Stuff Digital Edition

Seeking a ‘perfect’ death

Rachel Thomas

The term ‘‘death walker’’ scares a lot of people, Sarah Carberry says. ‘‘They think I’m something out of Hogwarts or Star Wars.’’

In fact: ‘‘It means that you’re not frightened of death, you walk with it.’’

Carberry, who lives in the outer Marlborough Sounds, has also trained as an amicus mortis – which despite also sounding Hogwarts-esque, is a Latin term meaning: a friend to the dying.

Just three weeks ago, Carberry’s death walk with her own mother, Sheila Gemmell, ended in what she describes as an ‘‘absolutely perfect’’ death.

It was a glassy morning in Mahau Sound and Gemmell, 96, was nestled in her cottage. As a family friend spoke the last words of a karakia, ‘‘Mum went ‘ahhh’ and she died so beautifully,’’ Carberry said.

All New Zealanders had the right to die comfortably, Carberry said, even if they lived in the most secluded parts of the country.

The self-described death walker is six years into running the Farewell Trust, which offers support in parts of the Marlborough Sounds where hospice doesn’t reach. But the group is unsustainable – made up of largely volunteers, scraping together grants and donations.

Palliative care specialist Dr Catherine D’Souza, based in Timaru, is now leading a group aimed at tackling inequities in the sector.

The Palliative Care Collaborative Aotearoa is calling for a boost in funding for the sector and specific funding for dying babies, children and young people.

To date, funding has been tied to now-defunct district health boards, which meant some areas were better resourced than others, D’Souza said.

Without a clear strategy, D’Souza said access to palliative care would remain a postcode lottery where, for the unlucky, the effects ripple through families.

‘‘There’s some life events you don’t forget – the birth of a child and seeing a loved one die ... If your last memory is seeing somebody sore, or you’re on the phone trying to get help and you can’t get it, that stays with you.’’

News

en-nz

2022-08-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

2022-08-18T07:00:00.0000000Z

https://stuff.pressreader.com/article/281719798371978

Stuff Limited