St Wilfrids Newsletter September 2010

Page 1

St Wilfrids Newsletter September 2010:Layout 1

9/9/10

13:29

Page 1

St Wilfrid’s Hospice

newsletter

September 2010

Rain Didn’t Dampen Moonlight Walkers’ Spirits together with gift aid, should top the £100,000 mark. And although there was a steady drizzle for most of the night it didn’t dampen walkers’ spirits who, after being put through their paces with a variety of warm-up sessions, put their best foot forward and set off on a 10 mile walk around the centre of Chichester. Many walkers welcomed the stop at Swanfield Chapel which gave them a chance to dry off, enjoy a well earned cup of tea and the opportunity to light a candle in memory of

a loved one before, once again, setting off in the rain. However, the highlight of the evening for many was the walk through Bishops Palace Gardens which is not normally open to members of the public during the hours of darkness. St Wilfrid’s Chief Executive Alison Moorey took part in the walk and says, “The walk through the gardens lit up with glow sticks was a welcome boost near the end – quite magical in fact.” Top team prize went to the Nimble Nyewood Nymphs

who raised the magnificent total of £3,238. Their treat is a Spa Package kindly donated by The Sanctum at the Westgate Leisure Centre. Phillipa Eastaugh, who raised over £1,400 walked away with the top individual prize – a £100 voucher to be spent at Amoeba Jewellers in East Street. Our grateful thanks to all those who took part and please do join us next year on FRIDAY 17TH JUNE and help us raise even more money for the Hospice.

‘Peggy’ in the Middle

Felpham and Middleton Support Group Chairman Peggy Gumbrell recently cut the ribbon and declared St Wilfrid’s new traditional charity shop in Felpham well and truly open! It is the first charity shop in the village and brings the current total of Hospice shops to nine. The shop is managed by Margaret Dowling, who also manages the Hospice shop in Barnham. Margaret will spend her working time divided between the two shops; however she knows that when she’s not around, sales assistant Belinda Morris and her band of volunteers

will continue to offer a first class service to all their customers. The new shop, at 62 Felpham Road, is open for business between 9.30am and 4.00pm six days a week.

What do 786 walkers, 30 marshals, 10 stewards and 15 air cadets have in common? Well, they all took part, one way or the other, in St Wilfrid’s second Moonlight Walk and so far have helped to raise more than £86,000 for the Hospice! This amazing total is made up from walkers’ pledges, business sponsorship and registration fees which,

Pictured L-R Member of the Board, Richard Hull, Margaret, Peggy ‘in the middle’, Belinda and Hospice Vice President Sandra Sedgwick.

Light Up a Life is an annual service which gives people the opportunity to remember a loved one. This year our service will be held in Chichester Cathedral at 6.00 PM ON SUNDAY 5TH DECEMBER. Please call 01243 755827 if you would like a dedication form.

St Wilfrid’s Hospice welcomes your support. Telephone to find out how you can help us:

01243 775302

www.stwh.co.uk

1


St Wilfrids Newsletter September 2010:Layout 1

9/9/10

13:29

Page 2

Please donate today for tomorrow’s care

Welcome... to our Autumn newsletter which contains the usual lively mix of news about the Hospice as well as news on past and forthcoming events. It’s great to have feedback on your views about the newsletter so if you have favourite subjects that you really enjoy reading about then please do let us know. It’s important for us to have as much feedback as possible from the patients and families that we support. Our patient care volunteers are helping us to get inpatients to complete surveys about the care they receive on the ward. We ask patients for comments and suggestions to help develop the service and some of the responses are set out below: • ‘It’s so important to keep these services ongoing. I will do my best to encourage more fundraising’

• ‘Dispel fear of going into the hospice; place stress on the positive life improving aspect of the hospice movement. The general public seem to regard the hospice movement as only “end of life” help rather than the safe haven when the going gets tough’ • ‘As far as I am concerned the hospice is already the most wonderful place I could imagine and therefore I cannot visualise any further improvements on service necessary’ I hope that this feedback helps inform all our supporters that the donations made to St Wilfrid's greatly make a difference. We greatly appreciate the support that is given to us in various ways. Whether your support is through making a one off or regular donation, attending events, leaving a gift in your will or supporting our shops – or indeed any other way – thank you all; we could not deliver our care without you. Alison Moorey, Chief Executive

