Crawling Back with HealthRight

Media Statement

Wednesday 11 February 2009

Crawling Back with HealthRight

A nightmarish five-hours spent painfully crawling along his hallway to the bathroom, is a distant memory for Ed Tamatea now he has been picked up by Gisborne’s unique HealthRight programme.

HealthRight offers people with common long-term health problems the chance to take control of their health before the problems take control of them.

The service is free, and will help reduce the incidence and impact of chronic health conditions such as diabetes and cardiovascular disease, on some people. 

“It has been offered to around 520 men and women, so far” says HealthRight Manager Diane Williams.

HealthRight is a Turanganui Primary Health Organisation programme available through Kaiti Medical Centre, The Village Clinic, and Serendipity Health. It will be available through City Medical Centre, Mangapapa Medical Centre and Desmond Road Medical Centre soon.

Mr Tamatea (Ngati Porou and Tuhoe), is a recent success story.

Six months ago Mr Tamatea says he was pretty “brassed off with the world” and in a lot of pain from gout. He says he reached a new mental and physical low when one day, in agony, it took him five hours to drag himself down his hallway, take a bath, and crawl back again.

“Uncle was here. But nup. I’m stubborn. I was going to do it myself.”

His whanau persuaded him to visit Turanga Health. As well as enrolling him in their Men’s Health service, staff referred him to the HealthRight programme being offered at Kaiti Medical Centre.

As part of HealthRight, Mr Tamatea was eligible for a nurse-led comprehensive clinical assessment, then an extended GP consultation. A plan for his ongoing care was created, and he was referred to the HealthRight social worker based at Turanganui Primary Health Organisation.

Kaiti Medical Centre GP Fergus Aitcheson said chronic illness such as obesity and heart disease can be “bewildering”.

“A person’s resources, physical, mental, and financial, often don’t stretch to cover all the demands. Having something or someone to help them through the maze is what’s needed.”

Mr Tamatea has had his medication reviewed and simplified, received financial and social guidance from the HealthRight social worker, and will soon be visited by the HealthRight Lifestyle Coach to work on things like nutrition, exercise and other elements of health and wellbeing.

Since HealthRight, Mr Tamatea says his life has completely changed. He is motivated to interact more with family, and keen to start losing weight. He encourages others who receive a letter inviting them to be part of HealthRight, “to join up”.

“It was the best that could have happened to me. It opened my vision up about the health system. Before I had felt the medical system had nothing to offer me. I felt they stereotyped me.”

“I’d say this is a damn good programme to get on. I am getting my life back.”

ends

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