Sunday, April 30, 2023

Longer hospital stays for older patients a major reason for high bed occupancy: MOH https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/longer-hospital-stays-for-older-patients-a-major-reason-for-high-bed-occupancy-moh


Longer hospital stays for older patients a major reason for high bed occupancy: MOH 

https://www.straitstimes.com/singapore/longer-hospital-stays-for-older-patients-a-major-reason-for-high-bed-occupancy-moh

2023-04-30

SINGAPORE – The delay in opening new hospital facilities and patients being hospitalised for longer are key reasons behind the current bed crunch at public hospitals.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the crowded wards are caused partly by the delay in the opening of new hospital facilities.

The Covid-19 pandemic had led to construction delays in many sectors, including healthcare.

The other reason is the changing patient profile.

A ministry spokesman said that between 2019 and 2022, patients are staying 15 per cent longer on average. In terms of days in hospital, this has gone up from 6.1 days to seven days.

“This is because we are seeing more older patients with complex conditions, who require longer stays. The proportion of senior patients aged 65 and above has risen from 39 per cent in 2019 to 43 per cent in 2022.”

The longer stays have caused higher bed occupancy rates.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told Parliament in March: “We cannot rule out that this could be the after-effects of being infected with Covid-19 for some, or a rebound in other types of infections post-crisis. It may also simply be a result of our population ageing rapidly.”

Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH), Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and Changi General Hospital had at least one day in the week of April 16 that they could not find beds for even half the patients who needed to be admitted within a 24-hour period.

Such patients are left in the emergency department till a bed is found. However, their treatment is begun immediately and does not wait till they have been sent to a ward.

KTPH, for example, has been facing 100 per cent occupancy on most days.

It is no longer uncommon for less sick patients needing to be hospitalised to be kept waiting at the emergency department for a couple of days or more.

MOH provided The Sunday Times with this information as assurance that the current bed crunch at several public hospitals is not caused by foreign patients coming here for treatment, and that these institutions care predominantly for local patients.

“The proportion of foreign patients who are admitted to our public hospitals remains very low, constituting less than 0.5 per cent of total admissions,” the MOH spokesman said.

This is far lower than the 1.5 per cent figure for 2017 – or 10,900 foreign patients – given by the ministry in Parliament in 2018.

Professor Lim Tock Han, medical board group chairman of the National Healthcare Group (NHG), which runs KTPH and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said: “Both hospitals manage a very heavy emergency volume, and are seeing very few returning foreign patients.”

He said patients in central and northern parts of Singapore, which NHG caters to, are generally more elderly and “require specialised care for their more complex conditions”. He added: “Much of the two hospitals’ resources and capacity are prioritised for the care of these emergency and elderly patients.”

SingHealth, which operates hospitals in eastern Singapore, said it does not turn away any patient who requires treatment, foreigner or local.

Its deputy group chief executive of medical and clinical services, Professor Fong Kok Yong, said patients “in the region may come to us as a port of hope when treatment is either not available in their home country, or when their condition is very complex”.

He added: “With the breadth and depth of expertise offered by SingHealth institutions, it is understandable that people from the region may want to come and seek treatment.”

The group offers speciality services that not all countries have. The Burn Centre at Singapore General Hospital, for instance, is the only one available in South-east Asia.

Prof Fong said: “For all who seek care from us, we will provide timely and safe care, based on clinical assessment and urgency.”

The National University Health System (NUHS), which runs public hospitals in the west, said the healthcare needs of Singaporeans come first and “foreign visitors do not impact our delivery of services to Singaporeans or pose a significant stress on our hospital beds”.

It added: “In the event of medical exigencies, we have a duty of care towards all those who come through our door, and no individual will be denied timely treatment, regardless of citizenship status.” 

Two NUHS hospitals, National University Hospital and NTFGH, had put up signs at their emergency departments in April, telling patients they may have to wait as long as 60 hours for a bed.

SINGAPORE – The delay in opening new hospital facilities and patients being hospitalised for longer are key reasons behind the current bed crunch at public hospitals.

The Ministry of Health (MOH) said that the crowded wards are caused partly by the delay in the opening of new hospital facilities.

The Covid-19 pandemic had led to construction delays in many sectors, including healthcare.

The other reason is the changing patient profile.

