From science to spirituality: Dhanggati GP’s palliative care journey

When Dr Janelle Trees began her medical career, she was fascinated with the scientific aspects of the discipline, especially the ‘idea that our neurotransmitter chemicals constituted our thoughts’.
 
But as she has progressed through her career, Dr Trees has found her culture – as a Dhanggati woman – increasingly guiding her approach to general practice.
 
Having been lured into the specialty due to the ‘loveliness of the people’, she now helps people at the end of their life as a GP in palliative care at Mercy Hospital.
 
‘The GPs that I met at university and as junior doctor were lovely people and very encouraging and kind,’ Dr Trees told newsGP.
 
‘I also appreciated the flexibility and the intellectual stimulation of general practice.
 
‘You can have any kind of subspecialty, basically, that you’re interested in and change your mind every five years or 10 years if you want.’
 
Having explored several parts of general practice, Dr Trees ended up going back to her earlier interest in palliative care.
 
‘Part of the reason I became a doctor is because I appreciated the privilege of being able to be part of people’s lives when they were having an intense and difficult time and I felt like it was a privilege to be able to help,’ she said.
 
‘I was quite interested in birth but as I matured, I found that physically being involved in birthing is quite strenuous and that was part of the reason that I thought, “well, if I can’t do that, see if I can be allowed to help on passing from this life”.’
 
Spirituality has become integral to Dr Trees’ work.
 
‘My Indigenous culture is an intrinsic part of who I am, it influences every aspect of my life,’ she said.
 
‘Especially regarding work with people who are in trouble or in distress – healing workers are an integral part of Aboriginal cultures.
 
‘You feel a calling, to really have something that your spirit wants to do, and you follow it and if that’s where you’re meant to be that’s where you’ll end up.’
 
Palliative care is no walk in the park, Dr Trees says, but she remains there for her dying patients and their families.
 
‘There’s always plenty of sick people to be looked after,’ she said.
 
‘You’re looking after those who love them and care for them as they’re going through the transition as well, because that’s an important part of the work.’
 
Dr Trees says she always ensures her patients aren’t overly sedated and so they know there are people around them and ‘that they’re not alone’.
 
‘I never sedate anybody so badly that they can’t hear people being around and have a sense that life is going on around them and that there are people nearby,’ she said.
 
‘It’s a fine balance between not being bothered by the body and being able to drift off into the next reality when the spirit chooses to.’
 
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander patients may seek her out, but often don’t know she’s there.
 
‘[Indigenous GPs] are still so rare that it doesn’t generally occur to them to seek out another Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander practitioner,’ Dr Trees said.
 
‘But of course, people love to be able to get healthcare, in any capacity, with someone who understands their culture and resonates with it.’
 
According to Dr Trees general practice is a ‘path with heart’ and enables people to be of significant service to their communities.
 
‘You can care for people holistically, in the whole picture,’ she said.
 
‘It’s such a huge range of skills that you’re always learning, and you never get bored.
 
‘They’re really valuable skills for everybody, not just Indigenous people, but in Australia and in all our communities.’
 
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