Category: Hospice News

Following on from the success of the Lincoln Baron Trail, St Barnabas Hospice has taken the decision to be part of the Lincoln Knights’ Trail this year

St Barnabas Hospice is spending 2017 celebrating their 35th birthday, and is excited to include one of the Lincoln Knights in its plans.

The St Barnabas Knight has a brilliantly colourful design, which has been created by local artist, Lizzy Mason. Lincolnshire features and landmarks are prevalent throughout the design, with the Lincolnshire flag tying it all together.

The Lincoln Knights’ Trail has been created to celebrate the 800th anniversary of the Battle of Lincoln and the sealing of the Charter of the Forest. There is significant importance surrounding the Battle of Lincoln, as the outcome ensured England did not fall under French rule.

Chris Wheway, Chief Executive Officer at St Barnabas, said:

“I am delighted that St Barnabas is getting involved in the Lincoln Knights’ Trail this year, and am over the moon with our design.

“Lizzy has really captured the heart of Lincolnshire in her creation, which made it the ideal choice for us.

“It is such a brilliant way to celebrate our 35th birthday, as we want to celebrate with the whole of Lincolnshire, in the community that we serve.”

It took Lizzy a total of 120 hours to decorate the St Barnabas Knight, which she has been doing live in the Waterside Shopping Centre throughout February.

When asked about her artwork, Lizzy responded:

“I am pleased to be painting a knight for a local charity, having grown up in Lincolnshire. It is a delight to give back to the community with my love of art and Lincolnshire’s great beauty and enchanted lands.

“Colours and nature are two things which I love, and I wanted my design to take people away from their everyday concerns.

“Some of the popular areas of Lincolnshire which I have included in my design are the Lincoln Imp, the Boston Stump, the Coast, the Cathedral and the Castle. I have also painted the tail and mane as a rainbow to express love of life and freedom.”

The Lincoln Knights’ Trail will lead participants around the city of Lincoln, and enable them to immerse themselves in the fascinating history which the city boasts.

Branded as the “Biggest Girls’ Night Out in Lincoln,” St Barnabas Hospice will host popular Moonlight Walk event this June to raise money and remember loved ones.

Lincoln, 2nd March 2017 – Now in its tenth year, the Moonlight Walk is going back to its roots and is set to be bigger and better than ever, with inspirational women supporting the cause at Yarborough Leisure Centre on 10th June 2017.

The Moonlight Walk is a flagship event for St Barnabas, and features a 10K route around uphill Lincoln, down to St Marks and back. St Barnabas invites women to embrace their inner sparkle and dress head to toe in pink! This year, St Barnabas aims to get 1,000 women on board with the Walk.

With registration opening at 8pm at Yarborough Leisure Centre, women can take part in a fun warm up and will be able to purchase merchandise, professional photos and face painting before the walk begins at 10pm. Melt Down Catering will also be there to give each participant a pulled pork bap or veggie burger and a hot drink upon completion. Each participant will also receive a pink t-shirt and finishers’ medal on the night.

Laura Stones, Event Fundraiser for St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“Whether you want to get fit or remember a loved one, join St Barnabas and hundreds of inspirational women for a brilliant night to remember.

“The money raised from this and other similar events is integral to help St Barnabas provide continuous care and support for patients and their families. We hope that participants this year will raise in excess of £44,000.”

The event is a great idea for local businesses to get involved in and promote staff morale. Alternatively, you could gather together a group of friends, or even enter your club or society.

Early bird registration is only £12 for adults and £7 for children (aged 11+ only), with each individual being asked to raise a minimum of £20.17. It is a female only event this year, and the early bird prices will end on 2nd May.

To register, go to http://www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/EventDetails/756/moonlight-walk-2017

For further information contact Laura Stones on 01522 559 515 or email laura.stones@stbarnabashospice.co.uk

A grieving grandmother is volunteering her time to St Barnabas Hospice to say thanks for the care given in the last days of her husband’s life

Jean Marshall, 77, from Louth volunteers at the charity’s bookshop on Eastgate and has taken part in many of the hospice’s events including a sponsored dog walk and their annual Light Up a Life celebration.