A ministry spokesman said that between 2019 and 2022, patients are staying 15 per cent longer on average. In terms of days in hospital, this has gone up from 6.1 days to seven days.

“This is because we are seeing more older patients with complex conditions, who require longer stays. The proportion of senior patients aged 65 and above has risen from 39 per cent in 2019 to 43 per cent in 2022.”

The longer stays have caused higher bed occupancy rates.

Health Minister Ong Ye Kung told Parliament in March: “We cannot rule out that this could be the after-effects of being infected with Covid-19 for some, or a rebound in other types of infections post-crisis. It may also simply be a result of our population ageing rapidly.”

Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH), Khoo Teck Puat Hospital (KTPH) and Changi General Hospital had at least one day in the week of April 16 that they could not find beds for even half the patients who needed to be admitted within a 24-hour period.

Such patients are left in the emergency department till a bed is found. However, their treatment is begun immediately and does not wait till they have been sent to a ward.

KTPH, for example, has been facing 100 per cent occupancy on most days.

It is no longer uncommon for less sick patients needing to be hospitalised to be kept waiting at the emergency department for a couple of days or more.

MOH provided The Sunday Times with this information as assurance that the current bed crunch at several public hospitals is not caused by foreign patients coming here for treatment, and that these institutions care predominantly for local patients.

“The proportion of foreign patients who are admitted to our public hospitals remains very low, constituting less than 0.5 per cent of total admissions,” the MOH spokesman said.

This is far lower than the 1.5 per cent figure for 2017 – or 10,900 foreign patients – given by the ministry in Parliament in 2018.

Professor Lim Tock Han, medical board group chairman of the National Healthcare Group (NHG), which runs KTPH and Tan Tock Seng Hospital, said: “Both hospitals manage a very heavy emergency volume, and are seeing very few returning foreign patients.”

He said patients in central and northern parts of Singapore, which NHG caters to, are generally more elderly and “require specialised care for their more complex conditions”. He added: “Much of the two hospitals’ resources and capacity are prioritised for the care of these emergency and elderly patients.”

SingHealth, which operates hospitals in eastern Singapore, said it does not turn away any patient who requires treatment, foreigner or local.

Its deputy group chief executive of medical and clinical services, Professor Fong Kok Yong, said patients “in the region may come to us as a port of hope when treatment is either not available in their home country, or when their condition is very complex”.

He added: “With the breadth and depth of expertise offered by SingHealth institutions, it is understandable that people from the region may want to come and seek treatment.”

The group offers speciality services that not all countries have. The Burn Centre at Singapore General Hospital, for instance, is the only one available in South-east Asia.

Prof Fong said: “For all who seek care from us, we will provide timely and safe care, based on clinical assessment and urgency.”

The National University Health System (NUHS), which runs public hospitals in the west, said the healthcare needs of Singaporeans come first and “foreign visitors do not impact our delivery of services to Singaporeans or pose a significant stress on our hospital beds”.

It added: “In the event of medical exigencies, we have a duty of care towards all those who come through our door, and no individual will be denied timely treatment, regardless of citizenship status.” 

Two NUHS hospitals, National University Hospital and NTFGH, had put up signs at their emergency departments in April, telling patients they may have to wait as long as 60 hours for a bed.

我的楼兰 - 云朵

Saturday, April 29, 2023

96岁北大教授夫人 断食断水4天结束生命 留下一句话引人深思

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96岁北大教授夫人,断食断水4天结束生命,留下一句话引人深思

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1

2017年,著名政治学家、北大教授赵宝煦的夫人陈司寇逝世,享年96岁。

她的死因竟是在生命的最后一刻选择断食断水、坚决拒绝儿女的帮助。

文章图片1

陈司寇跟大多数老人都不一样,她从不畏惧死亡,她一直认为老人上年纪后要看开一点,只有这样才能活得轻松,生活质量才会提高。

然而就是这样一位思想开明的老人,却在最后的阶段选择断食断水4天,亲手结束了自己的生命。

临终前她说了一句意味深长的话,至今都令众人深思。

那么陈司寇为何要这么做呢?她又留下了一句怎样的话?

