At the heart of Tōtara Hospice is a place where larger families can find solace, connection, and comfort during life’s most challenging moments.
The Whānau Room offers more than just a space – it’s a sanctuary where loved ones can gather, children can play outside, and families can be together when every moment matters most.
“The Whānau Room aims to address not only the physical but also the emotional, social, and spiritual needs of patients and their whānau,” says Tōtara Hospice Donor Care Lead Kim Sinfield.
A $50,000 renovation to this area has created a welcoming, fit-for-purpose room for larger groups that can comfortably sleep four to six people. The bathroom is now fully accessible for patients with mobility issues and allows the families to be self-contained and independent.
Having room for more people is especially important for many of the Asian, Māori and Pasifika families using the hospice’s inpatient services, Kim says.
Wiri Licensing Trust got behind the renovation project, supporting the Hospice application to Trillian for funding to cover the cost of the work.
Over the past two years, The Trust has endorsed funding applications for more than $100,000 to pay for the Whānau Room upgrades and to purchase new clinical beds, syringe pump-drivers to administer medication, and a replacement hoist for the bath within the inpatient unit.
Board member Daniel Newman explains, “Tōtara Hospice provides comfort and dignity to people at the end of their life, as well as their family. Ensuring good palliative care is fundamental to both patients and their loved ones.”
The service provided at Tōtara Hospice is free for patients and their families, but the facility costs millions of dollars to run every year, Daniel says. The Wiri Licensing Trust and its funding partners have become long-term supporters.
“We do this because it is the right thing to do. Some of us have personal experiences of Tōtara Hospice. One thing is certain: at some point, we will all need someone to assist us at the end of our lives.”
Since 1981, Tōtara Hospice has been at the forefront of delivering advanced palliative care services to the communities of South and South East Auckland.
Hospice services support those with life-limiting illnesses such as cancers, heart, lung or kidney failure or neurological diseases such as motor neurone disease. The team ensures in every way possible that a person’s final journey is experienced with comfort, care, and dignity.
“In the year ending 30 June 2024, we received 1,104 referrals, provided 35,458 community care interventions and hosted 2,708 bed days at the Tōtara Hub Inpatient unit, which is currently operating with 12 inpatient rooms including the whānau room,” Kim says.
A 24-hour phone advice service handles a wide range of calls from patients and their whānau, dealing with everything from advice on medication and equipment to who to call in the event of someone’s passing.
“This is staffed 24 hours a day by a team of clinicians and administration support so there is always someone on call who can give the best advice when its most needed.”
Current government funding covers between 50 and 60 per cent of the hospice’s costs, leaving the Tōtara Hospice team to raise a shortfall of around $7.5 million each year through community fundraising, income generation and the generosity of funders such as Trillian Trust.
“Tōtara Hospice is proud to be a funding partner with Trillian Trust. The support and generosity of Trillian Trust ensures we can provide free leading-edge palliative care within one of New Zealand’s largest and most diverse communities,” Kim says.
Wiri Licensing Trust wants to connect with local community groups and organisations that are doing great work in our hood to understand how we can better support you – email us at info@wiritrust.org.nz.
