Changi General Hospital’s (CGH) HomeCare Assist (HCA) ensures that needy patients with chronic conditions can continue to receive care in their own homes or after they are discharged from the hospital. A beneficiary shares how the HCA has supported her in overcoming a sleep disorder.
  

For years, Mdm Siti Zuraidah’s nights were anything but peaceful. Every night, she would wake up multiple times, choking and gasping for air. “It felt like I was being suffocated,” she recounts.

Mdm Siti initially attributed her breathing difficulties to poor ventilation. It was not until she was told that she was having unusual breathing patterns and loud snores that she decided to seek help. In 2017, Mdm Siti was diagnosed with obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) at CGH’s Department of Sleep Medicine, Surgery and Science. OSA is a severe sleep disorder that causes a person’s breathing to be disrupted and oxygen levels to plummet during sleep. To help restore her regular breathing, the CGH care team prescribed continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy, which helps to keep patients’ airways continuously open, allowing them to breathe easily during sleep.
  

More than just a good night’s rest

Since then, the CPAP therapy has not only helped Mdm Siti regain restorative sleep but also combat daytime sleepiness, irritability and poor concentration — effects of OSA.

Mdm Siti has been looking forward to regaining her health and a new life after her release from prison. However, financial concerns weighed heavily on her. Like most OSA patients, Mdm Siti, who is in her 40s, will likely have to rely on CPAP therapy for life. “I did not have the means to afford a CPAP machine,” explains Mdm Siti, who currently lives in a 2-bedroom rental flat with her daughter, son-in-law and two grandchildren.

The CGH HCA aided Mdm Siti with the provision of a CPAP machine. Supported by the CGH Health Fund, the HCA brings relief to needy patients with chronic conditions, like Mdm Siti, to receive timely medical assistance and treatment for recovery. “I feel very honoured, and appreciate all the kindness that the donors have shown to me and my family,” she says. Receiving this assistance has also gifted her a new sense of purpose, allowing her to focus on her recovery and restore her relationships with her loved ones. “I just want to get back on my feet and carry out my responsibilities as a mother, daughter and sister well,” she shares.
  

Empowered to live to the fullest