2

陈司寇的丈夫赵宝煦出生在一个贫穷的知识分子家庭里,10岁时才进入小学,因为家里交不起学费而多次辍学。

一位天主教神父见他可怜,就对他说,只要他肯信教,就帮他交学杂费,但赵宝煦毫不犹豫的拒绝了。

当时浙江有个政策,只要考了第一名就能免除学杂费,赵宝煦特别刻苦,从初中到高中一直稳居第一,没花家里一分钱。

后来他考上了北大,正赶上“七七事变”,他和同学们只好逃离了北平,辗转来到了昆明,进入西南联合大学学习。

文章图片2

可昆明也不太平,日本侵略者一路打到了贵州,赵宝煦和几个伙伴一样,投入了如火如荼的学生运动中,走上了革命的道路。

新中国成立后,他留在了北大任教,并与陈司寇步入了婚姻的殿堂,成了北大的政治系主任。

《政治学概论》、《中国政治学的复兴》等都是出自赵宝煦之手。

2012年赵宝煦去世后,有记者问陈司寇:“你打算怎么度过晚年生活”?

在大部分人眼中,失去老伴的独居老人并不好过,但陈司寇还是活到了96岁,有人甚至说陈司寇有长寿基因,可她却不以为然:

“我的确有长寿的办法,不过我想走的快一点”。

这究竟是怎么回事呢?

文章图片3

陈司寇说,人到了70岁以后会很难过,身体每况愈下、活动范围越来越小,很容易跟社会脱节,尤其是独居老人,90%都患有忧郁症。

所以老人是弱势群体,身体弱,精神也弱。

庆幸的是,陈司寇的三个子女都很孝顺,他们担心老人独自生活无人照料,曾多次提出让母亲搬过来一起住。

但陈司寇不乐意,就连子女提出请保姆一事也极力反对:“我有手有脚,生活还能自理,头脑也没啥问题,不需要人照顾”。

不过她还是拗不过子女,只好答应每周让保姆来两天,收拾收拾家里的卫生就好,其他事情她都要亲力亲为。

文章图片4

陈司寇自己买菜,自己做饭刷碗,衣服也是自己洗,她总觉得习惯了依赖别人就会变得懒散,老人一旦失去劳动力后,身体素质就会下降。

每天早上6点,她就开始了一天充实的生活,先是做按摩、做早操把一天的精气神提上来,再准备9点前吃上早餐。

做早饭的时候,她会习惯性的打开电视机听新闻,看看哪里又发生了什么新鲜的事情。

文章图片5

子女经常打电话过来,怕她一个人孤单,但她却说:“我每天都很忙,时间安排的满满当当的,怎么可能孤独呢”?