Her husband Gordon, 75, was supported by the St Barnabas Hospice at Home team for seven months after he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of cancer that spread throughout his spine and into his liver.

“By the time Gordon was diagnosed he was in severe pain and was no longer able to get about without help,” says Jean. “Still, I didn’t have any worries about looking after Gordon at home because I assumed it would be like any other time he had been unwell. Except it wasn’t and it soon became apparent that we were out of our depth.

“St Barnabas was recommended to me and after making a phone call they arrived the very next day. It was a real relief when they turned up and I’ll always remember one of the first things they said to me was ‘you haven’t got to worry, we’ll look after him now’ and they absolutely did.

“They immediately set about bathing and changing him and ensured that we had everything we needed, nothing was ever too much trouble.”

St Barnabas Hospice at Home team are there to help manage the medical needs of a patient with a terminal illness but also to offer a listening ear, practical advice and support; or even sometimes a comforting arm round the shoulder.

Jean said: “The care was simply marvellous and I welcomed their daily visits, they became more like friends then nurses. They always had time for you and took the time to look after me as well as Gordon.

“Since Gordon has died this care has continued and they will often phone or pop-in to see how I am. They even attended Gordon’s funeral which I found to be a real comfort, after all they were faces I had come to know well.

“I feel really lucky to have had the support of St Barnabas and if it wasn’t for them Gordon would have never been able to return home. I honestly don’t know how I would have coped without them, their support was truly invaluable.”

Jean and Gordon were happily married for 53 years and had three daughters and five grandchildren. During the final month of Gordon’s life their daughters Julie, Linda and Heather moved in to help support their mum.

Linda Spence, 50, said: “The St Barnabas team delivered top quality care and compassion enabling our dad to remain in the comfort of his own home with as little fear as possible.

“Their care was over and above anything we could have asked for and for that we are forever grateful. Surviving this difficult time would have been made so much more difficult without them.”

Jean concludes: “Keeping busy helps me through the grief and provides me with the opportunity to give something back to try and repay them for all they did for my family and me. I’d do anything to help them so that they are able to continue to offer their care and support to others who need it.”

The Hospice at Home team work seven days a week from their headquarters at their flagship day hospice at Grimsby Road in Louth. Last year the team supported 678 people with a terminal illness to remain at home across East Lincolnshire.

Anyone aged 18 and above can be referred to this service through a Community Nurse, GP, Specialist Nurse or other healthcare professional. For any further information on how St Barnabas’ care services can be accessed in your area please call 01522 511566 or visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk

To find out more about volunteering with St Barnabas Hospice email volunteering@stbarnabashospice.co.uk or visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk for the full list of volunteer roles available.

St Barnabas marks 35 years of care in the same year the hospice movement, started by Dame Cicely Saunders, turns 50

St Barnabas Hospice opened its doors to its first patient 35 years. Over three decades later and more than 80,000 people have received free, high-quality, compassionate end-of-life care and support across Lincolnshire.

To mark the special birthday, St Barnabas Hospice is aiming to raise an extra £100,000 to help fund more specialist nurses to care for terminally-ill adults across the county.

To help reach this target the charity is challenging the local community to do 35 things for St Barnabas in their ‘Do 35 for 35’ campaign.

Leading the fundraising is hospice Chief Executive, Chris Wheway, who will take on 35 challenges – one for every year the hospice has been open.

Chris said: “I am really excited about taking on these challenges and I hope the local community will join me in tackling these very varied activities. Since I joined the hospice over a year ago I have witnessed the incredible lengths our community will go to in order to support the hospice and raise much needed funds.

“Inspired by their selfless acts of generosity I decided to put myself out there and help as much as I can to raise the extra £100,000 we have pledged. I am most looking forward to the London to Paris cycle, although I have to admit that as a novice cyclist I am a little nervous!”

With the support of the local community the hospice has grown and developed its services over the past 35 years and now has a workforce of 330 paid members of staff who are supported by 1,100 volunteers.

Last year St Barnabas Hospice supported more than 9,000 people across Lincolnshire with over 2,000 people cared for within their own homes by the St Barnabas community nursing team.

