Family support the key to quality of life
When Fuamoa Allen fell into a coma after brain surgery twelve years ago, her doctors advised she would not have long to live. Fuamoa’s daughter Trudy Savea refused to accept this prognosis, fighting to keep her mother alive and well cared for within the family home in Takanini.
Sose Annandale with Trudy Savea and her new dryer.
Fuamoa pulled through against the odds and emerged from her coma after several weeks, but has been confined to a bed ever since. Against advice to place Fuamoa in a hospice for palliative care, Trudy insisted on taking her mother home.
For more than a decade now, Trudy has been the full-time carer for her beloved Mum, with help from her husband, children, and siblings. Together the family does their best to ensure that Fuamoa has a good quality of life and that all of her physical, emotional, and spiritual needs are met.
Thanks to this loving care, Fuamoa has been able to transition from a liquid diet to eating soft foods following therapy to help her swallow. She cannot speak but responds to music and even hums tunes to old songs she enjoys. The family have placed a TV and radio in her room for entertainment and mental stimulation.
With their home affected by the severe weather events in Auckland in early 2023, Trudy was struggling to keep enough bedding dry to make sure her mother was comfortable. While visiting the Pacific Response Hub in Māngere, set up to support families impacted by the floods, the family connected with Sose Annandale, a Vaka Tautua Community Support Worker.
As a fluent Samoan speaker, Sose was able to assess the family’s needs and arrange funding for a new clothes drier, which has been a great help. Beyond that immediate need, the family is receiving ongoing support from Vaka Tautua’s wide range of services. Staff from our Tagata Sa’ilimalo Disability Services, Aiga Fiafia Social Services, and Ola Fiafia Mental Health team are working together to help Fuamoa, Trudy and their extended family get any support they need to continue to thrive.
Learn more about Vaka Tautua’s range of services: How we can help