For over six years, Sam Politt has been a Children’s Care Assistant at ellenor. Friends ask her how she copes with her challenging, sometimes emotional work – especially given that she’s got a nine-year-old daughter herself. She says, “My role is to look after children who, despite illness, are most often cheeky, smiley and bouncy – just like every child is.”
Bringing expertise from London hospitals direct to children in their own homes is an under-recognised service that forms the foundation of care provided by ellenor. Thanks to this partnership approach, many children under ellenor’s care in Kent can make fewer journeys and spend less time attending hospitals in London for their appointments.
There are times when a mother’s instinct really can be a lifesaver. As a mum of three, Carrie Wilson knew her baby daughter Grace was suffering from something way beyond the usual illnesses.
Families of children who have a life limiting or life-threatening condition will know, it’s a worrying and frightening time, but their journey is made a little easier thanks to our Children’s Palliative Care Team.
With more and more children having a life-limiting condition, how to help them live well with the time they have available is the ellenor mantra. As each child is different and their needs are unique, ellenor works in partnership with them and their families to create a bespoke support service throughout their lives and beyond.
We are delighted to confirm that after 13 weeks of closure four of our high street shops are open again for shopping only and are operating in-line with the latest government guidance. The shops across Kent - Crayford, Dartford Priory, Swanscombe and Bexley – are open for business and people can make purchases.
“You never know what’s going to come your way – but there are certainly some situations you don’t imagine you’ll have to face as a teen. One minute I was your usual fifteen years old – friends, family, studying and having a great time with friends; then the rug was pulled from under my feet."
Essential to the exceptional standard of holistic care offered by ellenor, the charity that provides support for those with life-limiting illnesses and their families, are its Health Care Assistants. Without them – quite simply - the charity couldn’t function.
For Nicola Norris and her husband Lee, we have been a lifeline in providing them with a whole range of services to help support and stimulate their six-year-old son, Jensen.
For teenager Jack Browne and his family, support from ellenor has meant a return to the normality of home and school that once seemed impossible.
When children are unable to articulate what death means to them, music therapy can help them process the feelings of grief and pain that the loss of a parent inevitably brings.
When their beloved daughter, Kerrie, died from breast cancer at the age of 36 in September 2017, Dianne and her husband George didn’t just have to find a path through their own grief – they had to help Kerrie’s young sons cope with theirs, too. Throughout the process, we were there to support the family, both practically and emotionally.
This year the families supported by ellenor have felt the effects of lockdown more than anyone, with social isolation taking its toll, families have been left exhausted after months of providing 24/7 care for their child at home.
We are launching our first-ever Silent Online Auction fundraiser, with 100% of the money raised going towards supporting the hospice in providing the very best end of life care across Kent and Bexley.
One Northfleet family has experienced for themselves the vital support that we offer in all sorts of circumstances – including the current pandemic - and to both children and adults.
So, as I write this, we are in Week 7 of the UK lockdown during the Covid-19 pandemic, and for many people, we have settled into something which feels like ‘the new normal’. Whilst none of this has been a bed of roses, some people have managed to find comfort in the fact that the pace of life has slowed down and that we can take a second to watch the world go by.
While nurses and doctors are at the heart of hospice care, there are many other individuals who play an equally important role in providing holistic support. Chaplains are a key part of the palliative care team, offering comfort and spiritual strength to people with life-limiting or terminal illnesses.
For children especially, grief can be a massive, bewildering issue. Fail to help them deal with it, and the implications for those children and young people.
We are pleased to announce that Vikki Harding has been appointed to permanent Chief Executive with immediate effect.
