News Winter 2021
Charity Number 1038021
Former Olympian encouraging us to Get Fit For Forest Holme (page 24)
Dear Friends
Chief Executive, Anne Currie
Welcome to our Winter newsletter. I would like to begin by thanking you for your wonderful support during the last few months leading up to the Festive Season. As you will read, the second lockdown didn’t stop you in your innovative efforts to support the work of Forest Holme. It was heartwarming to see so many supporters visit our ‘Holme Made’ shop in the Dolphin Centre after the months of work which had gone into it by volunteers and staff. We didn’t think we’d be in a position to make it happen at one point, but yet again you rallied around us to help make it a real success. As we come through lockdown number three there is a sense of familiarity, but also uncertainty and this one appears to have been the hardest of the lot for many people. But the roll out of the vaccine programme is a wonderful glimmer of hope and we thank everyone who has played their part in this to date to get us to where we are today. We recognise the 2
enormous loss to many individuals and families since the pandemic began and we send our love to those who have been bereaved, for any reason, during this time. I have spoken to a few people who felt they could not hold a proper funeral for their loved ones during this period as the inability to give, and get, comfort from those closest to them at a service would have added to their distress. There are also many families who have had to choose who would be with their loved one in hospital at the end of their life. We, as a community, need to do all we can to remember this loss and provide support whenever and wherever we can. Take time to acknowledge the individual’s life, speak their name, pick up the phone to those who have been bereaved or send a card to let them know they are in your thoughts. Every little gesture of kindness makes a difference. Even though the wider economic impact of the pandemic has affected the charity, your ongoing support has enabled us to be in a position to increase the level of nursing and counselling staff resources at Forest Holme at a time when it is desperately needed. We know that demand for the hospice’s services in the year ahead will only continue to go one
Contents way and we need to play our part in supporting the teams to meet this need. There are many different organisations, both statutory and voluntary, across Dorset providing palliative and end of life care and in the months ahead we look to work together to address some of the on-going challenges of making sure everyone has the best possible care at the end of their lives by utilising and building on all the resources available within our community. Dorset, for example, does not have a Hospice at Home service and this is something which could significantly improve the quality of care for those who wish to die at home or place of their choosing. If you would like to share your experiences with us or suggest how things could have been improved, then please don’t hesitate to contact us as this is invaluable feedback in helping to provide the very best level of care in a timely, equitable and sustainable manner across the county. We all have our own very personal experiences of the pandemic, our hopes and fears for the road ahead and they will all be different. I am very proud to be part of a team who have shown great courage, determination, compassion and adaptability to meet the needs of patients and their
2. Welcome 3. Welcome / Contents 4. Welcome / Mailing List 5. A Message From Our Patron 6. The Grasshopper 9. What We Fund 10. Forest Holme Christmas Shop 11. Community Support 12. Thank You Crafters 14. Meet The Fundraiser 17. Fundraising Thank You 22. Charity News 24. Get Fit For Forest Holme 25. Sky High Challenges 26. My Brutal Challenge 28. Meet the Therapies Technician 30. Tree Of Celebration 31. Leaf Dedication Form
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Dear Friends
Chief Executive, Anne Currie
families in exceptional circumstances, whilst being there for their own families. We can all be a wee bit too hard on ourselves that we haven’t done all we could do, should be doing or need to do and I’m reminded of the British Artist, Charlie Mackesy and one of his beautiful illustrations of a young boy and fox walking alongside his horse and it says ‘Sometimes I feel I haven’t done much,’ said the boy. ‘You’ve got up and carried on…’ said the horse ‘which is brave and magnificent’. Thank you for all your kindness enabling Forest Holme to carry on. With best wishes, Anne
Mailing List You are receiving this newsletter because of your support of Forest Holme Hospice Charity. Your details will not be shared with, or sold to, any third parties. If you haven’t already completed a contact preference form, please fill-out the form below and return to us.