All of the care and services are delivered free of charge but this year the charity must raise £5.5 million to continue.

Chris said: “Our birthday celebration isn’t just about the Hospice it is about the people of Lincolnshire and it is our opportunity to thank them for their unwavering support. Our mission is to continue to deliver high-quality care and ensure that we are around for another 35 years and beyond.”

Visit www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk or email fundraising@stbarnabashospice.co.uk for more information about how to get involved in their ‘Do 35 for 35’ campaign.

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice is looking for volunteers to provide companionship to lonely patients

St Barnabas Hospice is appealing for volunteers from across Lincolnshire to share a few hours each month with patients who are experiencing loneliness or isolation.

The consistent companion service was launched by St Barnabas last October amid a growing recognition nationally that too many people experience the negative impacts of loneliness.

Two-fifths of all older people (about 3.9 million) say the television is their main company (Age UK, 2014), for those experiencing deteriorating health these numbers can be even higher.

Lisa Gibson, Community Development Manager for St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, said:

“Regular social contact is really beneficial to wellbeing, our fantastic volunteers make a tremendous difference in the lives of those they support. Spending a little time with someone on a regular basis can build resilience, help patients remain independent for longer and reduce the number of admissions to hospital.”

The charities volunteers will combat loneliness and help patients to remain connected to their communities by building positive and friendly relationships. Led by the patient, volunteers will offer companionship, support to access advice, a listening ear and in some cases trips out.

Lisa said: “The Consistent Companion service is all about preserving social contact and dignity through human kindness, and volunteers will find this role to be very personally rewarding. Our volunteers will gain valuable skills and hopefully enjoy the time spent with the patient.”

All volunteers will be subject to an advanced DBS check, training and regular supervision.

Anyone interested in volunteering can contact Lisa Gibson on 01476 513557 or email lisa.gibson@stbarnabashospice.co.uk

The Death Café movement aims to increase awareness of death and encourage open and honest conversations in a bid to break social taboos

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice has today announced that they will be hosting four Death Cafés at The Angel Coffee House on Free School Lane in Lincoln.

The first of the four events will be held on Sunday 5th February, from 3pm – 5pm, where members of the public can gather to eat cake, drink tea and discuss death.

Lisa Gibson, Community Development Manager at St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“Last year we held our first ever Death Café and we were delighted to receive extremely positive feedback from those who attended. We have decided to make Death Cafe a permanent feature in our hospice calendar as stimulating conversations about death and dying is an important subject.

“Talking about death, dying and bereavement is a subject that many people can find challenging. In many ways, it has become a modern taboo with people desperately avoiding their own mortality.

“What we are hoping to do is help to change social attitudes towards death and dying and provide a safe haven where talking about death is encouraged.

“It is our view that having open and honest conversations will mean that we are all better equipped to support each other when death has an impact on our lives.”

A Death Café is a group directed discussion about death with no agenda, objectives or themes. It is a discussion group rather than a grief support or counselling session.

Lisa said:

“Last year 38 people gathered in small groups to have open discussions about a wide range of subjects including will writing, coping with bereavement and how to talk to family about dying.

“Death Café had a real buzz and it was wonderful to hear the many life affirming conversations taking place. Alongside the serious topics being discussed, there was also a lot of laughter and guests left the event feeling very uplifted.

“People fed back to us that they enjoyed having an environment where they were encouraged to discuss topics that they might otherwise avoid and where they were made to feel welcome.”

The Death Café movement was started by Jon Underwood in London in 2011 and since then thousands of Death Cafes have been held across Europe, North America, and Australasia.

Lisa concludes: “It is our view that having open and honest conversations will mean that we are all better equipped to support each other when death has an impact on our lives.

“Death Café really isn’t as morbid as it may sound and its premise is to provide an environment where the important topic of death can be broached without judgement.

“Death can bring up many questions, opinions and feelings and with this in mind our professional counsellors will be in attendance to provide additional support or help if anyone should need it.”

Death café is also planned for Sunday 14th May, Sunday 6th August and Sunday 19th November.

