AN executive committee has been selected and a new name 'Manning Valley Push for Palliative' has been chosen for the recent efforts to set up an advocacy and fundraising group for local palliative care services.
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The chairperson of the new group, as elected at the September 8 meeting, is Judy Hollingworth.
Judy is a certified palliative care volunteer with the local district of Hunter New England Health, and is also assisting with research into Advanced Care Planning being undertaken by the school of medicine at the University of Newcastle.
Deputy chair and treasurer of the Manning Valley Push for Palliative is Jim Holdaway, secretary is Lorna Cambrell, assistant secretary is Michael Hollingworth and public officer is Lyn Stewart. The role of publicity officer has been deferred to future meetings.
The group now has 38 fully registered members, meaning they have paid the joining fee of $10.
Currently a charter is being drafted, however the group has outlined three key purposes as provided by deputy chair and treasurer Jim Holdaway.
The first is to "raise community awareness of palliative care" and "...how it enables those affected have optimal quality of life in the place the patient prefers to live."
The second is to "...lobby for a better range of dedicated palliative resources for the area including a palliative specialist and more qualified nurses to resolve unworkable issues that arise in our hospital environment and in community care," along with "dedicated allied health personnel like social workers, occupational therapists and physiotherapists to have the home environment work better for the patient and loved ones."
The third is for fundraising "to provide the financial and practical solutions for the incurably ill and the carers to enable them to stay at home." This will include picking up the cost gap for medicine once leaving hospital, providing emergency relief for carers and loaning equipment to make care in the home easier.
Jim Holdaway said his decision to join the group was from the personal experience of he and his wife caring for his mother-in-law. He has also had friends who locally need the aid of palliative care services, and Jim is passionate about advocating and fundraising for more of these services.
Jim said the Manning Valley Push for Palliative has authorised and sent off an application for incorporation and the reservation of its name with NSW Fair Trading.
The group is hoping to finalise its charter at the next meeting on Tuesday, October 27 at the Valley Skills for Life meeting room (5-9 Elizabeth Street, Taree) from 6pm to 8pm.
The group is still taking new membership and in the future Manning Valley Push for Palliative hopes to see sub-committees formed for purposes such as fundraising.
