Hospice Awareness week is celebrated up and down Aotearoa New Zealand from the 13th of May to 17th May. It’s a time for all of us to become better aware of what Hospices do and to understand It’s OK to be unsure about Hospice. Who it’s for? Can we afford it?
It’s for everyone with an end of life condition that requires specialist care. It’s all at no cost to the patient and their family. That’s why for Hospice Awareness week we are saying. Hospice: It’s Not What You Think … It’s Better.
When a patient and their family/whānau are referred to hospice it can be an anxious time. Often patients say I was most reluctant to be admitted. One of our younger patients Tamsin said “I didn’t want to be referred to Hospice as I thought Well that’s It, so I resisted. Really, I shouldn’t have. It’s been great.
Mum is my carer and she has been on a Carers course and learnt so much. She sings Sarah-Jean’s praises. Mum is much more confident now and can manage my medication pump in between nurse visits. My nurses see me regularly and they are just wonderful, I can’t really put in words how kind, caring and professional they are. Helen just arrives and I feel as though she just understands what I’m going through. She really helps me live my life to the full.
My pain was getting really bad, and Dr Neil admitted me to the Hospice Inpatient Unit. I had my own large room, comfy air bed and ensuite bathroom. Mum and my family made themselves comfortable in one of the family lounges, cooking lunch in there. The Hospice has a chef. My meals were so tasty
and individually made for me I managed to eat quite a lot. Because I had been admitted my brothers and sisters were all convinced that was it, that I would be dead in a couple of days. But no Dr Neil and Nurse Rowan managed my medications, reviewed them, got them so that they worked more efficiently and then I was allowed to come back home after three days.
I think now I should have taken my wonderful GP’s advice and got admitted to Hospice earlier. All the staff concentrate on helping me live my life to the full. Their care is genuinely holistic, they look after my physical pain, my mental anxieties, social worker Jess has been amazing, and I’m now involved with Sharon the very caring, honest spiritual carer. All of the team are there to assist my family with ensuring my time is the best it can be. That’s why I’m speaking up for the Hospice Southland Awareness campaign. Please support Hospice Southland in whatever way you can – YOLO Hospice – It’s not what you think… it’s better.
Tamsin’s name has been changed at her request.
