/22 - 20/7/22 )

For elective posting, I chose to volunteer at Kechara Soup Kitchen (KSK) with my fellow friends, Adibah and Hazirah. This was my first experience volunteering, and I want to grab this opportunity to gain new experience and go beyond my comfort zone. We volunteer from Monday to Wednesday from 10.30 am to 3.00 pm. We went there by MRT and walked about 700 m to reach KSK. On the first day of volunteering, we met our supervisor, Ms. Maya, and the admin, Ms. Erzarif. We had a short ice-breaking tour around the KSK. We were also introduced to the staff of KSK, such as the CEO, Justin, the manager, Vivian, and others. The activities that we did during the first week were food packaging, kitchen distribution, mask packaging, and packing a SelfCarePack for 690 bags that will be distributed to the homeless. Before we did the task, we were taught how to do it by the person-in-charge.

 

*The working pattern at the KSK. 

*The purpose of KSK is to help the homeless and reduce food wastage. 

*Be grateful. 

 

4. Your feelings & thoughts 

 

Since I had never previously done any volunteering, I was nervous and anxious on the first day. Fortunately, the staff and our supervisor were very welcoming and kind. Thus, throughout the week I anticipated the upcoming task. Besides that, I am also grateful that I was able to lend a helping hand and make new friends. 

We were unable to locate the KSK as we were lost because we were unfamiliar with the area , which had taken us a considerable amount of time to reach the destination. Thankfully, when we inquired for directions, the locals were kind enough to show us the way. As this was our first time volunteering, we too felt fatigued, but with help and support from one another, we were able to get through the day.

Great experience 

 

I am looking forward to the upcoming task and being more productive and systematic.