For more information about Death Café or to reserve your seat at the table contact 01522 559 504 or email marketing@stbarnabashospice.co.uk or sign up to the event at www.facebook.com/events/2206018666290637/

Photography courtesy of Stuart Wilde

St Barnabas Hospice brings back popular Colour Dash for third consecutive year

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice have announced that their Colour Dash will be returning to the Lincolnshire Showground on Saturday 13th May 2017.

This year 3,500 people were showered in environmentally friendly powder paint and together raised more than £120,000 for local hospice care.

Becky Otter, Event Manager for St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, said:

“We are delighted to announce after the huge success of last year’s Colour Dash, the fun-filled event is back. The Colour Dash is proving to be our most popular event and has sold out in the two previous years.

“Colour Dash is all about wearing your biggest smile, raising money and having fun with your friends and family. You can run, walk, or dance the 5k route and when you cross the finish line you will be showered in all the colours of the rainbow!”

The Colour Dash is a 5k route lined with paint stations which will see runners splattered in paint at every kilometre. To take part, participants must be aged five years old and over, and anyone aged 16 and under must be accompanied by a paying adult.

Becky said: “This year we are hoping to raise in excess of £200,000 to help St Barnabas care for more patients and their families, every day of the year. The Colour Dash is a bright and vibrant event that brings the whole family together, whether they run in memory of a loved one or just to have fun.”

Registration will open from 1st December 2016, where adults can take advantage of the early bird price of just £15 and £5 for children. Participants can also buy an early bird family ticket (two adults and two children) for just £35. The early bird price is valid until 1st March 2017.

The registration fee includes your fundraising pack, neon sunglasses, bottle of water, poncho and a commemorative medal.

The headline sponsors for Colour Dash is Western Power Distribution and Running Imp. To sponsor a colour station contact Becky Otter on 01522 559 516 or email becky.otter@stbarnabashospice.co.uk

To register go to: www.stbarnabashospice.co.uk/cd17

St Barnabas Hospice encourages school children to talk openly about dying, death and bereavement with theatre performance

Last month, over 280 school children from the Boston area attended the theatre performance ‘Thrive.

St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice partnered Zest, a Lincoln based theatre company, to bring their latest performance to The Gliderdrome in Boston.

Thrive followed the journey of three young people whose lives were turned upside down by the sudden death of a friend. The audience were invited to join them as they worked through their pain, remembered the good (and bad) times, and ultimately grow from their experience.

Lisa Gibson, Community Development Manager for St Barnabas Hospice, said:

“Thrive is a bold piece of new writing that has been created especially for young people and explores how we can find hope in the face of adversity. This piece of theatre breaks the usual narrative to bring the audience into the performance for an immersive experience.”

Their performance at Boston was part of a national tour which will run from October 2016 until March 2017.

Lisa continued: “This performance is a wonderful way to get conversations started about dying, death and bereavement. These conversations aren’t always easy, but they could be the most important conversations you will ever have. In many ways, death and dying has become a modern day taboo with people actively avoiding their own mortality.

“A fundamental change in society to accept death as a part of the lifecycle will mean that when death does have an impact on our lives we will be better equipped to support each other.

“Open and honest conversations will also mean that more people are able to access the care and support they need, make the most of the time they have and have their end of life wishes met.”

St Barnabas Hospice held workshops within the schools following the performance in order to work through the subjects of dying, death and bereavement that were addressed within the performance.

Lisa said: “The feedback was fantastic with young people seeing theatre in a whole new way. The messages were powerful and people were clearly moved by the performance.

“In one of the performances where the character Raph became very upset two pupils ran onto the centre stage and gave him a hug, in another scene a party really came to life as pupils joined in the dancing.

“This is how immersive theatre works and it was great to see students really getting involved. For others their participation was quieter and more reflective which was incredibly heart-warming.”

Lincs Independent Living Partnership (LILP) has published its first Annual Review which highlights how this consortium of local charitable organisations is helping to solve what is very much a 21st century challenge: how to keep Lincolnshire’s ageing population safe and well and prevent accident, illness and admission to hospitals and institutional care.

