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February 20, 2019
Plan for end eases whānau fears and tears
Waatea Team
Posted On February 20, 2019
Māori are being encouraged to think about how they manage the stages towards the end of life, including protecting those aspects of being Māori that are important to them.
It's part of the Health Quality & Safety Commission's new Kia kōrero – Let’s talk campaign to encourage people to plan for their future health care.
Ria Earp, the chair of the commission's Māori advisory group and chief executive of Wellington's Mary Potter Hospice, says an advance care plan tells your loved ones and health care teams about the treatment and care you want.
She says knowing a patient's values and what is important to them can make the treatment approach clearer and avoid misunderstanding.
"And so having a plan and having discussed with whānau is really important. You can do this regardless of what stage your health is at," Ms Earp says.
Planning for the end of life needs to be about more than deciding which marae you want to lie on and where you want to be buried.
The campaign features short video testimonies from people including writer and Māori advocate Keri Kaa and doctor Clive Aspin.
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