VoicesSummer 2013

INSIDE2 Director’s Diary continued

3 The Grief of a Child3 Successful Grants

4 The Fundraising Front

Print Post Approved: PP438766/00026

Ipswich Hospice Care is all about treating people as individuals. These individuals maybe patients, their families, the clients we

support through Hilda’s House, or the staff and volunteers who provide the care.

Ros Holloway, Director

Your Gifts at Work

Apart from identifying and caring for our patients clinical needs, we seek detailed personal information about our patients when they are admitted to Hospice. We understand that we are caring for patients at an incredibly important stage of their life, and we want to ensure their experience it is as unique, relevant and dignified as possible.

Treating People as IndividualsFrom the very first day of admission, the personalised care starts by identifying how the patient would like to live until they die. Many have very simple requests such as to be cared for well, to be as comfortable as possible, or to do as much as possible each day. Others have very specific hopes they would like achieved before they die such as:

• Reconciliation with an estranged family member

• Visit from a loved pet • Attend a special family event

e.g. wedding • Go out for a drive • Go home for a weekend visit • Eat favourite foods

Food and the ritual of a meal is an important aspect of each day. While many of our patients are unable to eat very much, we ensure that even the one mouthful of what they are able to eat is exactly as they like to have it prepared in terms of size, flavour, texture and presentation.

Our aim is to plan and adjust the care based on how the patient would like the care to be each and every day.

Patients are given the choice about all activities of daily living:

• Choose whatever breakfast they like, whenever they wish to wake up

• Choose from several lunch and dinner selections

• Go outside into the Hospice gardens and enjoy the sun and the fish ponds

• Watch television or a movie on DVD player provided in each room

• Listen to music of their choice on CD players provided in each room

• Receive visitors • Chat to our support volunteers or

social worker.

Our private patient rooms with ensuites are designed to be a ‘blank canvas’ with display shelves and hooks for paintings. Patients are encouraged to bring to their own personal items and touches to make the room feel as comfortable and homelike as possible. These items might be a special pillow, a soft doona or rug, photos of their loved ones, paintings from the Grandchildren or other things that are special to them.

We ensure we are aware of any family wishes and cultural practices that the

family or patient would like us to observe.

There are no set visiting hours or restrictions on the number of visitors.

Families very often stay overnight in the room and we provide recliner chairs and fold out sofa beds. Sometimes beds are pushed together to create a double bed, so couples or families can lie in the bed and hold each other.

Families can order lunches from the kitchen and there is always tea, coffee and biscuits available in our Family Room.

Children are welcome. It is delightful to hear their young voices and laughter. Toys and DVDs are available for their entertainment.

Well behaved pets are also very welcome. We once had a resident cat – who was company to so many people over the years. It is not uncommon to see dogs visit, sometimes cats, and an occasional bird and once we even had a pet sheep come to visit.

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Kenneth with his best friend Lucy and his family recently at Hospice.

ABOVE: Kathleen with the bride and groom, grateful to have seen her daughter marry.

TOP: The bride and groom during the ceremony held in the Hospice Family Room with relatives.

Ipswich Hospice Care is dedicated to ensuring that our patient’s families and friends are left with positive memories of their loved one’s dying experience. Every person’s journey will be different. Every life has their own story.

We recently had the privilege of being able to host a wedding at Hospice. For our patient, Kathleen, it was one of her dying wishes to see her daughter get married.

The groom-to-be, John proposed to Kathleen’s daughter, Eileen in Kathleen’s room at Hospice on bended knee. Kathleen’s health was deteriorating quickly, so the wedding was organized within two days with special permission given for the marriage from the Titles Office. The bride’s outfit was chosen, a cake was made, a bouquet organized, champagne chilled and invites were sent.

A hairdresser came to Hospice and did the bride’s hair and makeup. The Hospice Family Room was set with lace tablecloths and candles for the occasion.

Kathleen was dressed in a pretty shirt and laid on her favourite rug on a mobile chair. Kathleen was wheeled to the front of the crowd, where she could enjoy and savour every moment of this special occasion.

It was celebrating the long life of Kathleen and her many family members that were gathered. There was love and laughter, memories of good times past as well as hope for the future. There were so many tears; tears of happiness mixed with tears of sadness.

Kathleen loved every minute of the occasion, singing ‘For They Are Jolly Good Fellows!’ at the top of her voice. Not long after the service was over, Kathleen asked to go back to bed, as she was tired. On her way into bed, she experienced an episode of brief unconsciousness. The next day the family had the photos of the wedding playing on loop through Kathleen’s room TV. Over the next forty eight hours, Kathleen’s condition deteriorated rapidly. Kathleen died two days after the beautiful wedding with her close family present.

