What good news to see the province is growing. People are visiting Southland, seeing the great scenery, connected people, the opportunities we have and want to be part of it. It’s the same for the Hospice recruitment. We have applications from doctors, nurses and social workers from up and down the country as well as overseas.
New staff can’t quite believe the beauty of Southland, roads with no or very few potholes and such friendly people. So what if it can be a bit grey in winter. The upside is the long light evenings in summer.
As a relatively new convert to Southland, my mother was born here as was my husband I am so pleased to see the population numbers trending upwards. Also trending upwards is the complexity of our patients. As people are living longer and doctors are able to treat previous lifeending conditions to extend life for longer then the body develops other conditions as well. These can be COPD, cancer secondaries, diabetes and sadly dementia.
Our patients often come to us with several conditions we need to assist with. We know that dementia will increase in the population as we live longer, and it’s heartwarming to see the new Hawthorndale complex proceeding apace. This is another example of Southland being innovative and caring for its population.
At Hospice we still need to raise extra funds each and every day. Please consider how you donate. It’s Volunteer Awareness Week next week so you may think of volunteering for us. That’s a good way to donate. If so, please ring Toni Eades at Hospice Southland and she will find the right slot for you. It could be at one of our 8 shops, in our gardens, helping with the housekeeping, or in the kitchen. We do need more Living Legacy writers, so if you’re good with words then please join us.
Our patients and their families are just so delighted when they get their finished book of their loved one’s lives. They are very professional, lots of photos and wonderful written memories.
Thanks for all your support.
