Project Happy Apples

Project Happy Apples (PHA) wants you to start a conversation about palliative care, in other words managing death and dying. Happy Apples started with two medical students who were volunteering at Brightvision Hospital, and came up with the idea of selling apples to raise funds for hospice patients. As the project was handed down to successive generations of students, more activities were added, and refinements made. Now PHA volunteers run various activities: befriending of patients; encouraging people to consider their end-of-life preferences through activities like “Before I Die” and a simulated “Telephone Booth” (to “call” your younger self); raising awareness of palliative care through patient stories and public exhibitions

Medical students are given the opportunity to accompany palliative patients through their journey and provide psychological and social comfort, support their basic needs and plan activities requested by patients. The aim is to allow the journey to nurture doctors who will understand the importance and concepts of palliative care.

“It was so easy to be caught up in our many plans when talking to patients: learning more about the presentation of a disease, understanding the associated complications, or doing a physical examination. But, there were times when the patient just needed a listening ear, to share about something that was bothering them, and PHA has made me more aware and willing to explore these concerns with them, armed with the belief that a simple but heartfelt conversation can mean so much to them,” said one student.