Please click the image to download the full pdf version of our Summer/Autumn newsletter for 2008.
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The Summer/Autumn Karuna Newsletter is now available. Download the Karuna News Summer/Autumn 2008 in pdf format. The following is just one article from the newsletter.
My mother, Gienia, was diagnosed with Lymphoma when my youngest son was 6 months old. We called her Ba. She had been Ba for the last 17 years and got the name from my nephew who called her that because Grandma was such a big word when he was very little.The name stuck. Ba coped really well with the first round of chemotherapy. She lost her hair but was still driving and getting around. But the cancer was still there so a second round was scheduled to begin on Boxing Day 2006.
Ba with grandsons Ryan and Josh
We had a lovely Christmas with Mum making her usual enormous plum pudding that we struggled to carry to the table. Mum knew what lay ahead but was upbeat and positive because she had already coped extremely well with one round of treatment and she was determined that she could manage another.We did not realise that this would be our last Christmas together. The second round of chemotherapy was very strong and she spent most of the year in and out of hospital. She was very weak and frustrated by her condition. Mum had always been very active and would fill her days helping others. She wanted to play with her small grandsons but it was all a little too much. A course of radiation followed the chemotherapy. Unbelievably, the cancer was still growing.The doctors sent her home to live the rest of her life. There was no timeframe - she could have years. As it turned out, it was less than 2 months.
My mother was frightened of dying alone and wanted to stay with me for as long as she could. My sister arrived from Mackay to help and that is when we first heard about Karuna.
We were asked, “What do you need”? We really did not know. The lovely Alice arrived the next day. She was so capable and reassuring and instantly we knew that we could do this. A bed arrived later in the day and my sister and I were relieved we had a 24 hour number for assistance.
Ba was deteriorating; she could no longer get out of bed and was barely eating. One Tuesday, Alice said that she was slipping faster than expected and she estimated Ba had less than a week. Alice or Lynda were there every day providing much needed advice and support, along with practical help with bathing, bed changing and pain management.
Our Ba lost her brave battle with cancer at 3.30am Monday 3rd September. She passed with one hand in my sister’s hand and the other in mine.
Ba’s calm and peaceful passing would not have been possible without the fantastic support from Karuna. I know that Ba really appreciated the assistance my sister and I received. She knew that without Karuna she would not have been able to stay at home listening to her grandsons play and giggle.
By Carol Ferris
Download the full Karuna 2007 Annual Report in pdf format.
We are very proud to present this year’s annual report. 2007 has been a special year for all those involved with Karuna Hospice Services. Below is an extract, or you can download the full document above.
CHAIRMAN’S REPORT
2006/07 marks the tenth and final year that I will serve on Karuna’s Board of Management. I will also be retiring from the position of Chairman, which I have had the privilege of holding for the past eight years. Over the years, I have witnessed Karuna mature from a relatively small organisation into one that is continually growing in relevance and reputation in the community.
Karuna continues to respond to an ever increasing demand for its services and this is reflected in the progress made during the year in review. I am pleased to report that 2006/ 07 was one of the most successful in Karuna’s 15 year of operations.
HOME CARE PROGRAM
During 2006/07, Karuna cared for 344 families. With support from the community we were able to build our nursing team to 7.7 (FTE) and as a result we were able to increase the number of families we cared for each month to 56. Increasing the nursing pool also meant we were able to reach a milestone and extend our geographical boundaries to the south side of Brisbane.
COUNSELLING AND SPIRITUAL CARE PROGRAM
Over the past year, Karuna’s team of counsellors and spiritual carers provided support to 480 families experiencing a recent bereavement, 138 clients and their families living with a life limiting illness and 124 people with other issues relating to end of life.
WORKPLACE TRAINING AND EDUCATION
As part of our commitment to supporting the development of the palliative care workforce for the future, Karuna continued to offer education and training opportunities for students, nurses, counsellors and General Practitioners. In 2006/07 Karuna offered 10 student nursing placements and 4 clinical placements for qualified health professionals. In addition, Karuna developed a comprehensive specialist palliative care training program for registered nurses in collaboration with the Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education (CPCRE) and the Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital.
LIFE EDUCATION
The demand for Karuna’s unique Life Education courses continued to grow during the year. In response to this demand Karuna offered ten courses, attracting over 150 participants to the program. The most popular courses are Introduction to Buddhism, Open Heart Peaceful Mind and What Happens When We Die.
Download the Karuna June 2007 Appeal in pdf format
Our story actually began a long time ago,but I will start on May 10th 2002, the day Philip and I moved into What If Farm.
We called it What If Farm after my propensity to start every sentence with ‘what if?’ What if we put up fences? We could have lots of animals.What if we built a barn? What if we went organic and grew our own vegetables? What if? What if? What if?