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A Message From Our Patron It is a great honour to be Patron of Forest Holme Hospice Charity. I have long been aware of the Hospice’s outstanding reputation for palliative and end-of-life care and so I was extremely pleased to be asked several years ago, to become involved with the Charity. In these difficult times of the pandemic, I particularly want to give heartfelt thanks to all the nursing and medical staff. The commitment and caring that you give is so much appreciated. I also wish to thank all the other hard-working staff, our wonderful volunteers, and all those who contribute to fundraising. I have been so moved recently to read about 11-yr-old Jamie Groves walking 2 miles every day to raise money for Forest Holme in memory of his dad John Groves, who died at the hospice almost exactly 2 years ago. I am full of admiration for all the people who take on so many different challenges to raise money to support the Hospice’s work. I hope that the benefits from becoming fitter from the ‘Get Fit for Forest Holme’ initiative will be a great incentive to participate and raise money. We all wonder what our new ‘normal’ way of life will be like in the future. But one certainty that remains is the need for end-of-life care and the importance of our local hospice. Financial pressures will undoubtedly be greater than ever as we emerge from this international crisis and hence the need for even more innovative fundraising. Thank you all for your contribution to Forest Holme and the services it provides to our community. Dame Annette Brooke (Patron of Forest Holme Hospice Charity) 5
The Grasshopper Until August 2019, I didn't have one single grasshopper-related story, but a few chance meetings later, and grasshoppers (and maybe their cricket cousins) have become a pretty big deal to me.
by Lorraine Rogers along the pavement to my car. “It was a bit odd", I said as I recalled it later that day.
We became strangely ’dug in’ at Forest Holme. Karl's room was always full. Full with us, the kids' pictures and pom-poms, snacks, lotions, potions, candles and music. On the day he died, we packed all those things into bags and closed the door behind us. There’s something very unceremonial about going home and unpacking those bags. It’s incredibly empty. My husband As far as I remember, it all started called through to me, ”come and look at this, there's a grasshopper when my brother Karl stayed on in the porch... I’ve never seen a the Sandbanks Ward (Poole Hospital) as he became more poorly grasshopper indoors, have you?". and a grasshopper took up Our focus turned to making Karl's residence on his front door handle funeral arrangements. With his back at home. Day after day he trusty Seaview pub fast becoming a would sit patiently on that door Co-op, we decided to invite handle, seemingly carefree and everyone to join us to raise a glass oblivious to disturbance. to Karl where we'd enjoyed our last Maybe a week or so later we’d moved to Forest Holme. I’d head over at five o clock each morning, take residence in my trusty recliner next to Karl‚ and so a new day would begin. But early one morning, as I left to drive to the hospice, my very own little grasshopper hopped along beside my feet, maybe 20 metres or so 6
In Memory of Karl Dugmore family meal out for Mum's birthday, and where Karl and lots of his friends had reunited some time back. Of course, it was The Grasshopper.
a specific area of life without fear. Usually that specific area is one that we have avoided and is often connected to change on a larger scale.
The strangest of all happened at Karl's funeral. The children, Kaden and Evie, led Karl into the service. Evie placed a small bouquet on his coffin, Kaden a candle. After sitting beautifully throughout the service, the children went off to play, like only children could, running in and amongst hundreds of busy grasshoppers on a grassy hill to the side of the hall. As we went to leave Evie ran inside. ”Look at this Mummy!" On the front of her dress, just like a brooch, sat a still and patient little grasshopper. No Grasshoppers can only jump amount of poking from this 6 year forward....not backward, or old’s fingers would budge him on sideways. So, when a grasshopper and he brought us all a smile. shows up he could be reaffirming to you that you are taking the right So this little creature, with its steps to move forward. Or it could numerous visits, was notably be that he is telling you to go ahead persistent. So much so, and with and move forward, getting past no preconceptions, I had to look it what is hindering you. This is why up. the grasshopper is the symbol of So what's the significance of a good luck all over the world. A grasshopper? grasshopper’s ability to connect and understand sound vibrations is ”When the grasshopper appears to why he is also a symbol of your us we are being asked to take a inner voice. He could be telling you leap of faith and jump forward into to trust yours." 7
The Grasshopper
So whilst all this may be a thing of immense mystical significance, equally it may instead be a series of complete coincidences. Maybe we'll see Karl again one day and he'll say, ”so you spotted my grasshoppers then?" Or maybe that'll never happen. Regardless, those little visits have served their purpose. They've allowed us to make a new connection with Karl, to make new memories with him, even after life penned his full stop and we believed there'd be no more. These little creatures represent important life lessons that can be hard to follow on our darker days, but we can still value them and take heed on our stronger days; to move forward, to take a leap of faith, to listen to our inner voice. I’m hugely grateful they hopped by. 68
Forest Holme Hospice Charity needs to raise £900,000 during 2021/2022 to fund:
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Forest Holme Christmas Shop
Thank you to everyone that contributed, volunteered and supported the Forest Holme Made Christmas shop in The Dolphin Shopping Centre. It was a huge relief to be able to finally open under the circumstances and we are delighted that the charity managed to raise a fantastic £7,780 in just two weeks.
