Turangi talk about health

When Joyce Hoko’s mother got sick she realised there were real ‘pot holes’ in the Turangi community when it came to the health system.

Now, Hoko wants to get the whole community together to sort it out.

Two years ago, Hoko’s mum suffered a sever stroke which left her disabled and dependant on the people around her.

Hoko’s mother has since passed away, but she said looking after her had been quite ‘‘intense’’ at times. With ‘common sense and good communication’ between the family and the Tuwharetoa Health Carers, her mother’s health and wellbeing was ‘top notch’.

However, she believed there needed to be more training when it came to caring for high needs patients in the community. She believes there was a lack of resourcing and professional input for families.

Her only support network in Turangi was the Tuwharetoa Health Carers.

There was no one else to get information from on how to deal with a loved one who has had a stroke or to access the kind of equipment they needed in the house or even how to transport her to and from doctors’ appointments.

In the end, the Hoko family ended up purchasing their own van.

‘‘There were no professional people to talk about that help to alleviate that stress and that struggle,’’ she said.

‘‘We identified a lot of gaps – a lot of pot holes – through the process with our mum being home.’’

Hoko is sure others will be in the same situation she was in.

’’If I went through this by myself with my mother, then how many others are going through the same thing?

‘‘We should be a community that has these services available to us. There needs to be a change.’’

Hoko thinks a ‘Hub’ should be set up in Turangi – an area where community members can go to find out all the information they need when it comes for caring for a sick loved one.

‘‘It’s the way forward.’’