There’s no stopping her now! Not one to do things by halves, Ruth scoured the Internet and chose to take part in the 50 Mile Challenge which took place in July at Marshside in Kent. The Challenge is not a race; however participants are expected to finish the 52.4 mile course in less than 15 hours. During the two years that Ruth looked after her Mum, she didn’t really do much exercise. It took Ruth six weeks to get herself back to a level of fitness to even begin the six month training in earnest! Her training varied between one and eight hour walking/jogging sessions, five days a week and even included a day out to Rustington from which she returned to her home in Selsey on foot! Ruth’s sheer determination and hard work really paid off as she completed the course in 13 hours 54 minutes! So far Ruth has raised £2,700 for the Hospice and would love to top the £3,000 mark. If you would like to help Ruth reach her goal click onto justgiving.com/ruth-cleeves.

Photo: Simon Brunt

Congratulations...

When Ruth Cleeve’s mother Mary died in November last year Ruth had already decided she wanted to do something both practical and positive to pay back St Wilfrid’s for the care given to them both during Mary’s illness. Just like her Mum, Ruth, aged 57, is a very positive person and says, “Mum wasn’t your typical 80 year old, she was a very fit and lively person. I wanted to do something to honour Mum who so appreciated the Hospice and let her be who she was.”

Congratulations to Mr Tilbury, whose lucky ticket in our Grand Summer Draw has won him £2,000, and to his wife who is going to help him spend it! You too could be a winner but only if you enter our Grand Christmas Draw. There are five great prizes to be won including cash prizes of £2,000 and £500 as well as a Nintendo Wii and

Wiifit, a weekend in Blackpool and a three course meal for two at The Bull’s Head in Fishbourne. The winning ticket will be drawn at midday on FRIDAY 17TH DECEMBER.

St Wilfrid’s Hospice welcomes your support. Telephone to find out how you can help us:

2

01243 775302

www.stwh.co.uk


St Wilfrids Newsletter September 2010:Layout 1

9/9/10

13:33

Page 3

Please donate today for tomorrow’s care

Pic L-R back Alan, Jo, front Angela and Lis

Welcome on Board… To our four new Trustees Dr Alan Copsey, Jo Kroes Randell, Lis Spence and Angela Wormald who all want to share their expertise and ensure that St Wilfrid’s continues to provide the highest quality end of life care to our local community. Alan has always been involved in medical education and with the Hospice. He says “When the post came up I thought it would be really interesting and I would be able to contribute to an organisation that I have a lot of respect for.” Jo’s father in law was looked after by St Wilfrid’s and she was amazed at the care given to all the family. Jo’s background is in fundraising and she feels she can inspire a culture of fundraising amongst her colleagues. Lis has had a varied working life, including PR and accountancy, and took part in last year’s Moonlight Walk. She sits on the HR Committee and believes the versatility of her skills will prove to be very useful. With a background in HR during which time she fundraised for the Hospice, Angela now chairs the new HR committee and says, “St Wilfrid’s has a big place in the heart of the community – I tremble to think what life would be without it!”

