When Mum was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in 2005, it hit our close-knit, happy family out of nowhere. Mum was supportive, loving, caring and nurturing, a traditional mother who always put us first. Throughout Mum’s illness, my beautiful sisters took phenomenal care of her, and later, when it became clear that we needed help, we were adamant Mum should receive the best possible care in her final days.
I can honestly say the team from Hospice North Shore felt like part of our family straight way - the highest compliment I can give. Within minutes they had put us at ease. The nurses made it clear they were not there to dominate Mum’s care, or to tell us she was dying. Hospice was there to simply be beside us, and to make sure we had everything we needed to care for Mum in the way that was most important to her. Their support, encouragement, knowledge and experience gave us the ability to care for Mum in her own home, and that in itself gave us incredible peace of mind.
One of the services we were most grateful for was the Hospice Night Care service. During the night, Mum needed her temperature taken almost every hour, and regular medication to prevent her from having temperature convulsions. When Hospice offered us a Night Nurse to care for Mum overnight, it was such an enormous relief. It meant we could all get some sleep, recharge our batteries, and that we’d have the energy to step back and enjoy just being with Mum. The Nurses aren’t counsellors, but they did such a lot for our family – they would tell us we were doing a good job just when we needed to hear it. They’d ease the family’s tension with a smile or a story. Best of all, they’d treat Mum like she was one of their own family. They were so reassuring and they gave Mum her dignity.
Incredibly, even in the last few weeks Mum had some really good days with plenty of laughs and smiles – just nice moments with her family and her grandchildren. Mum passed away gently at home, in her bedroom with my Dad holding her hand and us kids by her side. Our family holds Hospice North Shore in the highest regard.
Yours sincerely,
Aaron Baskerville
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