FOR most of us visiting the pool, getting in and out doesn’t require a second thought.
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But for those with a disability or an injury, it’s not quite so easy and it was encouraging yesterday to see an aquatic wheelchair in action at Orange Aquatic Centre.
An adult change table and lifting equipment, to be added to the disabled toilet facilities in the near future, will have a huge impact on the number of people who can use a facility we all contribute to.
But it is a concern this attention to quality of life does not necessarily extend to the end of life, and the Push for Palliative forum tomorrow will put the spotlight squarely on this issue.
Thanks initially to a core group of activists, more and more stories have emerged about loved ones’ final hours.
Some have been lucky and received their own room in hospital. Others have not and shared rooms with living patients, or remained at home without the pain relief available to a patient in care.
But while awareness is half the challenge, knowing the issue exists is not a solution in itself.
Ideas for hospices and designated wards have been floated, but momentum is needed from events like this to take these ideas to the next step.
While support has been widespread to make the forum reality, the real work will start once it’s over.
What a relief it would be for the community to know they will not only be supported in their prime years, but also at their most vulnerable.