What do you do when your doctors say, "There's nothing more we can do"? If you're lucky you can take your last breath peacefully at
Wedgetail Retreat. This beautiful property just outside Murwillumbah provides professional respite and hospice services to people in the Northern Rivers of NSW who require end-of-life care. It's a modern, purpose built facility set in a quiet area of natural bush land.
Wedgetail Retreat
It is staffed 24/7 by professional nursing staff and also relies on volunteer carers who are trained in palliative care. It's a place where family and friends are able to visit and have quality time with their loved ones without the usual busyness of a hospital.
Wedgetail Retreat is part of
Tweed Palliative Support, a not-for-profit service that receives no government funding although it must find $500,000 each year to operate. This valuable service is free of charge. The money needed each year to operate is raised by donations from grateful families who have benefited from the service and by dedicated volunteers who donate their time and money to ensure others are able to die with dignity.
Annual membership of Tweed Palliative Support is only $30 and many community members also pledge a small monthly donation to ensure the service is able to continue. None of us know when we or our loved ones will need such a service.
The Palliative Care Op Shop in Queen Street, Murwillumbah is an integral part of the fundraising and a popular destination for locals who want to find a bargain or donate saleable, used items such as clothes, furniture, home-wares and knick knacks.
Edna and her band of volunteers are there to serve you.
Edna and her band of committed volunteers also provide a listening ear to those who want a chat or are seeking information about cancer support or Wedgetail Retreat. Palliative care training programs for volunteer carers run once a year; the next one will be in 2017.
The Op Shop is a valuable fundraiser for Tweed Palliative Support
Wedgetail Retreat is the only community adults' hospice in NSW. It is part of award-winning Tweed Palliative Support which also provides practical support such as transport to appointments, shopping, loan of equipment (wheel-chairs and hospital beds), carer respite and much more.
The Northern Rivers communities of NSW are fortunate to have this wonderful service on their doorstep. After all, we all want to die with dignity.
