Along career in care

A retiring health nurse is leaving her community with more resources than ever after almost 40 years of hard work and dedication improving the lives of Palmerston North’s most vulnerable.

There’s a sense of comfort and welcome when you meet Margaret Jackson. You can’t surprise her. The 75-year-old has seen it all in her 38 years as a public health nurse.

Jackson can’t be found in a hospital or a doctor’s office. She roams Ta¯karo, Cloverlea and Highbury, helping where she’s needed like a fairy godmother, ready to help you find your way down the yellow brick road, strengthening her community’s wellbeing one person at a time.

Public health nurses work to maintain and enhance the health of children, teenagers and their families.

They focus on identifying health needs, put forward referrals for further care, promote healthy lives and disease prevention by linking people to services that can help them enhance their wellbeing.

Jackson has been instrumental in building up community health services like Te Aroha Noa Community Services, based in Highbury.

The facility supports the physical, emotional and spiritual needs and wellbeing of people, their wha¯nau and the community through social services, education programmes, health services and community development.

‘‘It really looks after families. It also supports people making changes in their lives. That’s why I like Te Aroha Noa, they make dreams happen, and they’re supporting them through their dreams.’’

While connecting with her community has been the foundation of her ability to help people strengthen their health and wellbeing, she’s quick to say she’s not their mother, keeping their relationships professional.

‘‘I’m not saying I haven’t cried, I’m not saying I haven’t been shaken from being affected.

‘‘I’ve seen extreme sadness, crisis, happiness, encouragement. I’ve seen every emotion you can possibly think of.

‘‘But I want you to be independent, I don’t want you to be reliant on me. The idea is for you to look after your own wellbeing, assisting you with that and preventing ill health.’’

With a doctor’s office, dental facilities, Te Aroha Noa Community Services, iwi services, a chemist, a library and a wha¯nau centre, Jackson believes as she makes her way into retirement she is leaving her community in capable hands.

Born in Palmerston North, Jackson began her training at Palmerston North Public Hospital in 1963.

At school, if you weren’t going to university you were going to be a teacher or go nursing, Jackson said, so at 17 she arrived at the boarding school-like training facility in 1963.

‘‘It was really based on a military-like establishment. You stood up when sister came into the room and put your hands behind your back. Crazy.’’

Clad in her white uniform, white stockings and red cape, Jackson prepared for her career in the trenches with practical training.

Back then you learned on the job rather than a classroom, Jackson said.

‘‘We had to look after a 30-bed ward. Now when you finish your degree it would be mind-blowing to do the things they have to do, because we learned them on the spot as we trained.

‘‘To be a public health nurse you have to have a few life skills.

‘‘What I like about it is if you can break a lifecycle of something that is detrimental to somebody’s health and you can make a bit of a difference – and they can see they’re making their own difference – how good is that?’’

It’s about building a person’s resiliency and independence by working alongside families, Jackson said.

‘‘You can’t whip into someone’s home and say you need to do this because you’re on someone else’s turf. You build up relationships over time, that’s where I’ve been extremely fortunate, I’ve been in an area for a long time.

‘‘They’ve been generous to let me into their lives, and I haven’t got all the answers, but we can work through it together.’’

Midcentral District Health Board chair Brendan Duffy presented Jackson with the Living Our Values Award for the extensive advocacy and support she has consistently given to organisations such as Ta¯karo Early Childhood Centre, Ta¯karo School and Queen Elizabeth College throughout her career.

‘‘She has been a true champion of this community and a fine ambassador for the health sector,’’ a spokesperson for the DHB said.

Jackson will remain in her community as a board member for Te Aroha Noa.

WARWICK SMITH/STUFF Retiring public health nurse Margaret Jackson reflects on her time working to keep her community happy and healthy for 38 years. Margaret Jackson, right, accepts the Living Our Values Award from Midcentral District Health Board chair Brendan Duffy. Margaret Jackson wore a similar uniform – with a red woollen cape – when she began training as a nurse in 1963. Pictured: Senior nurse Alsa Corkill instructs student nurses Porteous, left, and Shaw.