Mini Blog: 2 minutes with...Diane Henare

It is now just a little over 6 weeks until #nzps2015 Annual Scientific Meeting kicks off in Auckland.  The ASM is always a valuable few days but this years theme "Pain through the ages" really does promise something for everyone. To showcase some of the talks on the programme, we have invited some to the speakers to share a little bit about themselves, and their talk. First up - Diane Henare, who will be speaking on Saturday afternoon on the challenges of delivering pain management services in a rural setting. _________________________________

What is your current role/job/position? I am currently a self-employed occupational therapist contracted to Active Intervention Management Ltd . I am particularly  involved in the delivery of the Functional Assessment part of the ACC Comprehensive Pain Assessment as well as working with a team and  delivering the occupational therapy component of the  12 week Activity Focus Programmes  in the Northland Region. I am also contracted to Te Tai Tokerau PHO to facilitate a self-management programme for people with chronic health conditions known in the North as Whakamana Hauora (using the Stanford Living a Healthy Life with Chronic Conditions  programme).  I have worked in pain management now for 20 years. Living in the Bay of Islands is a bonus.

How did you get into working in Pain Management? I began working as an occupational therapist at The Auckland Regional Pain Service (TARPS)  filling a locum position  at the end of 1995 and was lucky enough to be able to continue in that position as a permanent member of the team until 2009 when I moved to the Bay of Islands. During that time I developed a passion for working with people with pain and this later extended to working with people with chronic health conditions in general as the principles transfer to a wide range of health management areas. I also valued working with such a great team and wanted to be able to continue working with a team approach when I moved to Northland.

What do you hope people might take away from your presentation? The reinforcement that working with people with chronic pain requires a team approach wherever you are and it is possible to build that team approach even in a challenging geographical and rural environment.