When John* received the diagnosis of cancer in his liver and lungs, he was adamant that he didn’t want treatment, but instead to live the rest of his life on his own terms. For three months he was under the care of Hospice West Auckland, where his nursing team supported him and his wife Cathy* to enable him to remain in their home. “Our nurse Kate came and explained what Hospice was, and how they could help,” says Cathy. “She was so helpful, and over the weeks when there were changes the level of her support changed too.”
It was a heartbreaking time, and Cathy’s diary entries from those weeks noted the way that John was teaching her one thing a day – things she needed to know to ‘keep the circus on the road’, as he put it. ‘Things like how to check the bank statement, how to change the valve in the water pump, how to check the tyre pressure on the car, and how to use the Latin dictionary – and now I am in tears. How extraordinary that he thinks I might need to look up words in the Latin dictionary!’
When the physicality of caring for John became too much and his pain intensified, the Hospice Doctor advised that it was time for him to be admitted as an inpatient.
To Cathy and John’s surprise, this didn’t mean Hospice House in Te Atatū, but instead Harbour Hospice on the North Shore. “We were quite shocked – we’d just assumed he would stay here in West Auckland,” says Cathy.
John was beautifully cared for at Harbour Hospice, which had ‘stunning gardens and a homely feel to it’. However, the travel for Cathy from their home in the Waitakeres was impossible without help. “I couldn’t have got there on my own,” she says. “My cousin came up from Tauranga and took me over to the North Shore and back. And again, the next day…they were marvellous. I couldn’t have driven it myself.”
The change also meant that John and Cathy had to adjust to new specialist palliative care team – no longer was he under the care of Kate and Hospice West Auckland. “We just worked towards getting to the finishing line with the help of Kate and everyone else – they were so wonderful. And then suddenly it all just turned on its head and we had a whole different care team at Harbour.”
For Cathy, hearing about Hospice’s He Whare Korowai – Home From Home initiative to bring 24/7 care back to Hospice House in West Auckland was incredibly welcome news. “I’m so excited about the Home From Home care because that’s what I think both John and I had in mind when we opted for palliative care,” she says. “How wonderful to bring the beds back to our neighbourhood. And I think that’s what John would want.”
*Names changed to protect privacy
