For over 10 years, Colleen Scott has been a dedicated volunteer for Te Kahu Pairuri Hospice Taranaki and shows no signs of slowing down.
Motivated by a desire to make the most of her spare time in retirement, Colleen chose to dedicate her efforts to Hospice, an organisation that has always held a special place in her heart.
Colleen’s mother was cared for by Hospice in another region 23 years ago and she has always appreciated the compassionate care and support her family received at such a challenging time.
Colleen has been involved in various roles including casual housekeeping for the inpatient unit, after hours reception duties, and administration support. She recounts fondly that her very first role was ‘many, many’ hours of data entry.
Nowadays, Colleen can be found immersing herself in any number of tasks such as taking the minutes for committee meetings, of which she is an active member; organising volunteer groups for raffles out in the community; general event support; and her favourite role- respite sitting in families’ homes. Each week, for around 2 hours, Colleen will visit a patient in their own home allowing family / carers to attend appointments or just take some time out. Respite care plays a crucial role in Hospice Taranaki’s mission to support individuals in the comfort of their own homes and to foster an environment that promotes independence. This vital service would not be possible without the generosity and kindness of our dedicated volunteers.
Volunteers like Colleen are not only an absolute gift to the general Taranaki community, their time, skills and energy are so gratefully appreciated by those individuals living with a life limiting illness, their families, and the staff of Te Kahu Pairuri Hospice Taranaki.