It became our mantra and What If Farm became the realisation of our dream. On September 21st 2002, Philip and I were married on the deck that he built (What if we built a deck? We could get married there).
This was a very happy time in our lives but two months later all that changed when Philip was diagnosed with metastatic prostate cancer.
Philip’s determination to ‘beat this thing’ was incredible.We applied our “What if?” mantra and we tried everything we could lay our hands on.
Throughout these first few years I heard of Karuna many times. Friends talked of the amazing support they had received from Karuna, our dear friend Maria, shared her strong association with Karuna with us. Karuna kept coming into our conversations and our consciousness.
Philip continued to work, we kept looking for answers, we kept hoping. Hope became the lifeline we sent out. But in December 2005 one of his tumors compressed his spinal cord. Paralysed from the chest down, Philip lay in the emergency ward of the Royal Brisbane Hospital. Emergency spinal surgery was scheduled. At 3.00 am the hospital staff suggested we say goodbye, his chances of surviving the operation was slim, the possibility that he would ever walk again was even slimmer. Philip survived and walked out of hospital 7 days later, but our world changed at that moment.
Cultural diversity is a relatively new phenomenon in Australia but according to Australian Bureau of Statistics figures for the 2001 Census 4.1 million (22%) of Australian residents and 601,693 (17.1) per cent of Queensland residents were born overseas.This project, Cultural Perspectives on Death, was developed to explore the different practices for the dead that can occur within faith groups. Previous research has provided valuable information about the beliefs and practices of different faith groups , but it is easy to assume that practices at the time of death will be the same for all practitioners of a particular faith regardless of their cultural background.
Because death is such a sensitive subject and because it can be a very difficult time for families who are experiencing the death of a loved one, we hope to add to community awareness and sensitivity about the range of beliefs and practices in our community relating to death and dying.
The project did not set out to be exhaustive. We could not hope to cover all the religious traditions that are practiced in Australia, nor all cultural traditions. We chose three major religions, Buddhism, Islam and Christianity and interviewed individuals from different cultural groups to learn about their specific traditions and practices for people who are dying or who have died. Through this we hope to raise awareness in the wider community and the medical profession and the funeral industry - anyone who may come into contact with families during such a difficult time.
It is our hope that this information will be of benefit in increasing understanding, and that, when a death occurs, it will encourage people to ask what actions or procedures are appropriate, in order to be sensitive to the needs and traditions of people from multicultural communities.
Inspirational Books and CDs by His Holiness the Dalai Lama celebrating His 2007 Australian Tour ‘OPEN ARMS, EMBRACING KINDNESS’.
Mandala Books has one of the largest range of books by His Holiness the Dalai Lama available in Australia as well as CD’s, card packs and postcards. We actively support dharma centres, sangha and students of Buddhism in our region. Visit the Mandala Books website for a vast range of Buddhist titles and online order.
We invite you to visit our website at www.mandalabooks.com.au to view our full range of titles by His Holiness as well as the most comprehensive range of Buddhist titles in the Aust/NZ region covering all Buddhist traditions or drop into our office at:
27 Cartwright St
Windsor Qld 4030
Mon - Fri 9.00am - 5.00pm
Call Jordan Zéa in our Brisbane warehouse for prompt service to all states and territories on 07 3632 8380.
In commemoration of the consecration of the Stupa at Karuna House, 17 June 2006.
A stupa embodies the power to purify the environment, perfect the mind and live a long life
Transcending architecture and archaeology, the stupa is the living embodiment of Buddhist teachings - a harmonising of the physical with the spiritual. It represents the ultimate qualities of an enlightened being and is therefore considered a very precious and holy object.
Stupa is a Sanskrit word that means ‘to heap’ or ‘to pile up’ and relates to the mound-like shape of the earliest stupas.
It is said that wherever a stupa is built, all the beings who live in that area will receive numerous benefits.They will enjoy a peaceful environment, harmony and happiness.
A stupa is a symbolic representation of the enlightened mind and of the path leading to that state of perfection.
Karuna’s stupa has been built according to principles laid out in ancient Sanskrit texts detailing the intricate rituals of raising and consecrating these sacred monuments. It is filled with sacred objects such as mantras, spiritual texts, images of Buddha, relics of holy beings and wealth vases.
Just seeing a stupa accumulates positive imprints for future lives and cleanses lifetimes of negative imprints from the mind stream.
Respectfully walking around (circumambulating) a stupa enhances positive qualities and purifies negative mental imprints including the karmic causes of illness.
Making an offering to a stupa, for example light, music, flowers or a contribution to its construction and maintenance, creates the cause for success in this and future lives.
The following are meditations that you can undertake while visiting the stupa.
Imagine light coming from the consecrated stupa, totally illuminating your body, purifying illness, disturbing emotions and negative karma.
You can use the above meditation for others. Simply imagine that they are present while you meditate.