Shoppers in North Street were mesmerized by a beautiful female voice singing gentle contemporary songs to a guitar somewhere, just within earshot in the distance… Following the music to its source, Priory Park opened up in front of them offering a feast for the senses. St Wilfrid’s Rainbow Day was in full swing with tempting stalls, children’s activities and games, a model railway and there, in front of the Rainbow, Claire Smith, accompanied by Lucy Osborn, alias Acoustic Harmony (care of the Sussex Academy of Music) who were entertaining visitors on this mild summer afternoon. Centre stage during the afternoon was taken by the Rainbow of coloured cards laden with messages of love in memory of dear ones: emotions soared as members of the Chichester Festival Youth Theatre sang ‘Somewhere Over the Rainbow’. Tricky Nicky entranced the children with his magic tricks whilst dynamic Ollie drummed his way into the public’s hearts with his infectious rhythmic drumming workshop. A performance by Sax in the City showed off the versatility of the sax. The Mayor of Chichester, Councillor Michael Woolley kindly drew the four Grand Summer Draw tickets and announced the lucky winners. Glasses of Pimms were raised, burgers munched and ice creams savoured in aid of the Hospice, culminating in a magnificent total of nearly £10,000 being raised through Rainbow Day. Our thanks go to each and every supporter and volunteer who enabled this impressive and enjoyable outcome.

The Only Way is Up! It’s great news that St Wilfrid’s has been ranked 32 in the Health Service Journal/Nursing Times Top 100 employers in the UK – 10 places higher than last year! The Hospice also gained 21st place as one of the leading independent healthcare employers for its high level of job satisfaction – 97% of its employees agree their work is interesting, 92% feel part of a team whilst 99% say their work is worthwhile. Chief Executive Alison Moorey says, “It’s wonderful to see our ranking rise higher this year. My thanks go to all Hospice staff who contribute towards making St Wilfrid’s a great place to work.” This year our marathon teams did a fabulous job with the Brighton runners raising over £5,000 and our London runners topping £15,000! A great big thank you to everyone and we hope our teams for 2011 will be just as successful. If you would like to run for St Wilfrid’s please write to Jill Dennison and say why you think we should consider you.

St Wilfrid’s Hospice welcomes your support. Telephone to find out how you can help us:

01243 775302

www.stwh.co.uk

3


St Wilfrids Newsletter September 2010:Layout 1

9/9/10

13:33

Page 4

Support Group Events

Please donate today for tomorrow’s care

Saturday 2nd October Jumble Sale, Lavant Memorial Hall

This could be you!

Sunday 3rd October 25th Anniversary Wittering Walk The Shore Inn, East Wittering

If you have ever wanted to do a parachute jump, now is your chance! We are looking for adventurous people to join Anne-Marie and David Hopkins on Saturday 12th February 2011 at Old Sarum Airfield in Salisbury – and, if you raise enough in sponsorship, you will get to JUMP FOR FREE! Why not use it as an opportunity to celebrate Valentine’s Day a bit differently?! Day Hospice Auxiliary Nurse, Anne-Marie and husband David, were inspired to jump after watching their son Matt ‘fly like a bird in the sky’ for his 30th birthday earlier this year. Anne-Marie says, “Since completing the Great Wall of China trek for the Hospice a few years ago I have been looking for a new challenge, and this will certainly be one as I have a fear of heights!” No experience is necessary as all training is given. If you are interested in joining our ‘love birds’ Anne-Marie and David, please call Julie Longman on 01243 755181 for more information.

Saturday 23rd October Craft Fair Eastergate Parish Hall Wednesday 27th October Shepherd’s Pie Lunch St Paul’s Church Hall, Chichester Friday 20th November A Country and Western Hoedown Southbourne Village Hall Saturday 27th November Merry Quizmas Eastergate Parish Hall Friday 10th December Thank You Christmas Party Day Hospice Contact Jill on 01243 755827 for more details.

Salterns Way Sponsored Bike Ride By the time Liz Juniper arrived home from the Salterns Way Sponsored Bike Ride she had cycled 33 miles – many more miles than required, as she had also cycled from her home in Bosham and all the way back again! However, she did enjoy a warm welcome and slice of home made cake and hoped the event raised a lot of money – well it did! Top prize of a handmade German bike went to Dominic GibbGray who raised over £1,900 which is a generous slice of the £9,000 raised for St Wilfrid’s and Macmillan Cancer Support.

