POHLENATION SPRING 2015 GENERAL MANAGER’S UPDATE The funds to build our new palliative care unit continue to grow and its construction will soon become a reality. This unit will certainly be an asset for Matamata but as I have said before it’s more than just about the bricks and mortar. It’s about the essence of palliative care both within the walls and the wider community. Dame Cecily Saunders – founder of the hospice movement said, “You matter because you are you. You matter to the last moment of your life, and we will do all we can, not only to help you die peacefully, but also to live until you die.” This is what we want the new unit to signify and will guide how we deliver care both within and out of its walls. Death is never easy to think about let alone talk about, but we all need to begin to have conversations with our friends and loved ones just like we are talking about the weather. How do we want things to be for us in the end stage of our lives? I found an interesting article outlining the good things about death and thought this would be useful to share. It gives a fresh perspective and gives some clarity to an often difficult topic. So, let's take a look at some of the really good things about death: Thinking about death makes us think more
deeply about how we are living our lives. It's a funny thing how the rarity of a commodity increases its value to us. So, if we live as though we will live forever, we are less likely to find as much richness in life as we do when we really understand that any moment could be our last. Death makes life precious. Death levels the playing field. No one has the
hometown advantage. It doesn't matter how much money you have, how pretty you are or how educated; you're still going to die. Death is an equal-opportunity experience. Death punctuates life and gives it meaning. If we
simply lived on and on and on endlessly, without stages of growth and maturation, we would have no reference point for our experiences. It may not seem like we were going anywhere. We might lack the motivation to make a go of it before it's too late. Death teaches us to live with the unknown. No
matter how much we try to control ourselves,
our lives and others, life is full of surprises, and there is a whole lot more going on here than we can even begin to fathom. No matter how important we might think we are, each of us is humbled by the reality that there are forces at work beyond our control. That makes life a whole lot more interesting than if we could control everything. The mysteries of life, like the fact that we breathe or the fact that we even exist, are fantastic. There is something to be in awe of and the existence of death is one of the things that serve as a reminder of that which is greater than anything we can create or control. Death teaches us to accept our own limitations.
The mere existence of death tells us that there are boundaries to what we can do, be and have in life. It also reminds us that all our material gain must be left behind in the end. Death is good for the economy! Alright, this
might be stretching it, but think about it. Produce goes bad if left too long in the refrigerator. Flowers die, and we buy new ones. If everything and everyone stayed vibrant, we'd have no need for health-care, garbage collection, tag sales, a cosmetic industry or most plastic surgery. Death is a booming industry!
Greg Parker, General Manager
CLINICAL/QUALITY MANAGER UPDATE Despite the show of daffodils the temperatures are yet to indicate that summer is approaching. The Hospital, including Maternity, has had high occupancy keeping staff very busy. Thanks to all our dedicated staff who have worked extra shifts to cover. Welcome to Michaela and Joanne – our two new Registered Nurses. I trust you will all provide the usual peer support to assist them to settle in. Waiariki School of Nursing student, Shannon, has been doing her first year placement on the ward. Having students with us provides the opportunity to question our practice and share knowledge. Our continuing improvement projects of Pohlen Pals and Falls Minimisation are going well. The clients are benefiting from the Volunteer input provided by Pohlen Pals keeping clients occupied with interesting activities. The Falls Minimisation Project is underway – we had no client falls during August. Stay well over the Spring months and roll on Summer!!
Loraine Jecentho Clinical Quality Manager