Pusat Jagaan Jed ~ 6th day!!!

1st December 2012

Sixth day at home care. Everything went well. Mr. Raman was on leave for 1 week for his daughter's wedding. Mr. Sunther and I went to Penang to bring back a new patient to our home care. The person was staying at a old folks home in Penang. The family contacted Dr. Bala few days back and informed about the person. After agreed to the terms and conditions, the family asked Dr. Bala to send his workers to bring back the person to our home care as they are unable to send him here. We moved to Penang around 11.00 am. The old folks home is in the  mainland. We reached there around 2.00 pm. The person's family was waiting for us at the old folks home. The person was diagnosed to have schizophrenia and was sent to old folks home. He is uncontrollable at times and the old folks management have asked his family to send him to another home care. After get signature in the admission form from the new patient's family. We bring him back to Ipoh. It was 6.30 pm when we reached home care. It was a new experience for me. :-)

Pusat Jagaan Jed ~ 5th day!!!

30th November 2012

Fifth day at home care. Everything went well. There was a visitor came down form Penang to visit a patient. They had called us one day before and asked us to guide them to the home care. We were waiting for their call. Around 11.30 am we received call from them said they were waiting near Jusco. Mr. Sunther and I went to meet them. It is one of our duty, we need to guide the families that come to visit their family member at the home. In the evening, we brought a patients to clinic for check up. We wanted him to be admitted in the hospital. The patient went through a surgery on his right leg after broke his leg one week before. He never eat for the past two days since he is discharged. He vomited whatever food that he took even after Dr. Bala gave him medication. His condition is bad. After consulting with Dr. Bala we took him to the clinic. The doctor at the clinic checked him and said the medication that was given before will induce vomiting side effect. The doctor asked us to stop the medication. With the supporting letter from Dr. Bala regarding the patients condition, the doctor agreed to admit the patient in hospital. She gave a letter to admit him. We brought him to the emergency department and they admitted him at the semi-critical zone for further check ups. After that the patient was admitted in the ward. It was a long day, I went back home late. I learned the procedures of admitting patients in hospital. It really took a lot of time in government hospital.

Pusat Jagaan Jed ~ 4th day!!!

29th November 2012

Fourth day at home care. Everything went well. Nothing much i did on that day. We carried out our routine activities. Looking after the patients, prepare food for them and so on. Mr. Sunther and I went to grocery shop to buy some cooking stuff. And yeah that is all for that day!!!

Pusat Jagaan Jed ~ 3rd day!!!

28th November 2012

Third day at home care. Everything went well. It is Wednesday, some of the patients had doctors appointment. Morning we brought two patients to get their injection. After lunch we brought seven patients for doctors follow up. Each patient have a book for themselves, where all the appointment dates are written by the doctor. So it is easier for us to know the dates of appointment. After done with the clinic appointments, Mr. Raman and I went to bank to settle the bills.

Pusat Jagaan Jed ~ 2nd day!!!

27th November 2012

My second day at home care. I learned about how they manage all this patients. Giving them proper medications and doctor follow up is necessary to keep them under control. Around 10.30 am Mr. Raman and Mr. Sunther told we have to bring few patients to Klinik Kesihatan Greentown. I drove them together with two patients to the clinic. And after lunch we brought another two patients to the clinic. Psychiatric patients are needed to take injection once every month. And they are also given doctors appointment once every month, particularly on Wednesday, to observe their progress. Once every six months, these patients are given a psychiatric specialist appointment at the Hospital Raja Permaisuri Bainun, Ipoh. Other than that, patients with diabetes, blood pressure and other medical conditions are also be given doctors appointment. Our duty is to bring them for follow up on these days and get the prescribed medication for them from the pharmacy. At the home care, all the patients should be given medications at the correct time and make sure they take it. Some of these patients tend to throw away the medications that are given to them.

Pusat Jagaan Jed ~ 1st day!!!

26th November 2012

It was my first day at the home care. I traveled there by bike. The traffic was heavy as it is early morning everyone is rushing to work. I reached there by 9.00 am. I was welcomed by Mr. Raman, person in charge of the home care. There are two separate houses, the male and female home care, opposite to each other. Mr. Raman briefed me the do's and don't's that i should follow during my service there. I was working in the male home care. Three foreign workers from India are working at the home care; Mr. Sunther, Mr. Sethu and Mr. Rajendran. 

There are 46 patients in the male home care; 41 Chinese and 5 Indians. All of them are schizophrenia patients. Their activities should be observed all the time. They might have period of violent and uncontrollable behavior if not given proper medication. In case of rampage, the patient will be given medication and locked up in a room to avoid from harming others. Dried anchovies are brought from wholesaler to be cleaned. This is to create a situation of normal lifestyle for the patients. RM 70 is given for a sack of dried anchovies. The money they earn is used to buy food for the patients, any special orders such as fried noodles, roti canai and etc.  At free time they watch television, play cards and read newspapers. The doctor will visit them everyday from 4.00 pm to 5.30 pm. Their daily routine are well organized.

