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We have never been more dependent on support from our volunteers than in the face of the current pandemic. Terry Ludlow, one of our regular couriers, has stepped up to the plate magnificently in recent months, upping his hours so that vital medical samples can be delivered to hospital, and ensuring donations of everything from food to flowers are collected from our corporate supporters.
When Jazz’s fiancé died, she was left feeling “broken”. But the support she found at our bereavement group has helped her through the pain of grief. The 31-year-old project manager says: “The aftercare I have received from ellenor has been nothing short of incredible.”
We are a charity supporting those with life-limiting illnesses and their families. We believe in offering support for body, mind and spirit, empowering patients and those who care for them to stay as strong as possible, for as long as possible. Here, Andrew Lowden – our interim Head of Wellbeing – explains the benefits of this multi-disciplined, holistic approach.
The wellbeing services ellenor provides lie at the heart of the hospice’s total package of care. Operational Wellbeing Lead Andrew Lowden explains the importance of going beyond patients’ clinical needs and helping them and their families navigate the psycho-social complexities of living with a life-limiting condition
If death is a taboo, how can you encourage people to open up about grief and bereavement? Moreover, how do you break down those walls and stigmas that society has built up around the topic of loss, and help those who’ve experienced it come to terms with those feelings?
We are a charity that provides hospice care and support to patients and families facing life-limiting illnesses in the Kent and Bexley communities. As well as offering palliative and end of life care to patients, we also provide a range of wellbeing services and complementary therapies, which include spiritual and emotional care, as well as respite and bereavement support.
Treatment Escalation Plans (TEPs) aim to empower patients who are frail or with life-limiting illnesses, in conjunction with their family and the GP/doctor responsible for their care, to explore the treatment options available to them – and ensure that appropriate preparation has been made for a supported, symptom-free end of life period. Here we explain what TEPS are and why they’re so important.
“I see it as a gate that opens onto the last part of life’s journey”, says Angela Cooke, Practice Development Lead. “You’re going through a garden, walking along a path. You’re talking to somebody and admiring the flowers that they and their family have planted. You’re beside them to support them, should they trip.
We support patients with life-limited illnesses and their families within the Kent and Bexley communities. While we provide care from both inpatient and outpatient units in Northfleet – in addition to a range of wellbeing services – the majority of our work takes place within the community. That’s both from the homes of our patients, as well as a number of local care homes, too.
As one of our team of four doctors, Dr Sheraz Majeed’s role is more than a clinical one. In line with our ethos of ‘holistic care’, which pledges to treat the patient and their family, rather than the illness alone, Dr Majeed’s chief responsibility is to understand the individual needs of the patient.
While we provide direct expert support to those who need it, a key part of our holistic approach is to ensure that family carers are able to support those they love as effectively as possible. Sue Marshall, who has been part of our team for 20 years, has a passion for this aspect of ellenor’s care, borne out of her experience on both a professional and a personal level.
We are all encouraged to make a will so we can say what happens to our estate when we die. But how many of us have thought about how we want to spend the final moments of our lives? That’s where an Advance Care Plan (ACP) comes in. It’s a will of wishes that says: “When I die, this is how I would like it to be”.
Today marks the start of Dying Matters Awareness Week. It is a national initiative which aims to raise the profile of the support structures that exist for those who are dying, and for the loved ones they leave behind. It also strives to encourage families to come together, and hold open, honest conversations around the future.
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.”
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