AMBULANCE WISH SA: Shifting the public’s attitude towards palliative care one wish at a time
An article written by Margot Albrecht
Stichting Ambulance Wens (Netherlands)
In 2007, Kees Veldboer, a Netherlands ambulance driver and self-described ‘very ordinary Dutch guy’, was tasked with transferring a terminally ill patient, Mario Stefanutto, to another hospital. With an hour to spare before the receiving hospital was ready, Veldboer asked the patient if there was any place he would like to visit. Stefanutto, a former sailor, expressed his desire to see Rotterdam harbour once more. Inspired by Stefanutto’s palpable joy at being by his beloved harbour, Veldboer resolved to find a way to grant the stretcher-bound retired seaman’s seemingly impossible final wish to sail the waters of Europe’s largest port. A week later, the unwaveringly determined Veldboer had borrowed an ambulance, recruited volunteers, secured the services of a harbour boat tour company … and fulfilled Stefanutto’s wish.
Weeks before his death, Stefanutto wrote:
‘It does me good that there are still people who care about others … I can tell you from my own experience that a small gesture from someone else can have a huge impact.’
This first wish galvanised Veldboer to establish Stitchting Ambulance Wens (Ambulance Wish Foundation) to fulfill the wishes of other terminal, immobile patients; a concept that has now spread globally.
Ambulance Wish SA (AWSA)
Seventeen years later and 12,000+ nautical miles from Rotterdam harbour, the site of the ‘first wish’, South Australia launched its own Ambulance Wish SA Program on 7 May 2024. A collaboration between Palliative Care SA, St John Ambulance SA and Flinders University, the purpose of the Ambulance Wish SA program (which is free to participants) is simple:
To give South Australians living with life-limiting conditions access to the planning, coordination, transport, photography and clinical care they need to fulfill their special wish and create memories that last forever.
Simon was their first Wish Recipient in South Australia, and he simply wanted a beer and pie at the Adelaide oval with his mates and family. ‘In the last chapter of life its often the simple things that make the biggest difference’ says Adjunct Associate Professor Shyla Mills (CEO of Palliative Care SA).
South Australia is the fourth state in Australia to launch the program, which currently operates in Queensland, WA and Victoria.
Psychosocial benefits of the AWSA program
Effective palliative care is more than just symptom and pain management. It also incorporates a psychosocial element as an essential part of a ‘whole-health’ holistic approach to patient-centred care.
In November 2022, The University of Queensland published a study that explored the well-being priorities from the viewpoint of palliative-care patients. [1] The study showed that a key priority for those in the end-of-life (EOL) phase of palliative care, is to be surrounded by loved ones (family, friends and pets) while another is to achieve a sense of closure and inner peace.
The Ambulance Wish SA program provides an opportunity for these dual EOL priorities to be achieved through innovative partnerships between the palliative care sector, ambulance officers/paramedics, community volunteers, carers and local businesses.
AWSA benefits include:
the creation of unique opportunities for people living with a terminal illness to engage in end-of-life conversations or attend to any unfinished business. As a meaningful memory-making experience, it may also assist with bereavement and prevent complicated grief for friends or families. [2]
In July 2024, another of AWSA’s Wish Recipients, Loretta, expressed her profound gratitude for a day in a short video about her wish (view here) that AWSA had not only fulfilled her wish to visit her favourite beach but also created lasting memories that will be treasured by all involved. Loretta said: ‘I feel at peace now’.
Health Promoting Benefits of the AWSA Program
While the benefits of the program for the Wish Recipients, their carers, family and friends are momentous, the unexpected benefit of the program is raising awareness with the community and media. According to Sheila Mills, CEO:
I believe the Ambulance Wish program is one of the most successful palliative care public awareness campaigns in the world. When Ambulance Wish Queensland launched the program with Betty, a 92-year-old Grandmother who simply wanted a passionfruit ice cream and to visit the botanic gardens, their first wish had a viral reach of 155 million views. When we launched in SA with Simon, every news station in the state covered it. The program changes the way the community sees palliative care – from suffering, pain and morphine to what we know is excellent palliative care – love, laughter, friendship and memory-making.
If the program can contribute towards a positive shift in the public’s attitude towards palliative care, then fear and stigma will be reduced and replaced with a healthier acceptance that death is part of life’s rich tapestry, and the palliative care phase is an opportunity to celebrate the life of a loved one.
Learn more:
The AWSA program is growing and is hoping to expand across South Australia to fulfil wishes statewide. The program core costs are funded by the SA Government, and additional funding is raised through donations, sponsors and fundraising to grow the program statewide. If you can help - email: awsa@palliativecaresa.org.au or visit our website: Ambulancewishsa.org.au
Authors
Margot Albrecht
Marketing Student
Flinders University
Shyla Mills
CEO Palliative Care South Australia
Adjunct Associate Professor, Flinders University and La Trobe University
Reference
- Pakenham K, Martin CL. Psychosocial palliative care: Patients' preferred intervention medium, target domains, and well-being priorities. Palliat Support Care. 2024 Aug;22(4):742-750.
- Mills J. Ambulance Wish: An opportunity for public health palliative care partnerships with paramedics and other community members. Prog Palliat Care. 2020;28(1):17–18.