Evolving to meet changing needs

Juanita Taylor and her sister Hayley say they’re lucky to have had Harbour Hospice support their family twice – first with their dad Roger, who had lung cancer, and more recently with their mum Lorraine, who had breast cancer.

“Lucky because having Hospice in your corner when life gets really hard is genuinely something to be grateful for,” Juanita says.

She says her parents had different ideas about what they wanted from end-of-life care. While her dad sought peace in the sanctuary of Hospice’s Inpatient Unit at Red Beach, her mum wanted to be cared for at her Hibiscus Coast home, with family and friends able to visit.

Both had the experiences they wanted, Juanita says, but there were also important similarities in their care.

“Both got the same unwavering support, and both were cared for with the same compassion and respect.”

Juanita says Hospice was there every step of the way.

“More than that, they’re one step ahead. The number of times they suggested we try something and we wondered, ‘Do we really need to yet?’, only to realise two days later that we did.”

The little things Hospice did left a lasting impression too.

“At the Inpatient Unit they hung a picture on Dad’s door of a yacht at sunset. This might not seem like much, but to Dad it meant everything. Dad was a sailor and had spent many years sailing the Pacific. This image said, ‘We see you. We know you. You are safe here.’

“For Mum, it was the practical support – the phone calls at 9pm to check in, and the nurse who noticed Mum was getting stiffer and suggested we look at different ways to help move her.

“Whenever they asked Mum how she was doing, she would just say, ‘I’m good’. They knew how to gently push a little further, until Mum would say, ‘Well, I don’t want to bother anyone, but …’ The nurses were incredibly understanding and compassionate.”

Harbour Hospice chief executive Amanda Fowler says compassionate, patient-centred care will always be at the heart of Harbour Hospice services.

“But we are at a pivotal moment in our history. Our community is changing. The way people die is changing. And the way they will need to be cared for is changing.”

Amanda says when Hospice was established, most of its care was built around people with cancer.

“Today, more than a third of the people we care for have non-cancer conditions. And over the next decade, along with the rising population, non-cancer conditions will drive almost all the growth in need across our region.

“To remain fit for purpose, we must evolve our model of care now. Standing still is not an option, and this will be one of the most critical evolutions our service ever makes.”

Amanda says families need to be supported through longer, more complex journeys.

“As people live longer, we will see more chronic disease, frailty, dementia and comorbidities. In fact, in the past three years we’ve already seen a 25 per cent increase in the length of time someone will be in our service.

“We’ve begun the work, but the mahi ahead is significant. And, as always, the support of our community will help us achieve this. In fact, the support of our community matters now more than ever.”

To support Harbour Hospice, visit harbourhospice.org.nz/donate/