As Director, I felt honoured to be part of this special event. I was so proud of our team for contributing to make the occasion as perfect as possible. I was so privileged to be part of a ceremony that was celebrating life and death, but most of all love.

The love of a parent for her child. The love between a man and a woman. The love of a family.

The Wedding of a Lifetime

Voices3

The Grief of a Child

As adults, it is a natural tendency to want to ‘protect’ our children from hurt however when families grieve, it offers an opportunity for children to be included. It sends a strong message that it’s okay to cry and feel sad when someone dies.

If children see their parents, other family members and close friends open in their grief feelings, they likewise will process that sharing and showing feelings is okay- even angry feelings. Angry that things have now changed, and angry there is a big void in their young lives.

Some children may be unable to articulate their feelings, and instead express them through anger, withdrawal, behavioural outbursts, lowering in school interest or performance.

Responsibilities and roles within the family may change during this time, so children will question without the love of our ‘special person’ how can one cope through tough days?

Most children are best supported by their family members but support groups for some children can be empowering as they explore feeling in a non-threatening place. It is also a place where they can realise they are not alone with such feelings.

During the 7 week Kid’s Grief Group Program facilitated through Ipswich Hospice Care’s Grief

Grief is a natural response to loss, and children like adults, grieve when someone significant in their life dies. This can be a challenging time for the whole family as each individual will grieve in his or her own unique way.

Swanbank Power Station provided more than $7000 in funding to install a brand new fire safety system through a successful grant submission from Hospice.

The power station, owned by Stanwell Corporation Limited, provided a grant for the purchase and installation of an emergency public announcement system to ensure our patients and team members are as safe as possible. The grant also ensured the facility maintains its accreditation to operate as a private hospital.

Our frail and disorientated patients are in safe hands with the successful grant to purchase an Invisa-beam which is a falls prevention device. The Invisa-beam transmits a beam across a bed, chair or wherever is desired, and if the patient starts to move from the location, the device alarms to notify the nursing staff that help is required.

This valuable piece of equipment was made possible through the National Senior Foundation Trust who supports charities that improve seniors’ quality of life.

Successful Grants

and Bereavement Service, Hilda’s House, young participants are encouraged to express feelings through the media of art, collage, storytelling, work sheets, viewing videos, making memory boxes, learning how we can stay ‘connected’ to people who have died and at the same time having fun.

Children and Art –whether it be through drawing, crayons, pastels and paints are a good recipe for creative expression and a great forum for gaining control over feelings and taking ownership of them.

12 year old girl after the death of her Dad“On the outside a mixture of thoughtful and calm-and then choppy and rough to represent mixed emotions! Green thoughts and calm again! Purple and curling – confused and unsure! Happy for what will be – and yellow for a bright future.”

9 year old boy after the death of his sister“Landy’s Garden is in the front of our house. In the garden there is a house, a flower, dragon flies, a sun, a bird and a purple heart. I have a motor bike in the picture because Landy and I both liked motor bikes.”

Facilitating such activities can yield some amazing and insightful results from our young participants, who have kindly consented to sharing with others their ‘works of grief feelings’ for this publication.

At Hilda’s House we find when supporting these children one should not place one’s own interpretation of their artwork but invite the child to share the meaning of their efforts and their hopes and strengths.

Stanwell Corporation Grant National Seniors Foundation Trust Community Grant Program

Steve Quilter, Stanwell and Ros Holloway, Director of Hospice,ready for any emergency.

Voices Proudly supported by…

This publication was made possible due to the support of The Grange Road Medical Centre

37 Chermside Road, Eastern Heights Q 4305Phone: 07 3812 0063 Fax: 07 3812 0232Email: information@ipswichhospice.org.au Web: www.ipswichhospice.org.au

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This year in September the annual Swim-a-thon raised nearly $20,000 for Hospice and featured guest appearances from several Olympians which was a special treat for all involved.

Hosted by the Swim Factory at Woodend, the event included activities for all the family and interviews with Olympians Mitch Larkin and Meagen Nay and Pan Pacific Junior Champion Leaha Neale.

This special event serves as an important memorial for the tragic drowning death of 16-month-old Harper James Hockings. Every year, Peter McMahon’s Swim Factory holds a Swim-a-thon to honour Harper’s memory and promote pool safety.

Harper’s mother, Elissa, said “Harper was born on November 22, 2006 and he was a longed-for special gift for our family. Then tragically on March 29, 2008, Harper lost his life in a pool drowning. We lost our baby boy and, while we all miss him so terribly, his memory still lives on.”

