Since 2000, Holy Spirit Home has provided specialist palliative care services to the Holy Spirit Home community. Initially this was via a dedicated 5 bed unit (Helena Hospice) within the Holy Spirit Home (Shalom). We now have a new program ‘Helena Hospice in the Home’ that is more attuned to the changing needs of our communities in Brisbane and Cairns. This program provides the necessary resources to assist residents in receiving the best possible palliative care while living in the place of their choice. This may be in the retirement village, hostels or the nursing home.
The success of this program is dependent on a number of factors:
- Availability of nursing staff with specialist palliative care experience and skills that are continually enhanced through an education and training program. This program includes the provision of both external and in-house training opportunities as well as the attendance at palliative care conferences where best practice and evidence based practice is showcased.
- Provision of equipment that can be relocated to the resident’s home to ensure that special needs for comfort can be met and for staff to have equipment that provides for safe practice. This equipment includes beds, pressure mattresses, and oxygen concentrators, tilt chairs etc.
- An outreach nursing service that needs to be resourced through our fundraising efforts to reduce the financial burden on the resident or their family when extensive and continual care is required. (There is very little government funding for this extensive community care).
- A respite service whereby specially trained staff are able to provide in-house support for carers
- Provision of a dedicated guest room in our Nursing Home. This room can be used for short term respite or long term palliative care. Extra staffing is often required to meet the special needs of residents and their families at this time.
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partnerships
