I am Eunice Kang. I am a current Junior on the pre-medical route studying Global Public Health Sciences in the school of Human Ecology! I am excited to talk about my experience with the Swami Vivekananda Youth Movement, specifically regarding my project in SVYM’s Palliative Care sector.
My project was focused on improving healthcare execution of SVYM's Palliative Care Caregiver's Meeting. SVYM holds palliative care centers in Bengaluru, Dharwad, Hassan, Mysuru, Saragur. From my mentors Dr. Vidya and Dr. Veena, there was a noted need in having a tangible guideline for all sites in how one should conduct a caregiver's meeting In the meeting, caregivers are expected to be informed on many topics of such as what palliative care is, the role of a caregiver, common caregiver struggles, and ways to reduce caregiver burnout. With that said, a proper manual was my overall goal of this project. With a manual that acts a guide for the individuals hosting the meeting, the manual contained all the information necessary for the caregiver's to gain a better understanding of what palliative care is, what their responsibilities for the patient is (hygiene, emotional care, nutrition, etc), and how to attend to one's own physical and emotional needs. Alongside the manual, I was also responsible for my role creating an assessment survey that is intended to be passed out before the caregiver's meeting as well as a few weeks after the caregiver's meeting. This will allow for an assessment of how informative the caregiver's meeting was. Getting a holistic understanding of SVYM/s Palliative Care Model included in observing home visits, doctor and patient interaction, and how caregiver meetings are hosted.
Finally, I also created a spirtual assessment guide in order to address one of the five core values of SVYM’s Palliative Care Model. Spiritual needs is something that SVYM strives to attend to in their patients and family members of sick patients. Therefore, with Dr. Veena, I worked on a completing a concise survey on questions that were molded broadly but clearly for nurses and doctors to gain a better understanding of the spiritual needs of someone who is at the end of life (or a family member struggling).
To get a strong foundation before completing all these tasks, Global Public Health students were introduced to India's healthcare system through SVYM's partnerships with local professors, hospitals, nurses, doctors, and cultural tour guides. For the first two weeks of this program, we received private lessons regarding India's healthcare system. Topics such as Family and Marriage in India, Women at Work, Water and Sanitation Issues, Effects of Globalization, Social Determinants, Disabilities in India, and Bioethics in Medical Research were covered.
Overall, the memory that I will forever hold closest to my heart would be the cultural night. We celebrated the ending of the speech and debate camp through having dancers perform and wearing traditional Sarees. It was a beautiful night where we all spent time together in collection of our shared value for unity, culture, curiosity, and humility.