Edinburgh Fringe Preview at Lavant! An amazing £4,660 was raised one evening in July when the Lavant Valley Support Group entertained 200 guests with a delicious supper followed by two short previews of plays which were performed at the Edinburgh Fringe. The setting for the evening was a glittering marquee in the delightful garden of committee member Penny Hawker. Guests were greeted with a complimentary glass of Pimms and canapés on the lawn, whilst enjoying music played by local flautist Vicky Mason followed by a sit down supper. The evening concluded with two hilarious short comedies splendidly performed by ‘Castaway’. The event was thoroughly enjoyed by everyone and thanks must go to all the committee members especially Penny Hawker and Nina Johns who turned a great idea into reality!

Clowning around Two days before their recent successful Ploughman’s Lunch from which the Witterings and District Support Group made £2,707, a desperate emergency arose. The usual two clowns who tour the village were not available and neither were the costumes! So what did the organisers do? They phoned their local Community Warden Drew Allardice. Within hours he found two young men – Lewis Gillans and Sam Turner to fill the gap. Early the next morning Lewis and Sam donned their costumes and, armed with a collecting box and Gregory the Gorilla, set off round the village. They collected £137.39 and a further £22 from running their own skittle stall. The lads had such an exciting day and insist on being clowns again next year.

L-R Marion Juggins, Sam and Lewis accompanied by Gregory

St Wilfrid’s Hospice welcomes your support. Telephone to find out how you can help us:

4

01243 775302

www.stwh.co.uk


St Wilfrids Newsletter September 2010:Layout 1

9/9/10

13:33

Page 5

Please donate today for tomorrow’s care

A great big thank you to everyone who threw open their gates as part of our Open Garden scheme this year. We were delighted with the response from our supporters who helped raise over £11,000! The scheme culminated with the opening of our very own Hospice garden which has now been selected to receive an award in the Chichester District Residents and Business Garden competition. This is a tremendous accolade for our volunteer gardeners who can be found tending

the garden, come rain or shine, every Tuesday morning. Our thanks must also go to the Girlguiding Cakeham and Roman Way District. Guiding is 100 years old this year and members were set a challenge to gain their Adventure 100 badge. One was to serve 100 refreshments which they certainly achieved helping out at the Hospice Open Garden. If you have a beautiful garden and would like to join in next year’s scheme, please call Jill Dennison on 01243 755827.

Talk about keeping it in the family! We now have three members of the Hopkins family working at the Hospice: Laura, who has been a member of the Clinical Nurse Specialist team for the past 17 years, sister-in-law Anne-Marie who has been working here for 12 years and is a valued member of the Day Hospice team and niece Cherry who recently joined the clinical secretary team. Pic L-R Laura, Cherry and Anne-Marie

Arundel Jill Dennison Tel: 01243 755827 Barnham, Eastergate, Aldingbourne, Yapton Gill Kelly Tel: 01243 552230 Bognor Regis Chris Jackson Tel: 01243 861991 Bosham Brian Currell Tel: 01243 573596 Boxgrove Mia Tod Tel: 01243 773606

Fundraising Support Group Contacts

Blooming Great!

Chichester Helen Schofield Tel: 01243 787325 Donnington Margaret Foyle Tel: 01243 785305 Roy Miller Tel: 01243 783472 Felpham, Middleton-on-Sea Peggy Gumbrell Tel: 01243 827667 Fishbourne Susan Brown Tel: 01243 787428

Pic L-R Ella, Emilie, Megan, Honor and Lauren

Funtington and Compton Esther Ross Tel: 01243 575420

Selsey Gardens Open Day Sunday 30th May dawned bright and sunny, delighting all garden owners opening their gates to raise funds for St Wilfrid’s Hospice and Manhood Wildlife and Heritage Group. Selsey was buzzing with many people managing to get round to all 18 gardens, sustained by the delicious teas on sale! Displays of fossils, from local beaches, and beautiful quilts made by the Selsey Quilters Society were much admired along with the Art and Photographic Exhibition produced by local artists. The event raised £3,500, shared equally between both charities. We’re already planning for next year, so if you’ve a garden or allotment in Selsey you’d be willing to open, do get in touch with Ann Humphrey tel, 01243 605389.