LILP currently delivers two services – the Wellbeing Service* and Hospital Avoidance Response Team (HART)** – which help local people facing illness, disability and the effects of advancing age to live safely, healthily and independently at home.

Wellbeing Service assessors and caseworkers visit people in the comfort of their own homes to help identify and address any problems which are affecting or might affect health and wellbeing – for example, mobility around the home, financial problems, social isolation and/or transport. The Service includes Home Safe, a supported hospital discharge and resettling service.

The award-winning Wellbeing Service is proving its worth in terms of helping people to regain and retain independence and relieving pressure on the public sector. The Annual Review reports that in the Service’s second year of operation:

• 98% of customers (where available) were assessed at home within just seven days of referral;

• 94% of customers were very satisfied or satisfied with the service;

• 80% of customers met planned outcomes;

Whilst the preventive impact of the Wellbeing Service is difficult to quantify, an independent evaluation of the Service’s first year reports that if 5% of clients avoid one hospital stay and are able to remain in their own home for one extra year, rather than in residential care, the savings would be more than £6,000,000.

HART provides up to 72 hours’ support at home, where hospital admission is deemed inappropriate or after hospital discharge, when responsive or planned care can either bridge a gap until longer-term arrangements are established, or provide short-term support to sustain independence.

As the Annual Review indicates, the impact of HART in the first three months of operation alone has been equally impressive. From December 2015 – March 2016, HART provided a total 467 days’ support, which represents a bed-day cost saving of £170,455 (based on the cost of a bed per day at Lincoln County Hospital of £365).

LILP is very keen to broadcast its achievements via the Annual Review, as it believes that there remains vast potential for the consortium to work alongside the public sector to develop services, so that it can help even more people to maintain independent lives whilst saving even more public funds.

Read LILP Annual Review.

Eight hospices from across the East Midlands have joined forces to create a hard-hitting animation entitled ‘The Elephant in the Room’ addressing head-on the subject of dying and aimed at raising awareness of hospice care within local communities.

The 90 second animation features a character who is told he is dying and his fears and worries become his own ‘Elephant in the Room’. The character and his elephant follow a journey through difficulties and challenges to then understand and receive hospice care and support.

The East Midlands Hospice Group have been working together for over a year and will be featuring the Elephant in the Room across their social media channels and websites during national Hospice Care Week (3-9 October).

The group includes St Barnabas Hospice in Lincolnshire which provides care and support for adults and their families across the county.

Chris Wheway, chief executive of St Barnabas Lincolnshire Hospice, explained the importance of the project:

“It’s hard to imagine the complex emotions that a person experiences when they find out they are terminally ill. It can be hard to hear and even harder to talk about and can quickly become ‘the elephant in the room’.

“Hospice care is there to help a patient and their family to talk openly and honestly and to come to terms with any fears they may be facing. Our teams are there to help address the elephant in the room and to support them through their journey.

“Together with hospice support those affected by a life-limiting illness can live their life as fully as they were able for however many days, weeks or months they have left.”

After receiving a terminal diagnosis hospice care is able to support a patient and their family through the journey, as Jane Callingham, aged 75 from Lincoln, explains.

“When I was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis I went into complete shock and for a while my husband and I thought we would have to face this diagnosis alone. When we discovered St Barnabas could help us we sat and cried together in sheer relief.

“The hospice staff and volunteers have been with us every step of the way, and most importantly, they have always been incredibly open and honest about how my condition will progress and what to expect at the end.

“This has helped me to feel like I have taken back some control and talking openly helps to relieve some of the anxieties that I often feel. Acknowledging the elephant is vitally important and has helped us to make the most of the time we have.”

Collectively, the eight hospices involved care for more than 13,000 people which over 5,000 people are supported in their own homes and the community. They need to raise £35,204,000 annually.

For more information and a full list of hospices involved, visit www.mylocalhospice.co.uk #mylocalhospice

The hospices involved include:

• Ashgate Hospicecare

• Blythe House Hospice

• Beaumond House Hospice

• Dove Cottage Day Hospice

• LOROS

• Nottinghamshire Hospice

• St Barnabas Hospice

• Treetops Hospice Care