“ Like many people who get deeply involved with a charity, my desire to help stemmed
from a very personal experience
By PETER MORRIS ND Estates
”
Kidney patients support depends on employer’s
support.
Like many people who get deeply involved with a charity, my desire to help stemmed from a very personal experience. To cut a long story very short (a statement that will make many of my friends smile) the Jersey Kidney Patients Association (JKPA) helped my family in ways that were, quite literally, life saving. Their practical and emotional support helped my family to cope with one of the most difficult periods of our lives and not only will I always be grateful for that, but I will always be determined to give something back and help others who find themselves in the same position.
The JKPA itself was incorporated in Jersey in 1988 and is a registered Jersey Charity. It is also registered with, and regulated by, the Jersey Financial Services Commission as a 'Non Profit Making Organisation' (NPO). What that means in reality is that all the work the JKPA does is a result of public and private donations and volunteers giving their time for free.
To put the work of the organisation into context, in 1988 there were four haemodialysis patients attended by one part time nurse, supported by the services of the Renal Teams from St Mary’s Hospital Portsmouth, who visited the Island when needed. Today, in 2011, there are over 45 haemodialysis patients with another 40 patients likely to need dialysis in
Page 30 Health - Helping yourself
the very near future; more than 40 transplant patients, a continual peritoneal dialysis service and some 350 plus patients with potential end stage renal failure. All of these patients are attended by a consultant Nephrologist and a team of specialist nurses. The service is based in The Jersey Renal Unit, Gwyneth Huelin Wing, of the Jersey General Hospital and specialist diagnostic and surgical support is provided by Guy’s Hospital, London.
Alongside the excellent medical services provided by the Health Department, the JKPA is there to provide support to all Jersey kidney patients and their families. Our focus is on the non-medical practical matters that any patient and their family need when coping with their illness. We provide emotional support from people who understand kidney disease to first hand experience. We provide financial support so that loved ones can travel to the UK to support family members undergoing treatment and we also try and help with some of the simple day-to-day issues many families face when dealing with kidney disease. Whether that’s baby sitting to providing respite for primary carers or support to make Christmas a special occasion for children; our job is to always be there for patients and their families.
As Chairman of the JKPA, it’s my job
to oversee and organise much of what the charity delivers and as you might imagine, that can take up a lot of my time, both during the regular working day and at evenings and weekends.
Without the wholehearted support of my employer, ND Estates, I simply wouldn’t be able to help run the JKPA and at the same time earn a living to provide for my family. The support that ND Estates provides takes many forms, some of the most important of which are; flexible working hours, the option to work remotely and an ability to take holiday at relatively short notice; but perhaps the biggest support of all is a genuine sense of understanding for the work that I do for the JKPA. My employer doesn’t see my charity work as something to be managed, it sees it as a valuable contribution to the local community and a clear statement of what ND Estates believes in as a local employer.
I am proud to say that the current JKPA membership now stands at 130 and growing and with the continued support of my employer, ND Estates, my colleagues at the JKPA and, of course, my family, I hope that we will continue to go from strength to strength and provide the much needed support for all kidney patients in Jersey.
www.jkpa.org.je
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108