Facing a life-limiting illness is frightening for both patients and families and sometimes this fear can be more frightening at night.  The day time is also difficult for carers when they are providing 24hr care whilst being sleep deprived.  This is all the more heightened during this pandemic.

Our Hospice at Home Team are a small team of highly skilled and caring individuals who care for patients and support families during the night and sometimes when needed in the day.

This is Tom’s story and how our wonderful Hospice at Home Team cared for Tom and supported his family.

Facing the loss of a loved one is never easy but it appears to be more difficult during these unprecedented times.  We recently cared for an elderly gentleman Tom (name changed), who was approaching end of life and had just lost his wife.  Due to social isolation this gentleman was looked after by a team of carers:  District and Hospice Nurses and our Hospice at Home Team.

Tom was too poorly to attend his wife’s funeral so our Hospice at Home carer sat with Tom during the funeral and managed to move his bed by the window so he could see the hearse as it brought his wife home one last time.

Tom would speak to his son who lived in America each night with the help of our Hospice at Home Team.  One night the Hospice at Home nurse made a FaceTime call to his son for Tom to see him.  Tom died a few days later with our Hospice at Home nurse present.

We received an email from Tom’s son;

“I am just writing to thank you and your team for all your care and support during my father’s final days at home.  As you may know, I live in America, and was unable to be with my father due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  I’m sorry I didn’t write earlier, but I just needed a few days for myself.
It was a genuinely heart-warming experience interacting with the carers looking after my dad.  Their work with families at such difficult times is truly inspirational.  I would like to thank you for giving me the opportunity to see my Father one last time and for that I can’t thank you enough. “

Thank you to a wonderful team and to our dedicated team of Hospice at Home bank staff for supporting patients and those who matter most to them now and every day.