A new, life-affirming model of hospice care.

Oasis@Outram is a day hospice that proposes a radically different care model—focused on the patient’s personhood—and reframes what a place for end-of-life care can be. The project asks how we can celebrate and promote life, even in the face of death. Driven by ideas of patient-centric wellness, it signals a shift from the negative image of hospices, into one that emphasises dignity, diversity, and growth. 

This new image—often unexpectedly cheerful—has helped to bolster two important effects. First, life at Oasis allows for a paradigm-shift in the imagination of what hospices can be. Second, it brings a profound comfort to family caregivers who often feel guilty for having to entrust their love ones to a hospice. By contrast, they are comforted to know that their time will be spent meaningfully, and in a warm and positive environment. The operators have noted that patients are asking to come more frequently, and that caregivers who visit are opting to linger alongside their families.  

The spaces at Oasis emphasise life, and investment in life. Show at left, above, is one of the most popular: a greenhouse in which guests grow and care for plants, learn potting and ikebana, and other skills. Nurturing and caring for other creatures, even plants, is thought to install a sense of calm and of purpose, even in times of trauma. Conversation aids by The Care Lab facilitate difficult conversations (such as discussing end-of-life plans and protocols).

Images courtesy of Straits Times