Hospice West Auckland is here to support patients and their whānau, carers, healthcare professionals and community providers with specialist palliative health and social support services. Our dedicated, experienced team of health and social care professionals offer practical, physical, emotional and spiritual care, supported by the wider Hospice team.
Providing Comfort, Support and Dignity
Health Care Services
Hospice West Auckland’s specialist health care team includes doctors, nurses, a pharmacist, and allied health professionals who work in the community, coming to your home or providing day services at Hospice House, 52 Beach Road, Te Atatū Peninsula. We work closely with your General Practitioner/family doctor and any other healthcare providers involved in your care.
Initial assessments are where we will get to know you, explore your wishes and goals, and discuss your future care and how we can support you to enhance your wellbeing. This could include management of your symptoms, assessing your home care needs, and offering practical and supportive advice to carers and whānau.
Our palliative care nurses
Social Care Services
When a person comes into Hospice care, they don’t simply come as a patient with a diagnosis; they come as an individual that has connections to and relationships with other people, family and friends, and a community. In addition to addressing physical symptoms, we aim to holistically support the entire person, the people they love and those who are caring for them. Our services also encompass bereavement counselling, ensuring whānau and carers are fully supported throughout the grief process.
Our Social Care team are dedicated professionals who specialise in assessing and providing patients and their loved ones with psychological, social, emotional and spiritual care from the moment a person comes into our care. The work of this team is supported and enhanced by a group of committed patient and family volunteers.
Our social care services are provided in the patient’s home, as day services at Hospice House, 52 Beach Rd, Te Atatū Peninsula, and at selected locations in the West Auckland community. Some services can also be provided virtually, such as via zoom.
Our Social Care team
24 Hour Phone Support
Patients, whānau and carers can contact an experienced palliative nurse specialist for advice over the phone 24 hours a day, seven days a week on 0800 834 9755. We welcome you to call us. It is important to us that we can put your mind at ease and attend to any concerns. Our aims are to ensure that you maintain maximum comfort and to support you and your whānau.
Our Services
Doctors
Our doctors can prescribe medication to assist with your symptoms and coordinate with your oncologist/other specialists who are part of your team. They can provide information about your condition for you and your whānau, or discuss any aspect of your medical management.
Nurses
Our experienced nurses provide support and advice to patients, whānau and carers. Their role focuses on creating a relationship with you, to identify your physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs, and the needs of those important to you, to improve your wellbeing.
Health Care Assistants
Our Health Care Assistants are a skilled, dedicated team providing practical care and advice to help you, and your whānau, to care for you at home. They provide essential assistance in teaching whānau how to care for their loved ones, empowering people to stay at home.
Outpatient Services
Our clinical team provides a range of outpatient services onsite at Hospice House. Outpatient services include doctor, nursing and pharmaceutical clinics as well as some medical procedures. Appointments are arranged by our clinical teams to suit your needs.
Pharmacy
Our clinical pharmacist can review your medications with you after consulting our doctors and your GP, provide medicine lists for patients and carers, and liaise with your medical team to ensure accurate prescribing.
Physiotherapy
Assisting patients to maintain their independence through exercise, equipment and treatments. Patients can attend group exercise classes held at Hospice House or be seen individually in the clinic or at home.
Lymphoedema Therapy
Patients can be seen at home or in the clinic by a qualified Lymphoedema specialist. Management may involve compression, lymphatic drainage massage, bandaging, exercise and good skin care to alleviate the build-up of fluid in the body.
Counselling
A safe and confidential opportunity to explore thoughts and feelings around coping with the challenges of facing end of life and the changes it brings to everyone. We are available to support patients, carers and whānau.
Occupational Therapy
A key member of the rehabilitation team, our occupational therapist will work with individuals to optimise their independence, function and mobility.
This includes finding solutions to enable people to undertake day-to-day and meaningful activities.