Once again St Wilfrid’s Hospice Christmas Cards will be on sale in the Chichester and Midhurst Cards for Good Causes. The Chichester shop will return to the Assembly Rooms in North Street and is open from Saturday 2nd October – Monday 20th December 9.30 am - 4.30 pm daily. The Midhurst shop is in Capron House, North Street and is open Monday – Friday 10.00 am – 4.00 pm from Monday 1st November – Friday 17th December. Christmas cards are now on sale in all our Hospice shops.

Southbourne Support Group held their Open Garden event in May. The weather was perfect and over 270 people walked around the garden and enjoyed a cream tea, raising £2,952 in the process. Thank you to all those who came and supported us. At the Southbourne Fete we raised £168 with the help of our good friend and supporter, Dot Warren, and her jewellery, Beads with Passion. We were also proud to do our bit on Rainbow Day, running the very popular Pimm’s Bar. Hilary Gilson.

Hunston and District Maggie Devenish Tel: 01243 779042 Lavant Valley Nina Johns Tel: 01243 538750 Selsey Bob Hope Tel: 01243 604802 Sidlesham Louise Harwood Tel: 01243 641047 Jane Phillips Tel: 01243 641091 Southbourne Hilary Gilson Tel: 01243 372187 Witterings and District Marion Juggins Tel: 01243 673544

St Wilfrid’s Hospice welcomes your support. Telephone to find out how you can help us:

01243 775302

www.stwh.co.uk

5


St Wilfrids Newsletter September 2010:Layout 1

9/9/10

13:33

Page 6

Please donate today for tomorrow’s care

Banana-drama We do get some very funny things donated to the Hospice, but were a little taken aback when in walked a banana accompanied by members of the Felpham Walking Club! Auxiliary Nurses Nick Cook and Gina Baughurst escorted the banana into the Fundraising Office and, not wanting to ‘slip-up’ and make the wrong decision, we need suggestions on what to do with ‘it’! Any ideas?

Picture Perfect Many thanks to Richard Smith who recently donated a painting to St Wilfrid’s Day Hospice for our patients to enjoy. Called ‘Summer Reflection’ and painted by artist Sophie Knight we are sure it will give enormous pleasure to our patients, visitors and staff.

Capital Grant St Wilfrid’s Hospice is pleased to announce that it has been awarded a further one-off capital grant from the Department of Health to complete the improvements to our inpatient unit. The grant of £79,384 is for capital improvements and does not support the running costs of the Hospice at all. Specifically the grant will fund improvements to our ward as follows:• Installing new hoists, TVs and DVDs in rooms five to eight to bring them up to the same standard as all the other rooms which were refurbished in 2008 • Providing new over bed tilting tables for patients in all rooms and specialist pain therapy mattresses for the ward • Refurbishing an existing bathroom to create a modern environment with a new shower wet room area • Refurbishing and refitting the ward refreshment area used by patients and families that is used extensively and is in need of a major uplift The improvements will result in a greatly enhanced inpatient unit and will directly benefit patients, carers and families as well as staff and volunteers. It will bring all our rooms up to the same high standard and enable us to give better quality care, more dignity and more privacy to people nearing the end of their life. The work will be carried out in the later part of 2010 and is hoped to be completed by the end of the year.

Five facts you may not know about St Wilfrid's Hospice 1

St Wilfrid's cares for people with any disease, not just cancer We provide specialist palliative care for any life-limiting illness when patients would benefit from our care and support. Most of the patients we support do have cancer but our support can benefit people who are dying from any disease. St Wilfrid's is independent and not part of the NHS We are an independent charity and only receive 15% of our funding from the NHS. We value the independence that St Wilfrid's has but also the close working relationships that we have with colleagues working in the NHS and other agencies. Our work is about hope and optimism Although the hope for a cure is no longer possible, we help each and every person we support live each day to the fullest. We find out what matters to every person who is referred to St Wilfrid's and do our very best to help them achieve their wishes. The Hospice has a friendly and supportive atmosphere People often feel fearful about visiting the Hospice for the first time, expecting it to be a sad and depressing place. Staff and volunteers are friendly and caring and do all they can to make people welcome. Of course there is sadness but also laughter is often to be heard. There is no charge made to any patient or family for our services

