We caught up with Jo Seagar over a cup of Dilmah, which is perfect not only because a good cuppa goes hand in hand with good conversation in uncertain times but because Jo and Dilmah founder Merrill J. Fernando go back a long way with Hospice NZ.
As a 19-year-old trainee nurse in Auckland, Jo Seagar spent most of her time delivering babies. But during less busy times, she got to know an elderly patient who was terminally ill.
"He was dying and he was quite certain about that. But I was from the school of nursing that said, 'You'll be a box of birds in the morning and everything will be OK', so I got on with doing all the measurements and the nursing stuff.
"I was with him when he died. Within two minutes the charge nurse came running in. There'd been a pile-up on the motorway and all the staff were needed in A&E. I roared down there, an ambulance arrived and I opened the door and a woman was in the final stage of labour.
"I literally caught the baby. I had seen one person go and one arrive within about two minutes. It was a moment for me – the first transition, the last transition, the circle of life."
Jo continued her nursing career at London's Royal Free Hospital and also training at a top cooking school, returning to New Zealand and becoming known as a TV chef and publishing 18 cookery books. Then her father became ill.
"My dad was a patient with South Auckland Hospice but he never left home. Hospice allowed me, my brothers and sisters to be his kids and Mum to be his darling wife. We had a very special time looking after him in those last few days, with the hospice taking care of business so that we could be his children and not his bedpan people."
"After that experience I got in touch with the Philanthropic Trust. I'd got kind of famous for waving a wire whisk and holding a conversation simultaneously on the television, and they said, 'Hospice needs a champion'. I felt that was just the role for me."
More than 20 years later, "I'm patron and ambassador for Hospice New Zealand . Although I have this great title, my job is just to be one of the thousands of volunteers."
Jo is keen to point out that a hospice is not a building – it's a philosophy of care for the physical, spiritual, cultural, emotional and social wellbeing of a person with a life-limiting condition.
"There's no job description for a volunteer. A number have had some experience with hospice – maybe they've lost a darling, or a child or someone special.
"It's part of our Kiwi DNA to give back. I know volunteers who iron pillowcases, fold the linen, maybe do the flowers, people who make the marmalade and the apricot jam, work a few hours on reception or help with the art class, maybe walk someone's dog."
Another misconception: "People think, 'Hospice is only for older people when in fact services are there for anyone, of any age who has a life limiting condition. And it also isn't just for people who have cancer – it's for any life limiting condition such as motor neurone disease, lung conditions for example. Death is not limited to old age. End of life can happen at any time."
Jo says a majority of hospice work is done in people's homes – "it's not just a building where people go to die, most people want to be in their own homes surrounded by the things they've accumulated and love and hospice works really hard to put the things in place that would make that possible. Family carers play a huge role in caring for someone who is dying at home, there is a lot of support available to make them feel confident."
Volunteers give millions of hours of work at hospices around the country each year, the majority of those hours are via the hospices second hand retail networks, which unfortunately are currently closed due to the level 4 lock down situation.
"You do what you're comfortable with and where the need is. There's always a need for more volunteers, people who are keen to use their skills should contact their local hospice to talk about the opportunities in their area."
As simple as it sounds, that could be making tea. "That's a Kiwi thing. It's certainly part of my DNA. My mother used to say, 'Right, let's deal with this together, I'll put the kettle on, we'll have a cuppa'.
"There's an awful lot of tea drunk in hospices with families and whanau and everybody gathered. In most families, when something hits the fan, lots of people have a, 'Don't just sit there, do something' attitude.
"But in hospice it's, 'Just sit there, don't do anything'. Being with someone over a cup of tea is a very natural way to have a conversation. It's relaxing and therapeutic. It's comforting."
Since 1997 Dilmah has donated the tea for New Zealand's 33 hospice services – almost 10 million teabags worth close to $500,000. The company also assists with awareness campaigns.
Its support is vital. While hospice services are free of charge and the Government provides most funding, hospices must raise over $77 million each year.
And for Jo, it's led to another lifelong friendship. "Merrill Fernando, the father of Dilmah, and I are both life members of Hospice NZ. We became involved at almost the same time, and he's a great friend and supporter to us."
PANEL IF NEEDED
What is Hospice?
- A philosophy of care that places equal importance on the physical, spiritual, cultural, emotional and social wellbeing of a person living with a life-limiting condition.
- Anyone with a terminal illness can access hospice support. People with multiple sclerosis, lung failure, motor neurone disease or dementia can benefit from palliative care.
- While hospice care is focused on the person who is dying, its services are also for family and whanau before and after their loved one has died.
- Everything hospice provides is free of charge. As an essential health service the majority of funding comes from Government. Each year over $77M must be fundraised from the community to meet the shortfall.
- More info: hospice.org.nz