Core services we provide
Home based care
At Franklin Hospice, clinical services revolve around providing palliative care in the home. A home is wherever the patient lives: it could be the family home, the home of a relative, a rest home, or a retirement village.
We have a team of specialist palliative care nurses that will visit as required and will maintain regular telephone contact. They also work closely with your GP, medical specialists, and other allied health professionals (such as retirement village nurses and district nurses) to ensure your clinical needs are being met.
Our nurses will also work with family members and caregivers who are often key people in the care team. As well as advising on clinical care matters, they will also be able to assist in arranging counselling, spiritual and cultural support. It is a team effort!
Once a loved one is on our books, you can contact a Franklin Hospice nurse during business hours and for emergencies after hours.
As much as you want or need
The Palliative Care Nurses at Franklin Hospice are highly qualified and experienced.
They will stay in regular contact – as much as you want or need – by phone or personal visits.
While a hospice nurse is almost always available on the phone during business hours and for emergencies after hours, most weekend visits are by District Nurses, who work closely with our hospice nurses. The nurses will provide you with advice and monitor patient condition and medication. They will liaise with your GP, specialist, or residential care staff should they feel adjustments to treatment or medication ought to be considered.
They will also arrange for any specialist equipment (such as a hospital bed, wheelchair, walker, etc) if they feel that is required and can set up and monitor other equipment such as a syringe driver.
Psychosocial support & counselling
Learning that you or a loved one has been diagnosed with a life-limiting illness will often have a profound effect. It obviously affects the life of the patient but it also impacts family and friends, sometimes putting considerable strain on everyone.
Coming to terms with the news and living with the impact of a life-limiting illness affects people differently. At Franklin Hospice, we understand that and have trained and experienced counsellors who can help.
You do not have to deal with grief, loss or bereavement on your own. You will have a support team with you on your journey.
Sometimes, patients or family members aren't looking for a formal counselling session with a trained counsellor - they just want someone to talk to about 'things'. At Franklin Hospice, Supported Conversations can be held with one of our palliative care nurses or with our Patient & Family Support Team Leader who is an experienced hospice social worker, well versed in having these conversations.
About in-patient care
As all of our support is provided in the home and we do not operate an in-patient service (such as providing beds, similar to a hospital), we can sometimes arrange alternative in-patient admission if needed at Pukekohe Hospital and Franklin Memorial Hospital as available.
Call us about any of these on 09-238 9376
Referrals
For referrals to Franklin Hospice, our Referral Form can be downloaded as a PDF here (pdf 234kb) or downloaded as a WORD document here (MS Word 274kb).
