Mary Potter Hospice gears up for annual appeal

Media Release

11 May 2007

Mary Potter Hospice gears up for annual appeal

About 400 volunteers are gearing up for a major fundraising street appeal to help Mary Potter Hospice care for people with a terminal illness and support their families.

The annual appeal will be held on Friday May 18 in the Wellington city, Porirua and Kapiti regions.

Last year, 375 volunteers took part in the appeal, helping to raise about $65,000 in the collection boxes on the day.

Mary Potter Hospice chief executive Ria Earp said that it was hoped to better the 2006 appeal total, with the aim to raise $75,000 this year.

``The hospice plays a vital role in our community, providing quality specialist care to people with a terminal illness, and giving their families the support they need,’’ Ms Earp said.

``Hospice services are provided free to anyone who needs them in the Wellington, Porirua and Kapiti regions. To help keep it that way, we need the continued support of the community. Although Mary Potter Hospice is partly funded by the government, we have to raise just over $3 million from the community this year to cover operating costs. So when you see the collectors, please give generously.’’

Mary Potter Hospice coordinates care to enable patients to be looked after in their own home. It also provides specialist medical and nursing advice and care (including in-patient care), psychosocial support, respite care, and end of life care.

The multidisciplinary teams of palliative care specialists – doctors, nurses, social workers, occupational therapists, counsellors, physiotherapists and spiritual carers – work closely with patients and their families.

Last year, Mary Potter Hospice cared for more than 550 patients and their families. Including family members, the number of people receiving Hospice services is steadily increasing each year.

``Few of us are prepared for the impact death and dying have on individuals, families and friends, and we are pleased our service can make a real difference at this time,’’ Ms Earp said.

``The Hospice helps people who are facing serious illnesses make the most of life and offers a support system to the family during the illness and their own bereavement.’’

Mary Potter Hospice was the first hospice in the country and has been providing services to the community for more than 27 years.

Mary Potter Hospice donations can be made on the day to one of the Hospice collectors or throughout May at any ANZ branch. An automatic $25 donation can be made by phoning 0900 MARY POTTER (0900 627 976) or donate online at www.marypotter.org.nz

ENDS

FACT FILE

- Palliative care is a specialist service for people with a terminal illness, and their families.

- Palliative care improves the quality of life for patients and their families through prevention and relief of suffering, assessment and treatment of pain, and providing support for physical, psychosocial and spiritual issues.

- Community patient care, to allow people to stay at home as long as they wish, is managed by three Palliative Care Specialist teams (Wellington, Porirua, and Kapiti). Palliative Care Co-ordinators liaise with their own multidisciplinary team, and with other caregivers such as District nurses, hospital specialists, GPs and community nurses, support agencies and the hospice inpatient unit.

- The Inpatient Unit (IPU) at Mein St, Newtown provides assessment to manage symptoms and pain for patients, respite care for people and their families and end of life care. People generally come into the IPU for short-term stays and may come into the unit a number of times while in the service.

- In addition, there is a day unit at Newtown (for Porirua and Wellington community patients) and at the Kapiti Community Hospice base, where patients can come in for day activities or just to enjoy the company of other people.

- Ongoing bereavement care is offered to families by Hospice counsellors, social workers and spiritual carers.

- Mary Potter Hospice (MPH) liaises, networks with, educates and provides advice to other people in the health care community on palliative care.

- MPH leads and participates in ongoing research to ensure it can continually understand and respond to the changing needs of the community.

- People with terminal illnesses may be referred to the Hospice service in a number of ways: most typically they are referred by their GP or hospital specialists.

- Remembrance Services are held throughout the year at the Mary Potter Hospice Chapel (in Newtown), in Porirua (at Pataka Museum), and at the Kapiti Community Hospice base.

- Mary Potter Hospice is reviewed three yearly by Quality Health New Zealand. In its last accreditation review in 2005, the hospice received a Certificate of Outstanding Achievement for its strong and innovative commitment to patient-focused care and the Certificate of Recognition for continued accreditation since 1993.

- The firmly held values of the Hospice are: Compassion, Dignity, Respect, Hospitality, Stewardship.

What is palliative care?
Palliative care:

- provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms;

- affirms life and regards dying as a normal process;

- intends neither to hasten or postpone death;

- integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of the patient;

- offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death;

- offers a support system to help the family cope during the patient’s illness and their own bereavement;

- uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families, including bereavement counselling if indicated;

- will enhance quality of life, and may also positively influence the course of illness;

- is applicable early in the course of illness, in conjunction with other therapies that are intended to prolong life, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and includes those investigations needed to better understand and manage distressing clinical complications.

The philosophy of Hospice palliative care is about a way of caring rather than where the care takes place. It encompasses the whole person; the physical, emotional, spiritual and social wellbeing of patients, and supports the family members

BACKGROUND
Mary Potter was an English nun born 160 years ago in whose memory the Hospice is named.

As the founding sister of The Little Company of Mary, she was acclaimed as a woman of great vision ahead of her time in issues of nursing education, hygiene, hospitality and service. Mary Potter’s philosophies and teachings are as relevant today as they were then.

ENDS

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