Spiritual Care
Our Spiritual Advisor works to enhance quality of life and wellbeing by nurturing all aspects of spirituality, including, but not limited to, religion. Spiritual care can assist in finding meaning and purpose when encountering illness and preparing for death.
Social Work
Our Social Workers support with life challenges and practical issues, facing patients and families, including advance care planning, family meetings, future care needs planning, financial problem solving and facilitating access to eligible assistance.
Massage Therapy
Available to patients, whānau and carers, massage therapy can treat muscular pain, reduce stress and tension, and improve circulation. This holistic, non-invasive type of care includes relaxation, therapeutic and remedial massage modalities.
Bereavement Counselling
Our Bereavement Counsellors aid personal understanding about how grief affects us and support the ongoing process of navigating the grief experience. Assist with coping strategies and practical tools alongside processing emotional and relational dimensions.
Creative Arts Therapy
Nurturing and encouraging expression, connection and exploration using creative processes.
Creative arts therapy utilises a range of art modalities to support people with expressing their emotions and thoughts in creative ways.
Rongoā Maori
Rongoā weaves together the physical and non-physical aspects of life to cultivate wellness. It encompasses various practices, including rongoā rākau, mirimiri, romiromi, whitiwhiti kōrero, and wairuatanga. Available for all patients and whānau.
Aromatherapy
Using essential oils mixed onsite at Hospice House to support your specific needs, such as managing symptoms, reducing tension and providing emotional comfort. Aromatherapy can help to improve quality of life for patients and carers in a gentle, non-invasive way.
Acupuncture
Acupuncture helps stimulate the body’s central nervous system to encourage natural healing abilities and promote physical and emotional well-being. It can support pain and symptom management, stress relief and anxiety.
Puna Hauora Breathe Easy Clinics
At our Puna Hauora Breathe Easy clinics we provide a programme examining the causes of breathlessness, and teach techniques to help improve management of your breathing. Clinics are held every week on-site at Hospice House.
Carer, Patient & Family Morning Teas
For carers, patients and whānau. This group provides an opportunity to connect with others in similar circumstances and meet with Hospice staff and volunteers. There are different hosts, themes and activities to engage in each month.
Kowhai Social Group
The Kowhai Social Group is a weekly patient programme providing the opportunity to connect with others with similar experiences over morning tea at Hospice House. Relaxing, optional activities are offered, with no experience needed.
Pet Therapy
Available for our patients, carers and whānau on-site at Hospice House.
Interact with trained therapy dogs, which can provide comfort, reduce stress, enhance wellbeing, and reduce feelings of isolation.
Patient and Family Volunteers
Patient and Family Volunteers assist with the ‘quality of life’ needs of our patients and whānau, including companionship, carer support, life reviews, end-of-life care support, transportation, and groups.
Physiotherapy Exercise Group
With a combination of standing and sitting exercises, classes focus on improving strength, flexibility and balance to the beat of beautiful jazz music. Run twice-weekly for patients who would like to do exercises to make everyday life easier.
Remembrance Services
Held twice-yearly, our community Remembrance events are a special time to remember, acknowledge and give thanks to those no longer with us. A non-denominational service allowing reflection in a gentle, caring space.
Havening
Available for carers, patients and whānau by appointment with our accredited practitioner. Havening is a simple, low risk, effective self-soothing technique to help a person cope with stress, trauma, anxiety and physical pain.
Bereavement Support Group
For those who have experienced a bereavement through HWA, the Bereavement Support Group provides an opportunity to meet with others experiencing grief and loss to share our stories, thoughts and feelings.
Tai Chi
Run by our volunteer certified Tai Chi instructor, these monthly classes for patients, whānau and carers are composed of slow, gentle and focused movements accompanied by deep breathing to improve mental and physical health.
We also regularly host community activities. Visit our Events page to see what’s on.
There are many ways to support Hospice West Auckland
Even a small donation or a few hours of your time can go a long way towards improving the quality of life of our patients
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