New Zealand Community Trust helps patients navigate daily life

A big thank you to the New Zealand Community Trust who have recently supported the Nelson Tasman Hospice Trust via a grant towards the cost of our Community Clinical Services Lead and New Zealand Registered Occupational Therapist, Emily McDougall.

Emily is a Community Clinical Services Lead for Hospice predominately focused on managing the community team as well as a New Zealand registered Occupational Therapist.

As Emily has two roles in the team, her day is mixed and varied throughout the week. Usually, starting off with a collaborative interdisciplinary team meeting to set the day and work for the community service. Then, working alongside the inpatient and community teams to provide Occupational Therapy input and advice to assist patients and their families/whānau to engage in meaningful activities of daily living.

The goal of occupational therapy services in end-of-life care is to optimise the quality of life and well-being of patients through engagement in occupations. Occupations not in the meaning of job or profession, although sometimes it can be, but in the way that people spend their time. Examples of this are dressing, meal preparation and functional mobility.

As the community clinical services lead Emily provides ongoing support to the community team which involves day to day coordination of the activities of the large and varied team. The community team includes nurses going into the patient’s homes, aged residential care facilities and the Nelson Hospital as well as social workers, counsellor, clinical psychologist, bereavement support and physiotherapist that all work together to look after a patient and their whānau/family holistically.

Emily says she what she enjoys about her role are getting to hear amazing life stories and experiences from the wonderful people in the Nelson Tasman region and being able to give people comfort in challenging times.

We acknowledge that it takes a community to make a Hospice happen. Thank you, New Zealand Community Trust, for enabling us to continue providing free specialist palliative care in the region and being such an important part of our compassionate community.

Community grants are integral to the sustainability of our Hospice; if you know of any Trusts or Foundations that may consider supporting our essential service work please let us know.