6.30 am ~ wake up

7.30 am ~ breakfast

8.00 am ~ medication

8.30 am ~ morning walk and exercise (12 people each time)

10.00 am ~ watch tv/clean dried anchovies

12.00 pm ~ lunch

12.30 pm ~ medication

1.00 pm ~ watch tv/clean dried anchovies

2.45 pm ~ tea time

6.00 pm ~ dinner

8.00 pm ~ medication and chinese tea

9.00 pm ~ off to bed

The first day went with only observation and nothing much i did. Mr. Raman asked me if i have a car license and told me that i will be needed to drive to market, grocery shops, banks and hospitals. After lunch Mr. Raman and Mr. Sunther brought me to the fish market. They showed the place and the fishmonger that they buy fishes regularly. They also showed the grocery shops.

That is all for the first day!!! :-)

Pusat Jagaan Jed

22nd November 2012

Being clueless of where to do my another eighteen days of community service. I met Dr. S. Balakumaran, a friend of my father, who is running a clinic in my town, Sungai Siput North. He is also the proprietor of Pusat Jagaan Jed, which is situated in Ipoh. Pusat Jagaan Jed provide home care for psychiatric patients. It is located about 29km from my house.

I explained Dr. Bala about my intention of volunteering myself to work at his home care for eighteen days. He was very glad to hear that and agreed to let me work there. He briefed me about the home care and the patients staying there. He added that i am not allowed to take any photographs with or within the home care compound as it is something to do with psychiatric patients.

National Zoo ~ A day to remember!!!

It was on 17th of August 2012, my friends and I planned to volunteer ourselves to work at National Zoo. It was 30 minutes drive to Ampang from IMU. I arranged for transportation with Su-xian. The reporting time was 8.00 am. The person in charge of volunteer program gave us a short briefing of the do's and don't's. Then we were asked to divide into a group of three to four. Each group will be assigned to work at a department in the zoo. It was nothing new for me, I have been a volunteer at the National Zoo during my pre-university program. Myself together with Wan Hoon Mun, Tee Yoke Li and Low Yinyee was assigned at the Bear department under the supervision of Mr. Pathmanathan. We followed Mr. Nathan to the bear department. It not just the bears they handle at the bear department, but also Gaurs, Capybaras (giant rodent), Goats, Pademelons and Deers as well. Being the only guy in the group was given the hardest task of all. I was sent to the gaur area. Gaur? What is it actually? It is well known as "Seladang".

Mr. Wan Mohd. Ariff lead me to gaur section, he is one of the member of beer department which is in charge of the gaur and capybara areas. Mr. Ariff handed me a pair of working boots and gloves, and asked me to bring the wheelbarrow which was placed at the entrance of the gaur section. The place was terribly smelly with the gaur dung and urine. First of all, both of us cleaned the gaur barn. We collected all the grass leftover, place it on the wheelbarrow and i threw it away at the dumping site near the entrance of gaur section. Then we washed the barn. Later on, we gave food for the gaurs. The main source of food is grass and some organic food in the powder form also given to the gaur for nutrition purpose. I had the chance of standing beside the gaur and even touch them. While they are eating, both of us quickly collected the gaur dungs and swept the places. Mr. Ariff told me that it is easy to clean the roaming areas of gaur when they are eating. With the gaur dung all over the places, we used wheelbarrow and dustbins to collect it. And finally we collected 3 dustbin full of dungs. We placed the dustbins outside the entrance gate. According to Mr.Ariff. the gaur dungs will be used to make fertilizers. He also gave me some additional information about the gaurs. He told me that a gaur as it grew bigger its hairs will fall and it will look darker compare to the young gaurs.

After finish cleaning the gaur section, we proceed to the capybara section which was beside the gaur section. Nothing much to do there actually. Both of us swept the dried leaves all over the places, put it inside a rubbish bag. I throw the bags at the dumping site and bring grass for the capybaras using the wheelbarrow. Capybaras are largest rodent in the world. They prefer vegetables more than grass. So they are given vegetables in the evening.

After finis all our work, it was finally 12.30 pm. We were given lunch break until 2.30 pm as it was Friday and the Malays will go for their Friday prayers. My friends and I had our lunch at The Wilds in the zoo. All of us took a walk around the zoo for a wile enjoying our time there.

By 2.25 pm we gathered at our respective departments. I followed Mr. Nathan to the bear section. The bears are kept in a specially designed area as they are very dangerous. They are kept in a cage at night and let roaming freely at space which was separated by a steel door. And there is a huge drainage between that space and the railing where the visitor stand. Our work was to climb down to the drainage area and swept all the dried leaves there to prevent from clogging the drains. There were six bear cages. After clean each and every one of it, we prepared food for the bears. According to Mr. Nathan, there are three types of bears in the zoo; brown bear, honey bear and sun bear. Brown bear feed on meats except for the two other bears. And honey should be included in the food for honey bears. We washed all the cages and place the food inside the cage. Then Mr. Nathan opened the steal doors for the bears to enter the cages. I get a life time opportunity of feeding honey to the honey bear. I was scared to be honest but it is one the best experience of mine ever. 

Finally it was 5.00 pm. It was time to go back. I had a great time as a volunteer. And i hope to go there again if time allows. It was a day to remember always!!! :-)