… their choosing not beyond us: The District Nurses launch their 2017 Interim Report on hospice@HOME

More than 2000 Tasmanians have fulfilled their wish to die in a place of their choosing according to a report into a landmark palliative care pilot program, released in Hobart today.

The Hobart District Nursing Service launched its Interim Report into palliative care program hospice@HOME at the Museum of Old and New Art.

hospice@HOME has been a resounding success during its time as a pilot program under the Better Access to Palliative Care Project administered by the Federal government.

CEO of The District Nurses, Kim Macgowan, said she was proud of what the organisation has achieved.

“It was an altruistic vision for end of life care, with a commitment of equal access for all Tasmanians to die in a place of their choosing. 2,123 Tasmanians have achieved this goal with the support and assistance of a hospice@HOME package,” Mrs Macgowan said.

“hospice@HOME has provided services through more than 60 brokered partners to every city, town and hamlet, on every mountain and island,” she said.

The District Nurses also launched their new video about hospice@HOME, showing the experience of the program from the perspective of families, patients and healthcare providers.

The Reverend Jim Colville, the husband of a former hospice@HOME patient, said being able to help his wife through the last 80 days of her life at home was “the most important thing I have ever done in my life.” Lauren Clarke, a former palliative care nurse who attended the event, said “home gives them a sense of their self, it’s part of them…it’s calming, it’s familiar, it’s surrounded by their belongings.”

The Hon. Elise Archer, Speaker of the Tasmanian House of Assembly, delivered the keynote address at the launch. “Tasmania has been extremely fortunate a not for profit organisation such as The District Nurses has been afforded the opportunity, through funding from the Australian Government, to coordinate delivery of end of life care in our state,” Ms Archer said.

“hospice@HOME has highlighted how our communities can come together collaboratively to effectively deliver services in our state,” she said.

Mrs Macgowan ended her address at the launch by quoting the Indian Prime Minister Nehru speaking of Mahatma Ghandi: “The ambition of the greatest man of our generation has been to wipe every tear from every eye. That may be beyond us, but as long as there are tears and suffering, so long our work will not be over.”

“Whilst wiping every tear from every eye was beyond Ghandi, giving every Australian the right to die in the place of their choosing is not beyond The District Nurses,” Mrs Macgowan said.

About The District Nurses and hospice@HOME

The District Nurses is an autonomous, not-for-profit organisation providing professional nursing, personal care, and allied health services to the general and veteran community. The District Nurses is a division of the Hobart District Nursing Service Inc., one of Hobart’s oldest and best-loved philanthropic organisations.

The hospice@HOME wrap-around packages are unique in that they use and work in collaboration with the patient’s existing service provider rather than duplicate or replace the service provider for palliation.
This approach also reduces significantly the number of caregivers a palliative care patient needs to communicate with, often a cause of dissatisfaction for community-based palliative care patients.
Hobart District Nursing Service