2 3 4 5

All our services are free to patients at the point of delivery. Many people do make donations to St Wilfrid's as a mark of gratitude for our support and this is a way of helping to ensure that our services will be here to support local people in the future. If you have never visited St Wilfrid's and would like to take a tour then please do give come and visit us – you may well be surprised by what you find and we would be pleased to welcome you. Please call fundraising on 01243 755827 to arrange this.

A Summer Treat During the summer members of our complementary therapist team visited Lordington Lavender Fields at the kind invitation of farmer and owner Andrew Elms. They were lucky enough to see the fields prior to harvesting. We wish them a bumper yield of essential oil this year as it is a product we use at the Hospice and it is much valued for its calming properties.

St Wilfrid’s Hospice welcomes your support. Telephone to find out how you can help us:

6

01243 775302

www.stwh.co.uk


St Wilfrids Newsletter September 2010:Layout 1

9/9/10

13:33

Page 7

Please donate today for tomorrow’s care

Back where she started? It’s been a long journey for Helen Herniman to get to where she is today. Helen started her nursing career as an auxiliary in 1984 at St Richard’s Hospital and left to start a family eight years later. Her mother, Pat Camilleri, was Matron of the Hospice at the time and, in 1993, encouraged Helen to work here. After six years she left to work with her husband. However her heart was still in nursing and in 2002 she saw an advertisement to work in the antenatal clinic at St Richard’s Hospital where she worked for the next five years.

During this time she undertook an NVQ level 3 in Care and an Open University course in Health and Social Care. This, together with her 20 years experience as a Health Care Assistant, was the gateway for her to start her Nurse training. In 2007 with funding from St Richard’s Hospital she was able to undertake a three year full time Adult Diploma HE course at the University of Surrey. During this time Helen still worked one night a week at the Hospice and often did Bank work as well. Helen successfully completed the course in August and is

starting her new job as a staff nurse on Ashling Ward at St Richard’s this month. We wish her well. She says, “I am looking forward to wearing my new shoes as a staff nurse having spent 26 years as an

auxiliary nurse and as a mature student. It’s been a real privilege to work at the Hospice and I am looking forward to returning as a Bank Staff Nurse when I have gained some experience.”

The End of the Road

He’s the tops

The Occupational Therapy Department regularly has students on their practical placements, as an essential part of their Bachelor or Master of Science degree courses. The Hospice offers students a unique experience of constructive and holistic therapy input, within a well established respected L-R Jenny Thomas, James and Chris Satturley palliative team. Student James Leahy is a valued member of our Therapy team, assessing patients on the ward to enable their possible return back home, and organising essential equipment/services to support both the patient and the carer. James is also helping to maintain patients within their own homes, by offering practical solutions to their every day problems and concerns; demonstrating different equipment and offering on going therapy treatment and support. This is James’ final placement before he completes his BSc Hons in Occupational Therapy. We all wish him well with his new graduate post at St Richard’s Hospital.

Our sincere thanks to John Ubsdell who must be one of our top fundraisers. For the past 14 years, John has taken part in the Coastal Challenge and during this time has raised over £25,000 for the Hospice. Sadly John cannot take part this year as he is awaiting a hip operation. In 2009 John was presented with a Civic and Heritage Award in recognition of his tireless

fundraising efforts for the Hospice. We wish John well and hope to see him at next year’s challenge.

She’s got a lot of ‘bottle’ A lady from Yorkshire called to say she had been looking at our website and seen that we collect milk bottle tops for recycling. Our receptionist confirmed she was right, to which the lady replied that she quite often comes to Bournemouth for a holiday and will pop the two sacks of lids into us the next time she passes!

