A Haven of caring (October, 2007)
Originally from New Plymouth, Barbara and David moved to Ashhurst three years ago. In September 2005 they found out that David had cancer of the kidney. A month later he had a kidney removed, and he nearly died then when he developed pneumonia after the operation. However he recovered and eventually returned to work. But in May last year he collapsed at home with a stroke, and soon afterwards, scans showed secondary cancer in his lungs, and an inoperable brain tumour.
David came under hospice care in September last year, and he had his first stay in the hospice's Heretaunga Street inpatient unit when he became ill during radiotherapy treatment. He's had regular stays at the hospice several times since, to give Barbara a break from caring for him full-time.
"David just loves coming here and I know that when David's here, I can relax because I know that he's safe and that someone would ring me if there was a problem. So I can have some time out."
Barbara says she can't speak highly enough of the care David has received from hospice nurses and doctors. She is also impressed by the commitment shown by the many volunteers who work for the hospice, cleaning patient rooms, doing the laundry, assisting with the Day Stay programme, cooking at the weekends or working in the hospice's Ngata Street retail shop.
David has been attending the hospice's Day Stay programme on Tuesdays and Thursdays since December last year. "It's just wonderful because it gives David a chance to meet other people and to have his mind and body looked after by someone else. The patients' minds are challenged by all sorts of activities thanks to the very creative mind of the Day Stay Co-ordinator and the helping hands of her volunteers."
Barbara is aware that the hospice must raise $1 million each year from the community to keep its doors open. "It's a big ask. I do whatever I can, I've made some artwork to sell at the hospice and I support the hospice shop. We all need to do our bit.
"When we came to the hospice we had not long been told that David was terminally ill and we were in a right state. But they've been absolutely brilliant. Nothing is too much trouble and it's become like a second home for us. If it wasn't for the hospice I don't know what I would do."
Letter from Barbara
"When hospice came into our lives it showed me that there are real people out in this community that have been given a special gift. These people work right here at Arohanui.
This gift as I see it is the gift of love, the gift of kindness, the gift to care, the gift to understand where people are coming from, the gift to listen and share time with you. You feel as you walk through the door, that this is a very special place.
Behind the scenes are other special people that you don't see... the people that keep the place looking nice and bright and as cheerful as they can. They are like the bees in the beehive, working and working to get the funding to keep the service up and going in the region. Wonderful people.
If it were not for these people, our community would not have such a lovely place to spend the special time with their loved ones as we prepare to say our final farewell, and as they prepare to part from us on the earth and await our reuniting in time to come. The hospice gave us time to deal with what we needed to do... to have time out with the knowledge that our special loved one was going to be cared for, just as we would care for them at home.
These are some of the other people I think of whenever I come to hospice... the doctors, the nursing staff, the cook, the volunteers, the management, the social workers, the fundraisers, the receptionist, the Day Stay staff, the drivers – just everyone. If we as caregivers need someone to talk to or to bounce ideas off, a phone call is all that we need to make. They are there with the right words for us.
To the people that work in this beautiful environment, well it is hard to find the right words to say to you. The only ones I can think of to say are thank you all."
Picture: Barbara and David Stallard at Arohanui Hospice.
