“Palliative care is so much more than dying. It is a
privilege to be with someone at the end of their
life.”
The natural human response to death is
distress, with many patients, family, and friends struggling
to understand a terminal illness and come to be at peace
with it.
This International Nurses Day, Friday 12 May,
Mercy Hospice is calling attention to a looming crisis due
to an acute shortage of palliative care nurses, one the
organisation says threatens the provision of free palliative
care in New Zealand.
Collette Parr-Owens, Head of
Nursing and Clinical Services at Mercy Hospice, leads a team
of empathic nurses who support hundreds of New Zealanders
and their loved ones through their final days of life. She
says that, while nurses are the backbone of the country’s
healthcare system, palliative care nurses are often
overlooked.
“This International Nurses Day, we are
specifically shining a light on palliative care and the
powerful journey these nurses go through with their patients
to see out their end of life.”
‘Moving’ is one
way Collette describes a day in the life of a palliative
care nurse. “Each patient and their story affect our
nurses in different ways. Nurses are able to build
compassionate relationships with patients, families and
whānau which brings about connection and satisfaction, and
that is what is so beautiful and powerful about the job,”
she says.
Palliative care nurses at Mercy Hospice
describe their job as a ‘privilege’ to be with someone
at the end of their life.
“A palliative care nurse
makes a person’s end of life experience the best it can
be,” says Collette.
Being a palliative care nurse is
more than caring for just the patient, they are also caring
for families and whānau. They are with patients during
their final days of life, helping someone through their
palliative illness needs, so friends, families and whānau
can focus on being with their loved one.
“Some
people don’t know anything about dying, so our nurses can
explain this process to them, and put them at ease,” says
Collette.
“We are looking after family and whānau,
and their interests and wellbeing; our palliative care
nurses provide reassurance, answer questions, and support
incredibly distressed people during a traumatic time in
their life and turn it around,” she says.
A terminal
illness can naturally leave patients and their families and
whānau scared and frightened.
“Our nurses start by
speaking with them, answering their questions, and
explaining what will happen, they also provide care and
support including managing their patients’ symptoms such
as pain. This is able to make a real difference to
everyone’s journey,” she says.
“There is a
specialism and expertise that is required caring for someone
at the end of life. It isn’t something everyone knows.
This is a truly purposeful career and one we would strongly
encourage nurses to explore.”
With over 300 patients
on our service at any given time and an ageing population in
New Zealand, there is a pressing need for palliative care
nurses.
“Most of our patients are in the community
and as their condition deteriorates, care and support from
nurses becomes more frequent,” says Collette.
Mercy
Hospice is in demand for both the Inpatient Unit (IPU) and
Community Palliative Care Unit (CPC) teams.
“There
is currently pressure within the nursing workforce across
Aotearoa. We are short of staff created through vacant
nursing positions, and this is the reality for our team
right now as we see many nurses heading overseas or choosing
other career options,” she says.
Mercy Hospice takes
graduate nurses, qualified nurses, and those on placement
during their studies. It takes a special type of person to
be a palliative care nurse, to ensure each patient that is
under care with a terminal illness has a good
death.
Collette says it is an honour to be with
someone during their final days of life and ensure it is a
peaceful and beautiful experience, and a palliative care
nurse can do
this.
ENDS
About Mercy
Hospice
Mercy Hospice provides a range of
specialist community palliative care and hospice services
for people facing life limiting illnesses, caring for them
with clinical expertise, compassion and quality of service.
Mercy Hospice offers support and education to family,
friends and carers to help them cope with problems arising
from the illness.
Media
enquiries:
Amy McWhannell
amy@wrightcommunications.co.nz
Wright
Communications
© Scoop Media
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