[FWD Care Rehabilitation Support Service] One-to-one dedicated support from registered nurses

Traditional insurance services are generally effective only in claims handling, helping to resolve urgent financial needs. In reality, however, critical illness patients may face many difficulties on the road to recovery, and bereaved family members may also need emotional support. FWD Life Insurance Company (Bermuda) Limited (incorporated in Bermuda with limited liability) (hereinafter referred to as FWD) understands these pain points and has launched the free FWD Care Rehabilitation Support Service^1,2,3, which provides reliable assistance, health guidance and emotional support from registered nurses for six months, as well as a range of support services covering everything from practical daily matters to professional care, helping them return to normal life as soon as possible.

Some critical illness patients who have used the FWD Care Rehabilitation Support Service^1,2,3 said that, before and after their cancer treatment, the registered nurse closely followed up throughout the service period and provided timely assistance, such as helping them prepare physically and mentally for possible side effects after chemotherapy. In addition, some bereaved family members who had used this service said that they received guidance from the registered nurse when arranging their loved one’s funeral matters, making the process smoother. They all described the registered nurse as a good companion on the road to recovery, helping them cope with various emotional and practical challenges in daily life.

Once a claim has been approved and eligible customers^1,2,3 have consented to participate, a registered nurse will contact them by phone to arrange appointments with a clinical psychologist or cardiology specialist. Guided by their needs, and after considering the advice of specialists and doctors, a personalised rehabilitation plan will be discussed and appointments will be co-ordinated on their behalf. Depending on the actual circumstances of the case, the free support services provided include consultations with a dietitian, physiotherapist and Chinese medicine practitioner, as well as transport arrangements (to and from follow-up consultations and examinations).

Chart 1: Free support services available to eligible participants (depending on the actual circumstances of the case)

Using a real-life example, Ms Ho, aged 59, was unfortunately diagnosed with breast cancer earlier. Following her attending doctor’s instructions, she underwent oral targeted therapy, with surgery planned once the tumour had shrunk. After receiving a claim payment from FWD, her financial adviser invited her to use the FWD Care rehabilitation support service^1,2,3. As Ms Ho is very busy with work, a registered nurse will contact her by phone from time to time or send text messages to check in and offer support.

During treatment, she had to suspend chemotherapy because her blood test results were unsatisfactory. The registered nurse then provided dietary advice, such as drinking nutritional supplements specifically formulated for cancer patients, to help improve her blood indices. After receiving valuable professional advice, Ms Ho was eventually able to resume chemotherapy, and once the tumour has shrunk to the required level, she can proceed with the surgical removal operation.

The emotional needs of bereaved family members are often overlooked, so they are also one of the groups covered by FWD Care Rehabilitation Support Services^1,2,3. This March, the American Psychiatric Association also added “bereavement” to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, formally naming it “Prolonged Grief Disorder”, referring to a persistent and excessively prolonged state of grief. Bereavement is gradually receiving greater attention from the medical community, which also reflects the indispensable importance of caring for bereaved family members.

To illustrate with another real-life example, Mr Cheung, aged 60, sadly lost his spouse earlier. Faced with the sudden passing of a partner who had been by his side for nearly 40 years, and after months of caring for Mrs Cheung, he was physically and mentally exhausted, and his mind and emotions remained unsettled for a long time.

After receiving FWD’s death benefit following Mrs Cheung’s passing, the financial adviser invited him to use FWD Care Rehabilitation Support Services^1,2,3. Emotional support services were provided by a registered nurse, accompanying him through a low point in his life. Mr Cheung described feeling cared for and supported like a family member after relaxed conversations with the registered nurse, and gradually began to feel relieved. He later went on to learn yoga and take part in volunteer work, starting a new chapter in his life.

