New CEO of Katie Rose, Rebecca Grisman, has been in the job six months and she says it is clear “more and more people from within our local community wish to spend their final days at the hospice, in the care of our professional palliative care nurses.
“We have been operating 24/7 for six years now and in that time more than 440 people have come to us.
“Our region has an ageing population, and more people are coming to the shire to retire, so the demand for palliative care is always growing.”
Rebecca said the hospice only had three guest units and that was why the plan to expand to five rooms was so important.
Referring to the halt in the expansion through increased costs, she said, “We are facing a real issue if we cannot use the $1.5 million provided via a Federal government grant, and championed by Barnaby Joyce and Llew O’Brien, in January 2022. The additional two rooms will allow us to service another 40 to 50 guests a year.”
“Our services are free but the reality is that we’re also seeking Queensland Health support to significantly increase funding of our nurses wages. As yet we have not got any option to charge fees to patients so rely on government funding.
“Not all hospices are on the same footing; some are 100 per cent funded in Queensland, which is a huge disparity for doing the same work.”
In July last year the hospice introduced an outreach home palliative care service which she describes as “groundbreaking for the region.”
Rebecca has had more than 30 years’ experience on the Coast working with charities and local councils, managing major projects like social housing, university programs, and fundraising for domestic violence services and crisis housing.
“The thing I love about my job is that it doesn’t matter who I speak to – one of the nurses, staff or volunteers. They can tell me exactly why they are here because everybody has a personal motivation for wanting to be at Katie Rose.
“It’s very uplifting and makes it easy to manage tasks and teamwork, when people are so focussed on achieving outcomes. A lot of our staff and volunteers have some personal history with Katie Rose and know someone or a loved one who has passed in our care, so they want to support us.
“We also work closely with other hospices on the Coast like Little Haven in Gympie, Dove Cottage in Caloundra and Cittamani at Palmwood.”
According to Rebecca, community support is “enormous, but each year there is a shortfall of around $300,000 for our operations. It costs about $1,600 per day to support one patient in our care.
“We know it is hard for charities right now. The cost of living is impacting people and we are refining our special events to become viable. We also have many cash collection boxes at local businesses but those donations are dwindling. Fewer people use cash or are keeping their small change, it’s a challenging time.”
Asked if she had any message for Noosa, Rebecca said: “One day you may call us and, when you need us, we will be quietly here, 24/7.
“We would really appreciate for everyone to be thinking and planning ahead for their own palliative care. Everybody needs help at some point. A lot of people don’t think about what it is going to be like at the end of their life until they have to.
“We offer care, peace and comfort and I really hope that I can raise awareness of how special it is to support us now, not just when the time comes.
“When patients do come to us it is all new information and most families can’t absorb it quickly; we try to help everyone to think about planning ahead for their own palliative care.”
Rebecca said every day the hospice volunteers give time to talk to the families and lend support. “They are very giving souls and they help people through the journey.
“I wake up looking forward to working with our team, of around 50 staff and more than 200 volunteers. They are all so driven by what they do, because we know that every day and every moment counts.”
Community donations over $2 are tax deductible are much needed and welcome, via the website: katierosecottage.org.au/make-a-donation/