Mrs Hockings said the Swim-a-thon helped the family make something positive out of their loss, with sons Flynn and Sam taking part.

“It has been wonderful that something positive can come from such a tragedy and we are deeply touched by the outpouring of support for this cause. It shows us our little boy’s greatness,” Mrs Hockings said.

Hospice launched its second annual Door Knock Appeal in August with strong support from the community and local schools, and our major sponsors, Heritage Bank, Queensland Times and River 94.9FM

A team of generous Lend Lease staff have used their skills in a different way, helping Hospice with a number of important projects to improve our facilities.

The Lend Lease team renovated patient room balconies, mulched gardens and replaced security screens to the facility.

Thank you to this amazing organisation and its people for their incredible contribution.

The Ipswich Basketball Association this year nominated Ipswich Hospice as one of the beneficiaries of their annual Charity Match. The match was played with great crowds with nearly $3000 being donated to Hospice to help us care for the terminally ill and bereaved in our community.

We were very pleased with the support from the community for our Doorknock Appeal which raised over $14,000 for Ipswich Hospice Care. Before

After

Queensland Basketball

The Fundraising Front

Swim-a-thon makes a huge splash for 2012

Lend Lease put their skills to work for Hospice

St Edmond’s College boys who Doorknocked for Hospice Appeal, 2012.

The Basketball team that played in the Charity Match.

Hospicethis christmas

Make a donation Make us the beneficiary of your next event…

small, big, or HUGE! Run an event to raise funds for Hospice Volunteer at Hospice Become an event sponsor Make Ipswich Hospice a beneficiary of your Will Open a Heritage Bank Community Saver Account and

nominate Ipswich Hospice Care as your Charity Organise regular payroll deductions at your workplace

Other ways you can help

Supporting

Donation Gift Certificate

Design (a)

Design (b)

$3 Metal Pen

A donation has been made on your behalf to

Ipswich Hospice Care who provide palliative care

for terminally ill people and their families

and bereavement support to the community.

Ipswich Hospice Care is a community owned charity

that provides quality of life through care.

Hospice offers high quality in-patient palliative care

for terminally ill people in a home-like environment.

Bereavement support is also offered to palliative care patients,

their families and members of the community.

37-39 Chermside Road, Eastern Heights Q 4305

Email: information@ipswichhospice.org.au

www.ipswichhospice.org.au

For further information about Ipswich Hospice Care,

telephone (07) 3812 0063, or donate online

at www.ipswichhospice.org.au.

37-39 Chermside Road, Eastern Heights Q 4305 Email: information@ipswichhospice.org.auwww.ipswichhospice.org.au

For further information about Ipswich Hospice Care, telephone (07) 3812 0063, or donate online at www.ipswichhospice.org.au.

Short and Sweet CookbookA collection of tried and true baking recipes from Ipswich Hospice Volunteers

$7

$10

$20

Caps $10

I am pleased to send my gift to help terminally ill people and their families.

Donation and Order Form

DONATIONS (all donations over $2 are tax deductible)

My donation is for: $30 $50 $100 Other $

Donation Gift Certificate Donation Qty Subtotal $

Design (a) $10 ea

Design (b) $20 ea

TOTAL $

MERCHANDISEItems Cost Qty Subtotal $

Short and Sweet Cookbook $7 ea

Cap $10 ea

Metal Pen $3 ea

Postage and Handling $1.50

TOTAL $

SUMMARYDonation $

Merchandise $

TOTAL $

Enclosed is my cheque, money order or draft Payable to: Ipswich Hospice Care Inc.

Please charge my credit card Card type VISA MasterCard Card number Card expiry CCV No Name on card

Cardholder signature

I have sent a bank transfer to: Bank: Heritage Building Society Account Name: Ipswich Hospice Care Inc Account Number: 1147 5765 BSB: 638 070

Title Dr Mr Mrs Ms MissNameBusinessStreet addressSuburb PostcodePhone Email

Gifts of $2 and over are tax deductible for Australian residents. We will send you a tax receipt and any merchandise purchased by return mail.

Please post this form to us in the enclosed reply paid envelope.

37-39 Chermside Road, Eastern Heights Q 4305Email: information@ipswichhospice.org.au

www.ipswichhospice.org.au

For further information about Ipswich Hospice Care, telephone (07) 3812 0063, or donate online

at www.ipswichhospice.org.au.

37-39 Chermside Road, Eastern Heights Q 4305Email: information@ipswichhospice.org.au

www.ipswichhospice.org.au

For further information about Ipswich Hospice Care, telephone (07) 3812 0063, or donate online

at www.ipswichhospice.org.au.

ABN 63 563 946 327