Sister Geraldine Tan currently heads the overall Senior Management portfolio for St Joseph’s Home, newly located in an increasingly bustling Jurong West, the second largest township in Singapore.

In her role as Executive Director of one of the largest locally established and integrated long-term care facilities, which also offers hospice care, therapy services and an upcoming childcare centre, Sister Geraldine’s focus has never wavered from palliative care. Essentially, her dedication is to help progressively ill patients improve their quality of life. “The emphasis is living well before death, regardless of the prognosis of the medical condition.” Her interests are in encouraging quality of life in advanced illness, care models and pathways, and advocating education in palliative care training. Since 1982, she has been a member of the Canossian Daughters of Charity.

Her dedication is also augmented by extensive knowledge garnered through undergraduate studies in Health Science (majoring in Nursing), ancillary programs in Palliative Care and Clinical Pastoral Care, including Oncology Nursing. She is a trained registered nurse by profession.

In the burgeoning fields of palliative and hospice care, Sister Geraldine continues to play the role as one of change champions for improved standards and progress in healthcare. As Dame Cicely Saunders, nurse, physician, writer, and founder of the modern hospice movement (1918 – 2005) puts it, “You matter because you are you, and you matter to the end of your life. We will do all we can not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.”

Presentation Synopsis
We may not always cure, but we can always care
In today’s busy world, caregiving can be a major burden if one is unaware of how to care and who they are caring for.

Firstly, no one wants to fall sick, so the role of patient is almost always an accidental one. It requires them to learn about their illness on the go as it takes over their physical and mental states – somewhat like an on-the-job training.

And while a cure or the promise of a cure brings hope, a lack of it does not mean that we should stop caring; on the contrary, comfort and a dignity of life till the very end can still be provided. As healthcare professionals are often told, ‘they may not cure always, but they should always care.’

But true caregiving cannot happen until we are able to walk in someone else’s shoes – empathising rather than sympathising.

This talk drills to the essence of caregiving and how you can be better caregiver despite the challenges.