Getting more health conscious and into natural wellness is a growing trend in Singapore. As “health is wealth”, everyone would like to be in their best state of health.
In recent years, consumers are more educated and with the influx of internet in every household, people are on the look out for every possible means and gadget to maintain vitality, seeking out preventive medications and activities to maintain a healthy lifestyle. There has been a big awareness about going natural and eating organic products, partly due to an increase in people with cancer and chronic diseases.
With this in mind, a team comprising of pharmacists was set up to conceptualise and execute these ideas of Health & Wellness Centres (HWCs) in Dec 2006. Guardian IMM was the pilot store, introduced to Singaporeans in western regions in Jan 2007. Subsequently, more HWCs were set up island wide, with the 6th youngest “baby” at Ang Mo Kio, Jubilee.
Bringing our services closer to the community
Health & Wellness Centre was launched officially on 23 Aug 2007 in conjunction with our Guardian anniversary celebration.
Activities commenced with a 5-week campaign comprising:
1 Free Health Check from 23/8 to 5/9
Almost 1000 patients were screened. Of which 14.2% had non-ideal reading for blood pressure or blood glucose reading, requiring follow-up or doctors’ referral. This figure was comparable to National Health Surveillance Survey 2001, where it was reported that 1 in 10 Singaporean have high blood pressure and 1 in 20 have high blood glucose level. These activities provide a window of opportunity for community pharmacists to intervene and prevent further deterioration of patients’ health.
2 Free medication Check from 6/9 to 12/9
3 Free osteoporosis & Bone Health consultation from 13/9 to 19/9
700 patients were screened for bone mass tests and 6.1% had non-ideal test results. Calcium consumption for more than half of Singaporeans is lesser than 500mg and 20% of patients above 65 years old may be at risk of osteoporosis. Such activities are yet another useful channel for community pharmacists to make a big impact on our healthcare system.
4 Children Medication Week from 20/9 to 26/9
Pharmacist community outreach to create public awareness of hypertension & diabetes
Health & Wellness
To meet the growing demands of the ageing Singaporean population and the chronic diseases facing the elderly and even the younger generations now, Health & Wellness Centre offers a wide range of services to ensure customers get the quality of life they deserve.
• Nutrition: Patients are educated in the good and bad about food & how food influence their health problems
• Daily Living Aids: Patients would be advised on how they can enhance their independence via various devices or items such as Ezy-reacher for those with difficulty bending down and incontinence diapers for those with incontinence problems.
• Sports Support: A wide variety of supports are available for patients and they are taught on how they can prevent and treat sports injuries.
• Bone Health: Pharmacists offer comprehensive non pharmacological and pharmacological counselling on how patients can manage or prevent osteoporosis
• Home Wellness: Instead of allowing physical limitation to limit patients’ mobility, patients are given advice on how they can overcome their problems and enjoy the great outdoors.
Continuous learning and always adding value to our practice
At the heart of the whole concept is the philosophy of continuous learning and enhancing our practice. A series of training conducted by various professionals are lined up to keep pharmacists updated, ranging from the diabetic nutrition, to wound care and foot care .
Health & Wellness Centre provides an excellent training ground, allowing meaningful learning and strengthening of existing knowledge. Learning is a holistic process, transmitted from pharmacists to staff, from all frontline operators to our patients.
Moving forward, we aim to empower our patients, encouraging them to take ownership of their own health. Through value added services, we can work together with our patients towards better health outcome and better quality of life. With regular follow-up and genuine display of care and concern, we would forge stronger bond between pharmacists and patients & bringing the community pharmacists even closer to patients.
By
Charmaine Leong, Senior Pharmacist
Ivan Chew, Assistant Pharmacy Practice Manager
**********
