During 2012 the 29 hospice services throughout the country provided care and support for more than 14,400 people living with a life limiting condition.
Hospice is a philosophy of care, not a building – most people are cared for in the community – in 2012 hospice staff made more than 140,000 visits to people in their homes.
As an organisation we are firmly grounded in the community, with over 13,000 people volunteering over 840,000 hours of their time for hospice during 2012.
The goal of hospice is to support people with a life limiting illness to live every moment in whatever way is important to them, their family, and whanau.
The concept of care encompasses the whole person, not just their physical needs but also their emotional, spiritual, and social needs too. This care extends beyond the person who is unwell to include their family, whanau; support is available both before and after a death. Irrespective of where a person lives, this philosophy of care does not change and everything provided is free of charge.
As an essential health service provider, hospices receive the majority of funding from Government; financial support from the community is essential to meet the shortfall – in 2013 that total is around $35M nationally.
