Two hospitals in Singapore have bus stops inside their wards. These simulations help patients with dementia by sparking memories of past routines.
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NewsTranscript
00:00Why would two hospital wards in Singapore have their own bus stops?
00:04While these bus stops have shelters, signs and benches, there are no buses,
00:09yet they serve a special purpose. They are simulations designed to help both patients
00:14with dementia and the people who look after them by sparking memories of past routines.
00:20This custom-made stop at Yishun Community Hospital was initiated by senior staff nurse Julia Lau,
00:26who saw its potential in calming distressed patients.
00:30The bus stop is also a form of validation therapy. It helps us to de-escalate emotional breakdown
00:37by offering them a physical place to come down when they are still not fit to be discharged.
00:43The uncle just now, he expressed his strong desire to go home. I tried to apply some
00:49validation therapy. I acknowledged his feelings. I diverted him to come to the bus stop instead.
00:56He explained to me that he would like to go to a coffee shop.
00:59We discussed how much does a cup of coffee cost. From there, he slowly
01:03forgot his desire to go home and this can calm them down emotionally.
01:09While the notion for the bus stop came from senior staff nurse Ms Lau,
01:14it was nurse manager Faith Tan who helped turn the idea into a reality.
01:19After Julia mentioned that she would like to have a bus stop in the ward, there was a day when I was
01:24travelling down Upper Thomson Road and they were replacing the old bus stops with the new one.
01:29I wrote to LTA and LTA then referred us to their contractor, Shinkon. The staff of Shinkon came
01:36on site to have a look and they realised that a real-size bus stop will not fit the ward.
01:41But the director of the company was very nice. He understood why we are doing this
01:46and he decided that they will customise one for our need pro bono.
01:51I think the bus stop is good because the numbers will bring her mind back to recall the 40s.
01:57She was away from the bed also, at least it's a good choice to sit down and have a chat with her.
02:01And also bring her back to the previous time that she took a bus to visit her auntie in Geylang.
02:13The bus stop serves multiple groups of patients well. It's a great conversation starter which
02:18helps us to build rapport with our patients. And for orientated patients,
02:22it's also a good resting point during our corridor walks.
02:25An old-school bus stop can also be found in an acute geriatric ward at Kootik Park Hospital.
02:31During my night shift, one patient was very agitated. He packed his own bags because he
02:36wanted to go home. He was finding ways to exit. But when he saw this bus stop, he sat down and
02:42he said, I want to wait for my bus 858. I tried to redirect him and I explained to him,
02:47the last bus has already passed. So why not we wait for tomorrow morning, we ask the doctor and
02:51if everything's okay, we can ask your family to fetch you. Thankfully for this bus stop,
02:56he was able to calm down. If not, it will take the whole team to manage his behaviour overnight.
03:01The bus stops have come a long way since their first appearance.
03:04Staff at Kootik Park Hospital started out by making their own decals.
03:09And they are expanding the concept of reminiscence therapy.
03:13A pop-up mama shop on a pushcart is in its pilot phase. Nurses wheel the cart to the
03:19geriatric wards three times a week for patients to buy items with paper tokens.
03:25Five dollars, I can buy two cokes and give me these three, one dollar.
03:29So like that, how much?
03:31Altogether, five dollars.
03:33We hope to achieve four objectives through this pilot project.
03:37We aim to improve their mobility. Number two, we aim to improve their appetite.
03:42Number three, we want to test their executive functioning, like mental calculation.
03:48Lastly, we want to improve their memory by giving them a shopping list.
03:53Other medical institutions, such as Alexandra Hospital and St Andrew's Nursing Home,
03:58have their own calming environments. Nostalgia-themed decor,
04:03including a retro music storefront, a mamak shop,
04:07and a version of the iconic Hap Seng Leong coffee shop,
04:11offer comfort and reassurance to senior patients.
04:33you