Nearing her discharge, Linda Tan reflected on her stay in SLH whilst recovering from Cellulitis on her chin. In particular, she holds fond memories of the leisure activities conducted. She was eager to share all her art creations, and was delighted to take them home and teach her friends. “I’m happy that I could do many activities such as arts and crafts, gardening, singing, watching movies, and even cooking like making sandwiches”, she recalled with a smile.
When Linda was admitted, her chin infection bothered her greatly as it was painful and visible to sight. During her stay, she was thankful that the many leisure activities had helped to take her mind off her infection. To express her gratitude, she made cards for the nurses and therapists, using the materials and technique that were taught during the arts and crafts sessions.
Nor Azilah Bte Pami, Principal Occupational Therapist (OT), coordinator of the leisure activities, was glad to see Linda applying her newly learned skills. She shared, “As an OT, my role is to empower and engage our clients to participate in meaningful activities, facilitate them in doing things that are important to them and to encourage independence in areas of self-care, productivity, and leisure.”
With leisure being one of the 3 performance areas of Occupational Therapy, it plays a big role in improving patients’ wellbeing and mood. Such activities benefit patients physically, mentally and socially, as they relax their mind and interact with other patients.