Recite a mantra for example OM MANI PADME HUM, the mantra of the Buddha of Compassion, as you walk around the stupa.
a community of compassionate care
‘At Home’ palliative care for individuals and families faced with life threatening illness
Karuna Hospice Services was founded to help prevent the physical, emotional and spiritual suffering that people may experience in relation to life threatening illness, dying and bereavement.
Karuna Hospice Services provides needs based support which allows people to find meaning and happiness at every stage of life.
Karuna is founded on the Buddhist values of the preciousness of life, respect, compassion, empowerment and equality. In serving the community Karuna strives to follow the inspirational ideals and example set by His Holiness the Dalai Lama. His own life long mission is to serve others with universal compassion and kindness.
Karuna MindLife
The mind plays a vital role in how we experience the world. A better understanding of how it works gives each person powerful tools to make their life more positive and meaningful.
Karuna MindLife programs teach how to use relaxation, reflection and mind training techniques for all stages of life.
People become better equipped to deal with everyday stresses as well as important life issues, learning how to manage them more easily. Each person can achieve change andgrowth, generating a greater capacity for happiness and well-being in all circumstances.
The aim of the program is to enable people to be happy and feel content with a life well lived.
Programs include
- Healing courses: techniques for developing
emotional and spiritual strength - Mind Training courses in the workplace
- Relaxation and reflection workshops
- Group meditation and spiritual practice
For more information about the programs please call 07 3632 8300.
Please consider giving a gift to Karuna in your Will.
A bequest is a gift of personal property or real estate made through a Will. After providing for loved ones, many people choose to make a gift to a charity such as Karuna.
Having a current Will is the only way to ensure that your financial affairs will be settled exactly as you wish. Bequests enable Karuna support terminally ill people and their families. Bequests are a very worthwhile and meaningful way of showing you care.
It is simple to include a gift to Karuna in your WILL.
If you have an existing Will, you can add a codicil which allows you to make minor changes without making a completely new Will. If you do not currently have a Will, you can consult a solicitor, the Public Trustee, or use a kit.
The suggested wording is:
“I bequeath free of all duties and charges… (description of gift) to The Karuna Hospice Service Ltd, PO Box 2020 Windsor 4030 in the State of Queensland, for the general charitable purposes thereof and I declare that the receipt of the Secretary or Honorary Treasurer shall be sufficient discharge to my executors.”
Where it says ‘description of gift’ you could put for example…
…a proportion of your estate, (eg ‘half of my estate’)
…the residue of your estate after you look after family members,
…a specified sum of money, or specific items (such as investments, real estate, artwork or jewellery)
Director’s Report by Yeshe Khadro
In 2005-06 Karuna Hospice Services provided free “at home” palliative care for 277 families in Brisbane and the Caboolture region, with approximately 50 families being cared for at any one time. Services included home visits from specialist palliative care nurses with 24 hour on-call access, carer education, the loan of home nursing equipment, professional emotional and spiritual support as well as companionship and family support by trained volunteers.The heart of this educative model of care is compassion and I would like to thank the staff and volunteers for the significant role they played in providing these services.
This past year Karuna also responded to requests relating to life limiting illness, dying and loss which did not require palliative care. Emotional and spiritual support was given via phone, home visits and where possible by visiting Karuna’s office in Windsor. People also had access to formal and informal group support coordinated by Karuna’s staff and volunteers.
As a community service specializing in life limiting illness and loss Karuna was able to offer day and week long student placements for nurses, counsellors and General Practitioners. Also Karuna received a grant from the Commonwealth’s Department of Health and Ageing, to develop a Sustainable Nurse Education project aimed at providing registered nurses with the opportunity to train in palliative care in a community setting. The Royal Brisbane and Women’s Hospital (RBWH) and the Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education (CPCRE) have been significant partners in the project which has seen two Karuna nurses and two nurses from the Respiratory ward at RBWH undertake the training this year. Two exchanges for two week placements were also facilitated for the four nurse participants.
2006 also saw the introduction of a community education program aimed at equipping individuals and communities to face issues related to death and dying. Karuna’s education program is a ‘Whole of Life’ approach designed to help people to understand and grow through all life experiences, offering a framework for introducing the eventuality of death together with ways of viewing it in a more positive and accepting light.
A major achievement for Karuna this year was receiving a full four year accreditation following an organizational wide survey conducted by accreditation body, The Australian Council on Healthcare Standards.
Finally I would like to thank the Karuna staff and volunteers who offered their time this year to visit various community groups to provide information about palliative care and Karuna’s work. Karuna also thanks the Commonwealth Respite and Carelink Centre, and Multicultural Affairs Queensland and Department of the Premier and Cabinet, for funding the production of two information booklets this year, respectively Palliative Caring at Home and Cultural Perspectives on Death. These booklets have been circulated to over 10,000 people throughout Queensland.
