This all smacks of terrible prejudice and injustice that we, the community, support by not saying a word.
I agree with Tiffany: "This homeless situation sucks in this town". And to the council: "Bloody well do something about it." By the way, whose responsibility is it?
RUTH TIDEMANN
Castlecliff
Baking thanks is okay
The article in the Whanganui Chronicle of Friday, May 24, regarding the offer by a patient of home baking to hospital staff in recognition of the quality care she had received, was misleading, at least in its early paragraphs.
To clarify, staff can — and often do — accept such gifts.
And no such gifts have been passed on to Whanganui District Health Board chief executive Russell Simpson in the 18 months he has been in the position. Nor would he want them to be — he believes they should be enjoyed by our deserving frontline staff.
Mr Simpson has expressed his disappointment that Catherine may have inadvertently felt snubbed.
MARK DAWSON
Communications manager, Whanganui District Health Board
Palliative care sources
In response to K McLauchlan (May 21): You challenged me as to where I got my information from, so here you go:
https://ahsri.uow.edu.au/content/groups/public/@web/@chsd/@pcoc/documents/doc/uow252855.pdf.
If you go to page 30 of this report from Palliative Care Australia's latest Patient Outcomes Report; Page 30 shows "a total of 6 per cent suffer "severely" from pain and/or other symptoms in the terminal phase. "Other symptoms" could include suffocation, choking on the involuntary movements of your own throat or drowning in your own lung fluids.
And I have spoken to palliative care specialists who confirmed to me in person that they are unable to help everyone. In her 20 years in the industry, one said, she has seen people suffer badly while dying.
She is now retired, which is why she is able to speak out. Recently palliative care specialists reported in an article in the British Medical Journal that speaking out against this bill could mean losing their jobs, and I've heard the same here:
https://www.bmj.com/content/365/bmj.l1494/rapid-responses?
fbclid=IwAR3suRcYJf5zVBIWk4xetSPq1oodC0XiTNC0WfXWCL8baCAcPU9qquF8mKQ.
If this isn't enough for you, how about this article: https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/news/scottish-news/dying-ex-palliative-care-nurses-14079732fbclid=IwAR26UlucOsZ5VJfP5yf_bVWlJpr4VhyDvcOCIS6IUaF_DtoYmzRC88f7zYU.
Perhaps it's Palliative Care who need to "take their heads out of the sand".
ESTHER RICHARDS
Tauranga
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