ellenor

Cancer patient Elaine D. turned to the counsellors at ellenor when she realised the stress and isolation caused by Covid was making her anxious and depressed.

Ask the average person what a ‘dream day’ in their role is, and you might hear a lot of different responses. It’s unlikely, however, that any will be as heartfelt and humbling as that of Tracy Down’s. Tracy works at our hospice and supports patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families: both at home, and from our inpatient and outpatient wards at Northfleet.

Grief is a personal journey and people cope with it in many different ways. For Linda Rush, getting out in the fresh air helped her more than sitting down and talking about her feelings -- so she instigated a walking group for others who had been bereaved.

The tireless work of family support workers at our hospice has never been more paramount. Families dealing with demanding caring roles, life-limiting illness and bereavement now also have to contend with the isolation caused by Covid.

It wasn’t until her first placement, treating patients with cancer on an oncology ward as a student-nurse, that Nele saw a different side to nursing. “The focus wasn’t just on getting people better, but also ensuring that they had the quality of life – if not the quantity. I realised that this is something I wanted to do" Nele Bohn, Ward Sister at ellenor’s inpatient ward.

Operational Lead Chris Dyson talks about life on our Inpatient Ward at the hospice in Northfleet.

Seventy-four-year-old Sue Gray has spent her life looking after patients and their families – and the challenges of Covid have not deterred the retired nurse from reaching out to others. She lost her own husband to cancer 11 years ago, says: “Since lockdown I have been making about 14 calls every week, phoning people who would usually attend the bereavement group or the Carers Cuppa.”

Working in a hospice during a pandemic was a life-changing experience for trainee nurse Becky Saunders. Her experiences at ellenor were so profound that she pledged to take on a gruelling challenge to raise vital funds.

Dr Laura Holtham was working full time at the ellenor hospice in Northfleet during the height of the pandemic and is full of praise and optimism for hospices like ellenor - we are a Kent and Bexley-based charity providing care and support to patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families.

Set your sights on the summit and sign up for our 2022 trek to Machu Picchu. By taking part in this once in a lifetime bucket list experience, you will be helping to ensure that we can continue to provide the very best care and support to patients facing terminal illness, and their families, across Kent and Bexley.