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Mum's gift for better care

Our family’s gift to Eastern Palliative Care is inspired by the care mum received, and by the way she lived her own life. Long before computers sat on every desk, mum was always asking how things could be done better. Whether improving housing, helping women in Brazil turn creativity into income, or teaching herself new technology, she had a quiet gift for strengthening the systems around her.

That gift was especially clear when she purchased a monthly specialist magazine. At a time when publishing was painstaking and manual, she taught herself new technology, studied at TAFE, and transformed its production. She built archives, authored a key reference book, and managed websites into her eighties, still learning, contributing, and sharing knowledge almost to the end.

In 2025, when Eastern Palliative Care supported our family through mum’s final months with pancreatic cancer, it felt fitting that her care reflected values she held all her life: thoughtful coordination, clear communication, and people working with purpose.

Every nurse who came into our home seemed to understand not only mum’s clinical needs, but who she was and how our family communicated. There was comfort in not having to repeat everything, relief in feeling known, and trust in seeing her care carried forward from one visit to the next.

As a cancer care nurse, I know that kind of continuity does not happen by chance. It relies on clear notes, careful handovers and systems that support staff in people’s homes. That is why my father and I have chosen to donate to EPC’s AI scribe initiative. By helping clinicians capture important details more efficiently, it gives nurses more time to be present with patients and families, while strengthening communication behind compassionate care. It feels like a fitting way to honour mum—by helping more families receive care that is coordinated, personal and human.

–Alyssa