In some of the final days of saying goodbye to loved ones many of us will have seen the genuine empathy and kindness of hospice care, and understand and appreciate the critical work that they do in our communities.
Hospice care services support families and whānau during one of life’s most challenging times, and help people make the most of the time they have left by supporting patients to live every moment – no matter where they are – whether it be at home, an aged care facility, or at the hospice itself.
Hospice teams have a unique approach, known as “palliative care” – the focus is on the whole person, in a spiritual, emotional and social sense, as well as dealing with physical challenges, and is provided to every patient regardless of age, ethnicity, means or religion.
That level of support requires an extraordinary number of volunteers and staff. The Cranford Hospice in Hawkes Bay for example has over 400 volunteers and 85 staff looking after over 750 patients each year. It really is a community coming together to support people in their final moments.
As a free service provided to anyone with a life-limiting illness – funding is always challenge. Much of their funds comes from government health budgets, but the shortfall (several millions each year for each hospice) comes from fundraising.
That is why Grochem, New Zealand’s only owned and operated manufacturer of innovative solutions for growers, have launched a campaign to support hospice care services in the communities of our nations’ apple growers – Hawkes Bay and Tasman.
Throughout the months of October and November Grochem will donate $35 to the Cranford and Nelson Tasman Hospice for every 1kg of Meteor sold, a leading apple thinning agent.
Grochem have also set up a page on their website for those who are not users of an apple thinning agent, where they can still participate by pledging their donation.
Hospice care is highlighted on one day each year throughout the world to raise awareness of what hospice care is. This year the World Hospice and Palliative Care Day is on 13 October with the theme “Because I Matter”, focusing on the individual needs of each person.
Doing the right thing by the communities we live and work in, and for the people who have an impact on us, is important to us at Grochem. We’d love for you to be part of that too.
You can pledge a donation on their website by emailing grant@grochem.com or visiting nz.grochem.com/projects/supporting-communities/
Published in The Orchardist