We understand that, while claims applications are being processed, the long journey of recovery is only just beginning. During this time, customers may encounter various issues, such as side effects after taking medication, as well as challenges in daily life and emotional well-being. It may not always be easy to quickly find a nurse or doctor to answer their questions. With this in mind, FWD has introduced the FWD Care Rehabilitation Support Service^1,2,3. Before contacting eligible customers by phone^1,2,3, registered nurses will first understand the circumstances and needs of each case, so that a range of appropriate support services can be provided effectively.

FWD Care Recovery Support Service has won the Service Innovation Outstanding Award at the Bloomberg Businessweek Financial Institutions Awards 2022, and was named among the top three for the “Outstanding Innovative Product/Service Award — Life Insurance (Health Protection)” at the Hong Kong Insurance Awards 2022, as well as the Innovation of the Year Award at Asia Insurance Review 2022, with this innovative support service receiving widespread recognition.

Notes:

1. Eligible customers for this service refer to the insured person under designated personal life insurance products, or their spouse, children or parents.
2. Designated personal life insurance products include the following personal insurance products underwritten by FWD, FWD Life (Hong Kong) Limited and FWD Life Insurance (Hong Kong) Limited:  
   a. Death benefits: all personal life insurance products; and  
   b. Critical illness benefits and benefits relating to hospital and surgical expenses or hospital cash: all personal medical insurance products, such as personal indemnity hospital insurance (including but not limited to the Voluntary Health Insurance Scheme) and personal critical illness insurance products. 
   FWD, FWD Life (Hong Kong) Limited and FWD Life Insurance (Hong Kong) Limited may from time to time change the designated insurance products without further notice. For details of the terms and conditions of the policy under the designated insurance products, please refer to the product brochure and policy.
3. Under each policy of a designated insurance product, (i) the insured person (whose critical illness benefits or benefits relating to hospital and surgical expenses or hospital cash have been approved by FWD in respect of cancer, acute myocardial infarction or stroke) or (ii) the insured person’s spouse, children or parents (whose death benefit claim has been successfully approved) may use this service once in total. Each policy may only enrol one person in this service, and no replacement is allowed once enrolled. If the insured person holds more than one policy of a designated insurance product, the service may still only be used once. The insured person may use all support services under this service. If the insured person under a designated insurance product passes away and the service has not been used before death, one of the insured person’s family members may use the clinical psychologist consultation and/or home helper service under this service. For the avoidance of doubt, if the insured person is a family member of another insured person under a designated insurance product policy, this insured person may use this service twice: once in the capacity of an insured person, and once as a family member of another insured person. 
    
4. The FWD Care Recovery Support Service is arranged by FWD and provided by a third-party service provider, which supplies dedicated rehabilitation nurses and other related support services. FWD shall not be responsible or liable for any services provided by the third-party service provider in connection with this service. FWD and the third-party service provider reserve the right to withdraw or amend this service without further notice. This service is available in Hong Kong only. 
    
5. The dedicated rehabilitation nurse support service is free of charge. The dedicated rehabilitation nurse will endeavour to arrange support services, but availability cannot be guaranteed and is subject to whether service providers are able to provide such services. The dedicated rehabilitation nurse and service providers shall determine, at their sole discretion and according to the circumstances of each case, the types and frequency of support services available. Any disputes relating to the dedicated rehabilitation nurse and the support services provided by the service provider shall be resolved between the eligible customer and the third-party service provider. 
    
6. Please seek your doctor’s independent advice as to whether any medical services provided under this service are suitable for you. The dedicated rehabilitation nurse under this service is a qualified healthcare professional employed by the third-party service provider, and is not an employee or representative of FWD. 
    
7. The above information does not set out all the terms and conditions of the FWD Care Recovery Support Service. For the application procedures and eligibility, promotion period, details of the support services and their terms and conditions, please refer to the leaflet on the FWD website. 
    
8. Any promotional offers or materials should be read together with the relevant product brochure. Customers should not purchase the relevant insurance products solely on the basis of any promotional offer or materials. 
    

This English version of this article has been generated by machine translation powered by AI. It is provided solely for reference purposes. In the event of any discrepancy or inconsistency between this translation and the original Chinese version, the Chinese version shall prevail.