Hospiscare needs your help
Can you help Hospiscare support their patients by giving some of your time?
Hospiscare needs more car drivers, complementary therapists and bereavement supporters to help patients attending the Exeter hospice and day centre.
“The nature of volunteering means that people come and go and currently we need to fill some gaps, “said Hospiscare’s Vicky Lachenicht who manages more than 1,000 volunteers for the local charity that supports patients and their families living with a terminal illness.
“Please contact us for a chat – you would be joining a team of dedicated people, making a huge difference to people at the most difficult time of their lives.
“We’d love to hear from people who can help, we’re very flexible and can fit in with whatever time you have to offer. Your gift of time would be a huge help to our patients and families; it might just be a couple of hours to you, but to them it’s a lifeline. All our volunteers are really well trained, giving their time with a friendly face and a listening ear.”
Last year Hospiscare looked after 2,200 patients living in Exeter, East and Mid Devon. A total of 632 Exeter people were cared for last year, with 473 of them being visited in their own homes by Hospiscare community specialist nurses.
While 164 Exeter people were admitted to the hospice, which is based on the RD&E Wonford site. Hospiscare is a local charity, offering free care and relying on local community support to help fund its services.
“We have fabulous facilities and treatments available at the hospice and our day centre but we sometimes struggle to get patients there,” said Vicky. Driving patients to the day hospice or into the RD&E for treatments such as chemotherapy or radiation is a vitally important role.
“Our volunteer drivers take away the worry of driving, parking and finding the right department, so patients can concentrate on themselves.”
The hospice has specially equipped complementary therapy treatment rooms where many patients enjoy relaxing therapies. “We need more complementary therapists to help,” said Vicky. “Their skills offer people a “bit of me time.”
Also, complementary therapies provide welcome relief and something to look forward to after a particularly gruelling treatment, such as chemotherapy.
A successful pilot scheme that Hospiscare has introduced into the Honiton area also needs more volunteers. Care navigator volunteers need to live within a 10 mile radius of Honiton.
So far, eight volunteers have taken on the new role of a volunteer care navigator and one of them is Winnie Cameron who visits David Miller at his Honiton home. Winnie provides companionship as well as offering emotional and practical support. They have enjoyed a number of visits to local attractions which David particularly enjoys.
Care navigators can introduce patients to a range of services, helping them to find the support that is right for them, but there is no clinical care at any time. Hospiscare employs specialist nurses and doctors to provide high quality expert clinical care.
Bereavement support is a vital Hospiscare service. “There can be a sense of isolation for those left behind, sometimes patients have relocated to the area and don’t have any support, sometimes talking to a stranger is much easier,” said Vicky. “Our bereavement supporters have time to listen which is really important and time to allow people to reflect.”
Hospiscare provides training, support and cover all costs, including travel expenses for all its volunteering roles. “Volunteering is a great way to enhance your skills, meet interesting people and is rewarding and fulfilling. It’s also a terrific way to gain experience when looking for a job.”
If you’d like to find out more about helping Hospiscare please contact Vicky on 01392 688068 or email:Vicky.lachenicht@hospisare.co.uk