We must also thank the Community Team at Tesco, Fleetsbridge (right), who not only donated a lovely Christmas Tree but also volunteered their time to put it up and decorate it. 16 10
Community Support
The Dolphin Shopping Centre had very kindly given Forest Holme Hospice space for a contactless Tap To Donate podium (above, left) to help the charity recover some of its loss of income due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Dolphin Centre also generously supported our annual Light Up A Life appeal by providing a Tree of Remembrance (above, right) in Falkland Square. Stewarts Garden Centres, once again generously donated a Christmas Tree (right) to display in the hospice courtyard garden for all patients, families and staff to enjoy.
The Tesco Community Team, Fleetsbridge (above) kindly donated a hamper of their finest treats for us to raffle off in our Christmas shop.
Sainsbury's in Poole popped into our Christmas shop (left) to deliver a voucher for £115 to use at future charity events.
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Thank You Crafters A special thank you to our volunteer and supporter Karen Hesketh (left), who set up a Forest Holme Craft Club to help raise money for the hospice by utilising the many talents of our supporters. Karen co-ordinated the group and there was a fabulous response, with so many beautiful items created and donated to sell in our Christmas shop. Our heartfelt to everyone who delivered craft items irrespective of whether they were a member of the Craft Club or not.
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Thank You Crafters
We must also give a special mention to Tiff Watson (above) and her husband Dave for putting together all our Mystery Boxes last year. Not only that, Tiff made and donated all the cat and dog Pet Mystery Boxes, which were so popular in the Christmas shop.
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Meet The Fundraiser Get to know one of Forest Holme’s Community Fundraisers. Kirsty Perks shares what she loves about her job, the challenges of fundraising during the pandemic and her engagement to...Les Dennis?
Tell us about your role at Forest Holme? Next month it will be five years since I joined Forest Holme Hospice Charity as a Community Fundraiser. My job is to build long-term relationships with individuals, community groups and local companies, encouraging as many of them as possible to support the hospice. I support them with all their fundraising activities, whether that be holding a bake sale, raffle, sponsored walk - anything at all! I present to local groups and organisations about Forest Holme, trying to raise awareness about the work we do supporting patients and families and I organise events to fundraise for the hospice including Bingo nights, Barn Dances, Scavenger Hunts and even a Halloween Dance-a-Thon to name just a few. I am also the charity’s fundraising volunteer coordinator. We are so lucky to have an amazing group of loyal and committed volunteers and many of our events just couldn’t happen without them.
What is the best thing about your job? I love my job! It’s so varied and that’s what keeps it so interesting. One day I could be at an event climbing over inflatable obstacles in a field, the next I’ll be driving around in a fire engine hosting a bucket collection. I get to meet so many different people from all walks of life and it's incredible how generous our supporters are. I feel very honoured and privileged to work for such a wonderful charity and feel proud when I tell people that I work for Forest Home Hospice, a charity 14
Meet The Fundraiser that makes such a difference to so many individuals - not just patients but their family and friends too. I am from Birmingham originally so I had never really heard of Forest Holme until my best friend's Dad became a patient. I saw the care that he received but also how they looked after the entire family. So I decided to get involved in fundraising for the charity with the company l used to work for. Unfortunately Len never got to see me work at Forest Holme. But without him I would never have even gone for the job, he was a very special man and I have him to thank for inspiring me to apply for the job that I now do and love!