陈司寇不习惯和保姆共处一室,也不喜欢有人打扰她,她的确很忙。

吃完饭后她开始读报纸看书,尤其是《易经》,她看了一遍又一遍,把喜欢的段子全都抄在了一个红色本子上,每次读都别有一番风味。

这是陈司寇的精神食粮,很多独居老人之所以觉得孤独寂寞,就是少了精神上的充实感。

陈司寇最喜欢研究天文地理、戏曲、体育,她觉得中国文化博大精深,怎么学都学不完,闲下来的时候她也会像年轻人一样追剧。

她努力感受剧中人物的悲与乐,想哭就哭,想笑就笑,也没人笑话。

有时看到一个比较有趣的场景,她还会想导演为什么这么拍,如果是她在撰写剧本,又会怎么安排。

所以她这一天下来,一点都不觉得乏味。

文章图片6

可即便如此,子女还是会隔三差五的来看她,生怕老人在家里出现什么问题,每次来都拎着大包小包的东西。

后来,陈司寇特意嘱咐子女,不用经常往她那里跑,也不用带这么多吃的喝的,她一个人吃不完,浪费食物是可耻的。

她理解子女们工作辛苦,况且孩子们已经进入了中年阶段,各自有各自的家庭,来回折腾只会浪费难得的休息时间。

“一个人生活是常态,我不希望真的沦为弱势群体,儿女们来看我那是我的福分,但不是他们理所应当的事情,现在的年轻人没个容易的”。

她从不围着子女转,也不求他们能回报什么,父母的爱是无私的,老一辈怎么对待下一辈,下一辈就会怎么对待他的子女。

一家人互相体谅,家庭才会幸福。

而且她也不希望过度依赖子女,人总是要分离的,何况她已经年过九旬了,如果天天和孩子们腻在一起,陈司寇怕万一哪天她不在了,子女们会很难走出来。

文章图片7

但陈司寇也很柔情,无论哪个孩子过生日,她都会准备一万块钱的大红包,谁家里需要用钱了,她也会毫不吝啬的伸出援助之手。

她说:“反正入土后也带不走,与其等他们理直气壮的继承遗产,不如趁我活着让他们都高兴高兴”。

陈司寇的豁达,相比起那些精打细算、抠抠搜搜的老人来说,她过得更加开心和洒脱。

而心理学和医学研究表明,开心快乐的情绪可以对身体健康产生积极的影响。因为开心的状态会降低内分泌的压力激素水平,从而提高免疫系统。

这也是为什么她55岁退休后,在近40年的生活里身体一直很好的原因。

人到了一定的年纪后,都恐惧死亡,大部分老人都是在慌张中数着天数过日子的,哪里还顾得上心情呢?

其实现在很多老人的生活习惯并不好,只要身体稍微有点不舒服就赶紧去医院打针吃药。

文章图片8

俗话说的好“是药三分毒”,大把大把的吃药会降低耐药性,很多药物还会产生副作用,等以后真有大病需要用药时,效果就会受到一定的影响。

所以一些轻微的不舒服,可以通过别的方式解决,不一定非要依赖药物和医生。

不是说医生不好,有些老人因为害怕死亡盲目的“崇尚神医”,看见电视里一个穿白大褂的“医生”在卖药,就会当成“神丹灵药”。

他们认为吃这些东西能永葆健康,时间久了才发现事与愿违,不仅没治好病,还花了不少钱。

老人在生死面前总会失去理智,他们仿佛忘了世上没有神医这回事,就算身边有个可靠的医生,也不代表能留住健康。

所以陈司寇觉得,最好的保健医生就是自己,老人最好要懂得一些医学常识,万一自己不舒服了,能通过按摩、用药,把一些疾病扼杀在摇篮里。

文章图片9

有一年,陈司寇患上了皮肤瘙痒症,这个病症折磨了她很久,那种钻心的瘙痒感常常令她夜不能寐,她去医院拿了药膏,涂抹了很久都没效果,于是她决定亲自寻找解决方法。

首先,她按照书中说的那样改变了饮食习惯,又学会了穴位按摩,这不仅减轻了瘙痒症状,还为她的生活解决了很多问题。

比如陈司寇的腰不太好,后来也是通过按摩穴位解决的。

她一直认为,与其整日活在对死亡的惶恐不安中,有事没事都往医院跑,不如活得痛快些,把命运掌握在自己手中。

养生、学习、保持好心情,就是她特有的“长寿之道”。

陈司寇曾在接受采访时说道:

“其实70岁时我就做好了离世的准备,人固有生死,没什么可怕的”。

文章图片10

3

2015年,陈司寇突然尿血了,她知道这一次按摩穴位已经解决不了问题了。

在子女的劝说下,她在医院做了检查,发现左肾上有一个肿瘤,医生说很可能是癌症。

三个子女和医生都建议陈司寇进行手术治疗,但她不接受,她说:

“我已经94岁了,身体经不起折腾,就算切除了肿瘤,谁能保证我不会出现其他的病症?”

不过陈司寇也不是坐着等死,虽然拒绝在医院接受治疗、也拒绝服药,但她有着自己的抗瘤方法。

陈司寇知道肿瘤喜欢酸性,不喜欢碱性,于是她基本戒掉了大鱼大肉,平日里大量吃蔬菜,尤其是有着“抗癌功能”的西兰花和香菜。

她就用这种方法和肿瘤“和平共处”了2年,她从不在乎身体里的肿瘤有没有变大,也从未去医院检查过,好像已经忘了自己是个病人。

文章图片11

陈司寇还是跟之前一样,每天都很忙,读书、看报、读《易经》、看电视,后来她成了体育界丁俊晖的粉丝,每次偶像赢了比赛,她都会像个孩子一样欢呼起来。

两年的时间里,陈司寇的状态常常给子女一种“母亲被误诊的感觉”,他们说母亲看起来比70岁的人还要硬朗:

“以前我们觉得,人到了终年肯定都会卧病在床,现在看来这个想法是错的”。

文章图片12

随着中国老龄化的加剧,“长寿”成了人们最为关注的话题,人人都想让生命有所“长度”,但陈司寇却不在乎,她更看重的是生命的厚度。

2017年4月,陈司寇体内的肿瘤终于发作了,仅仅过了半年后,她就无法下床了。

子女轮流劝她去医院,但她还是拒绝了,从确诊到现在陈司寇一粒药物也没吃,只是每天坚持按摩一下腿部。

“中国人的平均寿命是72岁,我已经赚了,现在我只希望走得快一点,尽量减少痛苦,不给孩子们和社会添麻烦”。

她的这句话,至今令人深思。

文章图片13

4

2017年10月17日,陈司寇开始断食,她的头脑特别清醒,但子女送到嘴边的饭一口都不吃,后来连水也不喝了。

子女都明白,母亲是打算用断食断水的方法亲手结束自己的生命。

2017年10月21日,4天水米不进的陈司寇安详的闭上了双眼,享年96岁。

她没有留下任何遗憾,也不用牵挂遗产分配的问题,走得干脆又有尊严。

按照联合国标准来说,60岁以上人口超过10%即为老龄化社会,据2021年统计,我国老年人口已经达到了2.67亿,占总人口的18.9%。

中国,已经进入了深度老龄化阶段。

而老人最怕就是对死亡的恐惧感,死亡是一种未知领域,随着器官的衰弱和年龄的增加,老人会越来越没有安全感。

文章图片14

尤其是失去另一半的老年人,他们更是徘徊在孤独和恐惧中的弱势群体。

陪伴、关心,往往是他们最想得到的礼物,而这些因素,又何尝不是老人的“长寿”秘诀呢?

再反过来讲,若老人都能像陈司寇一样对生活充满激情,丰厚自己的精神世界,又何尝不是“养生”之道呢?

愿老人们都能老有所依,也愿子女们能给他们最温暖的陪伴,让老人不再孤单。

热门评论
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醉美东湖
255
活的通透的老人家我无法决定自己如何来到这个世界,希望能够自己决定如何离开
4回复2个小时前
头像
寂寞行者
9
家里老人93岁那年夏天开始吃不下东西,最后喝水也咽不下,医生诊断身体虽然虚弱,但没有什么病,精神也还清醒,家人每天诵地藏经。后来一位修行人告诉,老人在人间的饭已经吃完了该走了,连口水也带不走,家里诵地藏经阻住了来接的,老人走不了又活受罪,让停止念经,并在院子里烧纸,说“该来的来,该走的走”,结果当天晚上老人很安详的走了
回复23分钟前
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突破周期律
国家电子工程师
40
也不好说是断食吧,我们家老太太,94了,开始不肯吃饭了,象哄小孩吃饭一样哄着她吃,还是不肯多吃,说是吃着不舒服,也不知道是怎么个不舒服法,也许,这是一种比较自然,也是一种比较好的寿终过程吧…
5回复1个小时前
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怀揣梦想的富翁
0
陈司寇也很柔情,无论哪个孩子过生日,她都会准备一万块钱的大红包,谁家里需要用钱了,她也会毫不吝啬的伸出援助之手。 她说:“反正入土后也带不走,与其等他们理直气壮的继承遗产,不如趁我活着让他们都高兴高兴”。 陈司寇的豁达,相比起那些精打细算、抠抠搜搜的老人来说,她过得更加开心和洒脱
回复5分钟前
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默客291
51
国家应该制定法律,允许安乐死,这样,让死者能有尊严的逝去,提高逝者的生活质量,还不会给家庭带来沉重的经济负担,让子女不至于看着老人在病床上痛苦挣扎而束手无策。人早晚都要逝去,与其在病床上痛苦的挣扎,还不如有尊严的逝去,对于独孩家庭,当老人在病床上不能自理的时候,孩子始终守在病床前,估计老人还没有病逝,孩子就可能累的先行离开人世了。这是不可避免的现实。法律专家们,该制定一个合情合理的安乐死的条款了,我坚决拥护执行!
2回复41分钟前
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非凡露珠EF
2
断饮食会不会很痛苦啊?
3回复1个小时前
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