Gail Osborne greeting the senior's.

Rae Goedeman and Eleanor Ruiters

Today impact Direct was blessed with a visit from a spokesperson from St Luke’s Hospice, Eleanor Ruiters who has worked for St Luke’s for 10 years.

She spoke about the myth’s that come with St Luke’s, some people think that when you go to St Luke’s you going there to die.

“You draw strength from the patient’s, who still has that zest for life, who still not giving up on life” Eleanor said.

St Luke’s Hospice provides palliative care
to people who are approaching the end of their lives. A team of skilled professional staff
and volunteers improves the quality of life of these patients through early identification, impeccable assessment and treatment of
pain and the other physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of the patients and their families. This is given, irrespective of the
patient’s ability to pay for the service.”

St Luke’s started working in the in patient care field in 1982. At this time the St Luke’s Hospice offices were situated at the Vincent Palotti Hospital in Pinelands. Then they were moved to a home in Trill Road Observatory but it became obvious that the premises were too small and with the help of the Lombardi Family Trust in 1985 the present Kenilworth property was acquired.

“I enjoyed the talk, and learnt a lot about St Luke’s, learning that it‘s not always when you going to die that you need to go there. I don’t need to give up on life, but be positive an d live life to the fullest” a senior said.