A Weston Hospicecare patient is pleading with everyone in the Weston, North Somerset and Sedgemoor community to educate themselves about, and play their part in helping, the hospice.
The rallying call has been made by Greg who is being treated by hospice staff in the inpatient unit.
Greg is married to Jeanette, an accountant and a member of Weston Rotary. He also has three sons with grandchildren.
The 77 year old has benefitted from several of the hospice’s services. Including, visits from a Community Nurse Specialist before visiting the Inpatient Unit.
He said “Katie Williams (Community Nurse Specialist) here rang my wife and said, ‘there’s a bed here, do you want it?’ And she said, ‘yes please, now!’ My mental health in hospital was plummeting.
What makes the hospice so special?
“The difference here is the nurses have time to care. At the hospital, they are doing a job. That sounds harsh. It is not meant to be as they are working their socks off, they really are!”
Greg has recently arrived at the IPU and continues to say “The food here is superb! I cannot be more grateful for the food, it is absolutely superb.
“I haven’t been eating or drinking what I should, but the food is so tempting. My favourite is the fruit plate, I have eaten more fresh fruit in the last couple weeks then I ever have.
“My wife, when she visits me, always waits for it. We have been married 45 years. And together for 52 years. She always waits for the strawberries because she likes them and I don’t.”
The Weston Rotarian explains he didn’t fully understand what the hospice did until now.
He says “I can’t praise the whole place enough, what is disappointing me is previously I didn’t think of the hospice in the same way as I do now.
“I wish I could give a billion pounds to help secure this place for the future.
“I am only upset that we can’t think of a different word for these places other than hospice.
“When I arrived, I came in through the ambulance entrance and when my wife came in she said ‘I can’t believe this place, it is like a 5 star hotel’”
What else does the hospice do for families?
The hospice’s services do not stop their though.
Greg continues “My wife was encourage to go to some pre-bereavement counselling and she didn’t want it.
“She said ‘I’ll ask the boys’ and every one of them said ‘without doubt, go for it mum, see how you get on’. She came back for the first time with a smile all across her face and said she had booked for the following week.
Greg finished by making a passionate statement, he said “What you offer here is way beyond what people think! That’s the key!”.
Did you know?
It costs the hospice £4.5m each year to run and the charity relies heavily on the kindness of volunteers and supporters to operate.
For more information about how you can help, visit westonhospicecare.org.uk.