Rambling Rich – February 2023

Kia ora everyone,

Well, we returned from a not-so-sunny summer break to an even wetter end of January than I have ever seen. As I write this, I see the Kaimais have had over half their annual rainfall in the last seven days! Waipuna Hospice is situated beside the Wairoa River and so we had very high river levels that essentially cut access by road to the hospice. I am thankful for two things: 1. We had already evacuated the site by the time the road was completely inaccessible in both directions, and 2. The flood mitigation we put in place (raised car parks and stop bank repairs in the paddock next door) worked extremely well. The building was safe. We did get some water into the old bottom shed at the back, but we had mitigated this by moving as much as possible up onto shelves and tables…

Thank you to all who offered help – it was extremely kind.

This year, we have a lot to look forward to and lots of work to complete. We have our Superhero Challenge underway, and we have other events planned for the year – I won’t steal our fundraising team’s thunder here but keep an eye on our Facebook and Instagram for information in the coming months.

We also have our certification audit this year to the new Ngā Paerewa Health and Disability Standards. The changes are significant and while we think we are meeting these, it will entail more evidence for verification.

Health reforms continue. Hospices are working with Te Whātu Ora through Hospice NZ to ensure we are counted in this reform and have a place in the future of the health of New Zealanders at the end of their lives. I am always surprised how little is mentioned in healthcare strategy around the world about end-of-life care…especially when we are all going to need care in this area one day. Without palliative care providers continually campaigning internationally for more involvement in healthcare strategy, I seriously think that we would be forgotten about! This is surprising considering between 60-80% of the healthcare spend is in the last year of someone’s life!

We have been through a lot of tough times in the last three years – more change is coming which adds further complexity and stress, but we need to “be the change that we wish to see in the world” – to quote Mahatma Gandhi.

Stay well, live well, and be safe.

Ngā mihi

Rich

This update was first published in our newsletter – Waipuna Connections, issue 82.