“Its OK to feel how you feel” : Sharing patient and
whānau stories for Hospice Awareness Week
Hospice
New Zealand is launching a campaign today to help raise
awareness about the value of hospice care.
The
campaign It’s
Ok features hospice patients and whānau
sharing their emotional journeys of dying and hospice
care.
Hospice NZ Chief Executive, Wayne Naylor, says
over three million of us tend to feel anxious and
uncomfortable when thinking about a loved one dying
(69%).
These stories shine a spotlight on how hospice
care helps to make that journey a little
easier.
“Dying is not an easy subject to talk about.
We don’t know what to say and we’re afraid we’ll say
the wrong thing. This campaign features hospice patients and
whānau sharing their emotional experiences in the hope that
others will be ok about opening up and reach out to Hospice
for help.”
“Everyone’s story is unique, but
feelings are universal and whatever you feel, is ok. If we
can open up; if we can talk about dying and be ok with all
the feelings we have; we can make the most of life right
until the end. Hospice helps people get
through.”
One of the stories features Latoya, a
patient at Tōtara Hospice in South Auckland who encourages
talking about dying.
“The topic is so depressing and
so sad and so taboo but yet it’s one of the most natural
things that happens in life…you live and you die… why
I’m so comfortable now is because it is something we can
talk about,” says Latoya.
Another story features
Haley, whose friend died in the care of Otago Community
Hospice, and who encourages opening up.
“Just
normalise it, make it ok…it does make it easier…when you
ignore it, it makes it incredibly difficult,” says
Haley.
Mr Naylor said he hoped that this campaign
motivated more New Zealanders to support
hospice.
“We rely on the generosity of our
communities to deliver our life changing services. We
couldn’t do it without their
support.”
“Understanding the care, the value, the
comfort that Hospice provides – is why Hospice Awareness
Week is so important. “
Hospice
Awareness Week : May
15-21
In Numbers
In 2021/2022 Hospice
across Aotearoa;
- Provided care to 17,589 people,
plus their whānau. - Cared for 10,592 people who
died. - Provided 166,541 face to face
visits. - Made 290,741 phone calls to patients and
whānau members. - Provided nearly 28,000 nights of
specialist care in hospice inpatient units. - Provided
24,042 bereavement contacts. - Had to raise over $94m
through their second-hand retail shops, fundraising,
donations, and other sources, including from reserves, to
keep afloat.
Community Views : Public
Perceptions Research on Hospice, Death and Dying (completed
Jan 2023)
- Over two thirds of us (around 3
million) tend to feel anxious and uncomfortable when
thinking about a loved one dying (69%). - In 2022 a
higher proportion of New Zealanders had experienced the
death of a close friend or relative (82%) compared to 2015
(77%). This number increases to over 90% for
Māori. - And just in the past two years, two million
of us have experienced the death of a close friend or
relative. - We know death is around us but that
doesn’t make us feel more comfortable about
it. - 61% of us feel it is hard to talk about death
with someone you care about who is dying. - More young
New Zealanders have experienced the loss of a loved
one. - Nearly a million New Zealanders cared for a
loved one who was dying in the past two years. - 40%
of carers spent 21+ hours per week in their caring
role. - The key rewards of being a carer were:
spending time with that person (76%), giving back to someone
they care about (75%), and doing something meaningful
(61%). - Only 13% of us have made an Advanced Care
Plan.
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