Tailor for the burned

Seamstresses are the unsung heroes behind burns recovery. Occupational therapy assistant Pauline Ho is one.

FORMERLY a fashion tailor, MsPauline Ho’s (photo left) curiosity was piqued when she saw an SGH adfor seamstresses in the newspapers.That was 15 years ago, when she had contemplated quitting her job.“I didn’t see the connection between hospital treatments and clothes sewing,” said the 57-year-old.Ms Ho, now the senior of two seamstresses at the Occupational Therapy Department, learnt about pressure garments for the first time at the interview and “decided to give the job a try.”

Her sewing background was an advantage but she still spentthe first three months learning the ropes from an occupational therapist from the United Kingdom.She keeps up with sewing developments via occupational therapists sent overseas periodically for training.“The sewing is very different and creativity is necessary to think of different solutions for the patients’needs,” said Ms Ho. “The face mask is the hardest to make because we need to be very accurate when drawing and cutting holes for the eyes, nose and mouth. Once a step is wrong, we have to re-do everything.”

The job also took some getting used to. Among her initial patient encounters was a badly burnt female patient, whose screams at her garment fittings gave her the chills.“I was also afraid to see the bloody wounds initially with the scabs falling off, but I have grown used to it,” Ms Ho confessed smilingly.Hectic schedule-Ms Ho works a five-day week,stitching around 180 new pieces of pressure garments monthly. With teammate Christine, the two sew about 3,500 pieces a year.The work load increases significantly whenever there are mass accidents or terrorist attacks. Ms Ho remembers the 2002 Bali bomb blast clearly, when she rushed to sew countless pressure garments for the patients sent to the Singapore General Hospital(SGH) Burns Centre.“I did overtime every day - a lot of sewing plus alterations and newpieces for other patients,” said Ms Ho. “But it’s ok lah.”Besides sewing new garments and alterations, she manages the medical files of patients who turn up for therapy sessions, and also helps occupational therapistswith patients. With fidgety children, she’s found a biscuit will do the trick.

“Pauline sews mostof the time but she is also trained to handle patients like the elderly because they can’t stand for long. So the seamstress is also referred to as a good occupational therapy assistant,” said Ms Anna Tan, Head of Occupational Therapy and Chief of Burns and Plastic Therapy Services at SGH.Indeed, brimming with quiet pride, Ms Ho said: “I feel my job is as important as the occupational therapists’ in
helping patients recover. For this, will work
as fast as I can.”