National Palliative Care Week (NPCW) is being held from 11-17 May and this year they are asking “what’s your plan?” to encourage consideration towards those with terminal illnesses as to how they would like to spend the rest of their lives. Palliative Care is a more comfortable way for patients to live out their terminal illnesses supported around family.
This week, many facilities want people to know, if you or a loved one suffer from a ter-minal illness such as cancer, palliative care is an option.
Jaime Parker is a Harden local whose family used the services at Mercy Care recently. Her father Mark White was diagnosed with cancer and saw the power of palliative care firsthand.
“My father was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer back in July last year. Unfortunately for us we didn’t actually access Mercy Care until quite late in the game. I think it was mid-December we self referred to Mercy Care,” she said.
“Unfortunately we only had three-and-a-half or four weeks with Mercy Care before Dad passed. However the care, kindness and compassion that we were shown by the staff at Mercy Care was second to none.
“We were very lucky. Not only did they provide support and care to Dad, they provided it to the whole family and have continued to this day, nothing was a problem.
“They liaised with the local doctors to help Dad get anything he required. They also liaised with Flexible Care in Harden to help us get some things that we needed to make Dad more comfortable while he was still at home.
“The only downfall that we had was not knowing that it was even an option until so late in the game. I guess that’s why I’ve agreed that I’d come and do this because if it makes someone else aware and know that those services are available; it makes their journey a little easier, then that’s what I’m all about.
“They came and assessed Dad at home, then they provided ongoing support. That wasn’t only through visits, there was also through telephone calls. It didn’t matter what we asked for, they helped. It was the no-nonsense approach with them, Dad wanted to be told everything. He didn’t want anything sugarcoated. He wanted the facts as we all did, that’s how we operate as a family. The fact that they were able to deliver the facts, but still in a compassionate way was appreciated.
“It made a huge difference, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend them to anyone that required their services. Unfortunately, if you need their services, it’s not a good place to be in, however, I couldn’t imagine anyone else doing it the way that they did. It was also seamless.
“There were things that we didn’t even know that we’d need because we’d never been in that situation previously, but the girls were all over it.
“Anyone who is on that road and is looking for palliative care assistance, I would most certainly recommend them to Mercy Care.
“I do know that they’ve had people who have stayed at home the entire time. They’ve assisted right till the end.
“Even the gesture of both of them attending Dad’s funeral. To me, that was a huge thing just to know that we were still supported. They really went above and beyond.
“My main takeaway would be for people that are requiring that service to access it sooner rather than later.
“Thank you to the team at Mercy Care for the assistance that they not only provided my father, but that they provide the wider community, because it must be a tough job.”
-Jack Murray
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