A REMINDER. Don’t forget our AGM on WEDNESDAY 27TH OCTOBER AT 6.00 PM in the Day Hospice/Seminar Room. Tea and cake will be served prior to the meeting which will give supporters a chance to hear more about our recent activities.

St Wilfrid’s Hospice welcomes your support. Telephone to find out how you can help us:

01243 775302

www.stwh.co.uk

7


St Wilfrids Newsletter September 2010:Layout 1

9/9/10

13:33

Page 8

Hospice and Community Events

Please donate today for tomorrow’s care

Saturday 9th October Dinner and Dance Bognor Regis Golf Club Wednesday 10th November Christmas Shopping The Great Barn, East Lavant

“It looks good, it tastes good and by golly it does you good!”

Saturday 20th November Black & White Charity Ball The Brookfield Hotel, Emsworth Sunday 28th November Santa ‘Fun’ Run Fontwell Park Racecourse

All details about our events will be regularly updated on our website. Visit www.stwh.co.uk to ensure you’re not left out of any of our exciting activities. For further details please call fundraising on 01243 755827.

Sofa so good A recent report claims there is almost £43m worth of coins down the back of our sofas. Dominic Gibb-Gray has set up a justgiving page urging people to check their sofas, under car seats and in pockets of old clothes for ‘lost’ cash. He says, “By finding lost coins, you could help St Wilfrid’s without it actually "costing" you anything (as it's money you didn't know you had!) And, what's more, if you are a UK taxpayer, the Hospice can reclaim the tax via Gift Aid, so any booty you find will be worth even more to St Wilfrid’s. So do have a rummage – you never know what you might find and then click onto www.justgiving.com/dominicgg to make your donation.

How to contact us Address: St Wilfrid’s Hospice, Grosvenor Road, Chichester, PO19 8FP Telephone: 01243 775302 E-mail: general@stwh.co.uk Website: www.stwh.co.uk Registered Charity No: 281963 Newsletter Editor: Jill Dennison If you have any comments about the newsletter please contact Jill on 01243 755827, e-mail jill.dennison@stwh.co.uk

That’s what our Day Hospice patients said when second chef Theresa Martin demonstrated a different way of serving pureed foods for people with dysphagia. Patients with dysphagia have difficulty in swallowing or chewing foods and it is very important the patient gets adequate nutrition. Although most foods can be pureed – they usually end up in the blender together, look more like baby food and are not very appealing. Our Day Hospice patients were asked to compare and taste a pureed meal with, what appeared to be, a plated dinner of meat and vegetables. Imagine their surprise when they learnt that each item had been pureed separately, mixed with Nutrisip (a food supplement) and frozen into individual moulds prior to heating. All agreed the dinner looked far more appetising and tasted delicious. Now our patients with swallowing difficulties can choose from a ‘mix and match’ menu of pureed foods which includes roast chicken, beef stew, lamb chop and even puddings which look colourful, tempt the appetite and are full of flavour.

Robin Butters joined the Day Hospice as a volunteer driver about a year ago and has now added to this role by becoming a duty driver. This means that one morning a fortnight Robin is on call at the Hospice to help in whatever way he can. A typical day might include picking up patients to bring to the Hospice and escorting them home, taking equipment back to Bognor War Memorial Hospital, carrying our post and medicine orders to St Richard’s and, if it’s quiet, helping staff to count money or stuff envelopes for mail shots. If you like variety and would like to become a volunteer duty driver please give Emma Clark a call on 01243 755815.

A Great Big Thank You to... • Brian Currell and his wife Audrey for all their support during the last fourteen years. • Dean Nicholas who magically raised more than £300 at Confucius Restaurant • The Park Tavern Chilli Growers who raised £415 • Angie Jarman at the Woolpack Inn whose ‘Woolstock’ event raised £563 • Kieran Bulbeck who organised a cricket match in memory of his granddad. Although his team lost they were ‘bowled over’ by the £575 raised And to all who support us - we can’t thank you enough.

St Wilfrid’s Hospice welcomes your support. Telephone to find out how you can help us:

8

01243 775302

www.stwh.co.uk


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.