Hospice Summer 2020 News Our response to COVID-19 – Embracing Recovery 1st PRIZE £4,000 2nd PRIZE £1,000 3rd PRIZE £400 40 PRIZES OF £40 Page 14 Page 10 Page 12 Hospice Run Raffle! Sarah’s story Introduction A word from our CEO Contents Beginning A word from our CEO 3 our Recovery Our response to COVID-19 4 Rob Woolley, Helena’s story 6 Chief Executive Apprenticeships 8 Hello – you may recall that Simon Lee the Starlight stroll 9 Chairman and I wrote to you back in May to Memory Orchard 9 update you about our response to COVID-19. It seems like so long ago. At that time our aim Raffle 10 was to help as many local people as possible, Rob Woolley, CEO Sarah’s story 12 and to keep patients, visitors and members of our workforce safe. Thank you to those who Hospice Run 14 and as a local community. The restrictions got in touch to send us your best wishes. of living with a terminal illness are Our shops 16 Now, you can read more about what experienced whilst surrounded by people Look at some of what managing the next phase of COVID-19 looks who are well. Imagine how lonely and you’ve done! 18 like on page 4. Needless to say, I am very isolating that would be. proud of our doctors, nursing staff and all of Coming together 19 These are just some of the reasons why our workforce for pulling together to face the Receive Hospice News good Hospice Palliative Care, and the past and continued challenges that COVID-19 opportunity to share experiences, is so vital Front cover image: Tracey, Nursing by email presents us with. Assistant, in the Hospice gardens We also send Hospice News by email. If you would to people living with a terminal illness and Photo credit: Kieran Draper like to update your contact preferences to reflect For many of us, ‘lockdown’ had a huge impact their families. With your help, Hospice in the this, please let us know by: on the way we live our lives – restrictions Weald will always be here to help patients on what we were able to do and who we celebrate life and adapt to the challenges • Adding your email address to the ‘sign up to were able to see. You, like so many people, they face. Nothing could be more important, receive our newsletter’ link on the homepage may have found these sudden and enforced and your support makes it possible. of our website hospiceintheweald.org.uk changes very hard to come to terms with. You As lockdown restrictions slowly ease for most may have understandably felt more anxious • Contacting Tor Edwards – Head of of us and we return to the things we know and worried by changes that were beyond Communications, on 01892 820502 or and love, we regain that part of ourselves – in your control. [email protected] that relief, I’d urge you not to leave behind Here’s something to think about – all of these those people who will not return to normal. Sending Hospice News by email is more cost experiences, along with many more, are the For people living with a terminal illness, many effective than posting hard copies, and therefore reality for people with a terminal illness, at challenges will remain. helps us to achieve one of our core values, to any point in time. What we experienced, As the Hospice fundraising efforts emerge ‘make the best possible use of funds to ensure someone with a terminal illness may from lockdown and we begin to open our value for money’. It also reduces the number experience from the moment they receive charity shops and hold fundraising events, Hospice in the Weald, Maidstone Road, of hard copies we print, therefore reducing our their diagnosis. A progressive sense of your support will be more important than Pembury, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN2 4TA impact on the environment. “not being in control”. Often, until they are ever. Generous support in the past has www.hospiceintheweald.org.uk referred to the Hospice, of feeling very alone. We are committed to minimising our impact on the enabled us to weather the storm of these last environment and so both Hospice News and the plastic it is We all experienced the challenges of few months. I hope this will continue so that Registered Charity No. 280276 delivered in are recyclable. lockdown restrictions together, as a nation we can pull together for the local community. 2 Hospice News Summer 2020 Hospice News Summer 2020 3 COVID-19: Embracing Recovery COVID-19: Embracing Recovery appropriate social distancing measures COVID-19: Embracing Recovery in place at that time. Hospice Day Service Safety has been our focus provides vital support and social contact for throughout this crisis, During the COVID-19 pandemic we have been caring for more patients many patients, and lockdown in particular and those important to them than ever before. has shown just how important this is. We and it will continue to be. look forward to welcoming patients and Whilst the demand on our services is still those important to them back. higher than usual, it is important that we Some of our services were move towards the next stage of coping with Of course, these changes will not see a this crisis. Recovery is important to ensure temporarily closed or run return to the previous way of doing things. Hospice Palliative Care is there for all who differently in the initial Infection control measures and social need it now, and for those who will need it response to the pandemic. distancing will need to be followed, along in the future too. with other precautions. Safety has been Part of our recovery our focus throughout this crisis, and it will Some of our services were temporarily closed is re-establishing continue to be. or run differently in the initial response to the pandemic, and part of our recovery is these services. Sadly, lockdown also saw the cancellation of a re-establishing these services. number of our fundraising events. Generating income is an important part of our recovery. From 1st October, patients at Cottage Hospice is the perfect environment for those This phase sees the launch of fundraising Hospice will be cared for by their loved ones, in that situation; a supportive home-from- events and campaigns – some old and well- supported by volunteers and nursing staff, as home environment where loved ones can loved, like our Raffle on page 10, and some was the case before COVID-19. This makes spend precious time together. This was the with a different take on normal, like the Cottage Hospice different from our Ward, case before COVID-19 and proved to be the Hospice Run on page 14. where the care is provided by nursing staff. right option for many local people and their When asked, people often say that they families at the end of life. Income is a crucial aspect in the recovery would prefer to be at home at the end of phase to ensure that you and your loved their life, cared for by their loved ones. In Hospice Day Service was temporarily ones always get the Hospice Care they need. reality the strain of caring for someone at suspended during lockdown. Now it too For further fundraising inspiration, turn to home means that few achieve this. Cottage will re-open from 1st October, with all the page 19. Blossom, a Hospice Paramedic Recovery is important to Embracing Recovery ensure Hospice As we move towards the next phase of our response to COVID-19, Palliative Care is we will: there for all who Re-stablish the family caregiver model at Cottage Hospice need it now, and Welcome patients and those important to them back to Hospice Day Service for those who Reopen all of our charity shops will need it in the Welcome supporters to our first socially distanced event, the Starlight Stroll, future too. on 17th October 4 Hospice News Summer 2020 Hospice News Summer 2020 5 Helena’s story Helena’s story able to talk to Mum in a way that we found It was very comforting to know that if too hard. They spent a lot of time with her anything did happen, there would always be and brought up things that were too difficult someone there who could help, someone for us to speak about. It just felt like there who would know what to do. It was very was a safety net. caring without being intrusive.” I think what was really important for Mum Mary explains: “In the room Mum was in, and for Dad, was that they wouldn’t be there was a view across the garden. There separated. At Cottage Hospice, Dad was able were trees in the distance and beyond that to be with Mum all the time, which was really there were fields. It was very relaxing, and important for them both.” Mum appreciated that. She liked birds and spent some time watching out the window. Peter explains: “We had beds side by side It didn’t feel like a medical facility. It was an and I couldn’t have asked for anything better almost home-like environment. That was than that. We had lots of time to talk and very reassuring and made the transition we found comfort in each other. I certainly from being at home so much easier than we felt at home there, and that was mainly expected. Once Mum arrived and realised because we could remain close together.