You’ve almost done it! The Keswick Reminder’s £10,000 appeal for Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland has already raised over £8,000 in just three weeks.
Thanks to the generosity of our sponsors and readers of the Keswick Reminder and our sister title the Cumberland & Westmorland Herald who have dug deep for this wonderful, local charity, and readers who have shared their stories about how Hospice at Home has helped them through the most challenging of times, we are almost at our target.
But we need your help!
Hospice at Home has cared for thousands of residents at the end of their lives, in their own homes, surrounded by what is familiar and well-loved.
Please help us to help them carry on their amazing work, give if you can.
You can donate to our appeal here or pop into our office. There’s no amount too small – anything you can give will help the hospice carry on its essential work.
Here’s just a snapshot of what Hospice at Home Carlisle and North Lakeland can do.
In the days, weeks and months following the death of someone close, those left behind can feel shattered, shocked and exhausted.
Feelings of grief and loss can be powerful, and at times hard to cope with.
Hospice at Home’s care does not stop
The care offered by Hospice at Home doesn’t stop when someone dies, with the charity continuing to offer bereavement counselling and support to families and close friends.
Alison Manson has more than 15 years of experience providing this crucial service on behalf of Hospice at Home.
Alison, who leads the charity’s Family Support Service team, says that anyone over the age of 18 struggling with grief, regardless of whether Hospice at Home was involved with the deceased at any point along the way, can receive this care.
Starting at the charity in 2005, Alison at first worked as a nurse. Right from the start she was interested in the opportunity to offer psychological, as well as practical, support.
She gained her counselling credentials through Hospice at Home and says the move felt like a natural progression and allowed her to help people to the best of her abilities.
The Hospice at Home team of counsellors see people both before and after they lose a loved one, and will reach out to those who have suffered a loss to offer one-to-one support.
Alongside this, anyone is welcome to refer themselves or someone they know to the service.
Coronavirus shifted operation of service
With the coronavirus pandemic, which has altered so much in everyday life during the past year-plus, came a big shift in how Alison’s team operated. In person sessions were no longer possible and the team turned to telephone and Zoom calls.
While this was challenging, Alison said that it did provide opportunities, and some of the new practices continue to be used.
“At the start of the pandemic I thought, how on Earth is it going to work over the phone? We take a lot of our cues from body language and eye contact, but surprisingly it worked really well,” she said.
Along with telephone and online calls, the team developed a walk and talk service, in which councillors could meet people outdoors, socially-distanced. These new ways of making connections will continue in future, with some people saying they prefer a telephone call to a face-to-face conversation.
Last March the numbers of referrals to the counselling service dropped off significantly, part of a national trend which saw many people isolated due to the pandemic and not seeking the support they needed.
This, thinks Alison, may have led to a “build-up” of people in the community who need help and support. She urged anyone who feels they could benefit from the service to get in touch.
“Please pick up the phone and call us,” she said. “Particularly with isolation, the pandemic has been significant for each and every one of us. If you, or someone you know, is in need of support then just pick up the phone.”
While some referrals come from GPs, the majority come from members of the public, and she reinforced the point that anyone can call.
Hospice at Home has since reopened its counselling room at Dalston, and Alison said, although she has worked right through the pandemic, it will be good to return to seeing people face to face. Plans are in the pipeline to form a bereavement group, with anyone interested in joining urged to make contact.
Alongside Alison, the team consists of a part-time co-ordinator, two bank counsellors, three volunteers and a University of Cumbria student on placement.
The team is at present in need of more volunteers, so anyone with counselling skills or experience dealing with loss and grief is urged to contact the charity. To give your time or inquire about support for yourself or a loved one, call the team on 01228 608942.
To donate to our appeal, visit www.justgiving.com/fundraising/northlakeshospiceappeal
