Specialist palliative care throughout the region
AN ESSENTIAL service to both patients and their families in Southland and the Wakatipu Basin, from Stewart Island to Glenorchy, Hospice Southland provides specialist palliative care to those with a lifelimiting illness.
Most of this is done in the patients home, so travelling is second nature to this team of health professionals.
The service is free of charge, and ideally in the patients setting of choice.
The team at Hospice Southland specialise in providing a quality, individualised treatment plan to care for patients and their families.
They maintain close links with other health professionals and caregivers involved to ensure a complete service.
The Medical and Nursing team is the patient’s first contact with hospice, providing information on the services available to patients and their families.
The aim is to support people to stay in their own home as much as possible if it is their wish.
There is also a Day Programme that provides a safe and relaxed environment and offers companionship and support for patients and time out for families.
Spiritual Support is an integral aspect of the care offered at Hospice Southland.
The Spiritual Support person visits and spends time with patients and their families whilst they are in the In-Patient Unit and also visits patients in their home.
Hospice Southland offer a variety of grief support services through their bereavement support team.
This service provides support to those with a family member or friend who is terminally ill and following their passing.
Thanks to community funding exceeding $2m per year, the services provided by the Hospice team are free and available to anyone who is affected by a terminal diagnosis who needs specialist care.
Importantly, Hospice care extends to those close to or caring for the patient, both during the illness and after the passing of a loved one, to help them care for the patient and work through the grief process.
Hospice hold Remembrance Services where family members are invited to join and acknowledge their loved ones.
Families of all patients who have passed away under Hospice’s care are sent a card on the first anniversary of their death in recognition of their loved one.
Staff here also work with families after their loved one has died to make sure they are coping well and for those who wish to participate Hospice Southland have a Living Legacies biographer who puts together a patient’s personal story, so their family have a keepsake after they have died.
The team at Hospice Southland strive to create a safe, friendly environment for both their patients and their families. Over 350 volunteers support hospice regularly performing many roles from helping fundraising to cutting patients lawns, serving nutritious meals or maintaining the extensive gardens at the Hospice grounds.
Hospice CEO Andrew Leys said ‘‘ I’m so humbled by what I see and experience every day at Hospice.
‘‘ The professionalism and compassion of our staff, the selfless support we receive from so many volunteers on the team, and of course the 1000’ s of southlanders who contribute to our funding each year, combined with the thoughts and good wished of the families whose loved one the team have cared for, reminds me every day what a special place Hospice has in the hearts of Southlanders. ‘‘ It makes you proud to be a Southlander when you see such community support for those in need.’’
For more information about Hospice Southland and the work they do, visit their website www.hospicesouthland.org.nz.