What don’t you like about your job (if anything!)? Anyone that knows me, knows that I like to talk. I struggle sitting still so l don't really enjoy looking at a screen for hours writing emails. I would much rather pick up the phone and talk to someone or be out and about. My grammar and spelling is also shocking, ask any of the team who often help me with getting my ‘their’ and ‘there’ right and my ‘to’ and ‘too’.
How has the coronavirus pandemic affected you and your role? I’m an extrovert and I love being around people so I have struggled with not being able to have physical contact, I’m a hugger! I have missed not being in the hospice every day and the banter with all the hospice clinical and admin staff who are all amazing people. We are a very close knit team, for me they are not just people I work with but my they are my friends too. Coronavirus has meant that we have had to cancel the majority of our fundraising events and activities over the past year and that has been really tough because of course it has meant that we have not raised the money that we usually would have but also that we haven’t been able to see our wonderful supporters. We have had to learn and adapt especially with all things digital and online. Thank goodness I have the support of a great team and my children who have helped their Mum become more computer savvy! 15 9 9 9
Meet The Fundraiser What are you hoping for in the year ahead? I am looking forward to being back in the hospice and being with the whole team again, arguing over who's turn it is to make the next cuppa. Seeing supporters and volunteers in person and not over Zoom and being able to thank them for staying with us and for their loyal support during the pandemic. It has meant so much. I can’t wait to get back to hosting actual events again. Our ‘’Tie a Yellow Ribbon’ event that we usually hold in June is one of my favourites and also ‘Dance Through the Decades’ at Christmas is so much fun, so fingers crossed that this year, these events can go ahead as planned.
And finally, tell us something about yourself that we may not already know? In 1999 l was a contestant on Family Fortunes, with my two aunties, sister and cousin. We got to the final but didn't win the holiday. I was lucky enough to win a special prize, a voucher to buy a diamond ring, I used it to buy my engagement ring. I often tell my husband l am really engaged to Les Dennis. If you have a fundraising idea that you would like Kirsty’s support with, or would just like to have a chat then you can get in touch with her on 07928 829 350 or by emailing kirsty@forestholmehospice.org.uk 16
Fundraising Thank You Congratulations and thanks to Jan Kingsland (left) and everyone at Good Vibrations, who raised £1919 for various charities, including Forest Holme, in only the few months that they were able to open during the pandemic. Ruth Caines (right) raised £200 for the hospice by selling homemade jams and chutneys, as well as cushions. Residents of Melton Court in Branksome (left) bought handmade face masks and helped raise £800 for Forest Holme.
12 year-old Bournemouth School for Girls pupil Ava Scowcroft (below) raised £200 for the hospice during lockdown by making and selling face masks.
Tracy Thorne (right) very kindly dropped off a Body Shop gift items for patients and staff.
Butterfingers Sandwich Bar (right) raised £40 for Forest Holme during their recent Burger Night Cook Along live on Instagram. 17
Fundraising Thank You Lynn Wallace and Hannah's Headbands Dorset kindly made and donated these beautiful headbands (left) to staff at the hospice.
Our supporter Caroline Fowler, along with colleagues from Wessex Marine, joined Lucy Etches from Salterns Marina (below) to celebrate Christmas Jumper Day for charities including Forest Holme.
Mary Bevan (right) belongs to a small prose poetry group who have just had their first collection of poems published. They have already raised £50 for the hospice from selling them and Mary kindly donated some poetry books to sell at the hospice to raise funds for the charity. Bill Coombes (right), who is a member of Dorset and Yeovil Oddfellows Brownsea Lodge, raised £500 from donations and the raffle for his secret Pickled Onions recipe.
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Ferndown Forest Golf Club (left) held their second Captains Charity Day in aid of Forest Holme and raised a grand total of £1,465.
Fundraising Thank You Sue Sherwood (right) organised a Facebook cash raffle amongst friends and family, where all the winners donated back their winnings to Forest Holme, bringing the final amount raised to £1,000. Our volunteers Jill and Dawn (above) raised £330 on their stall at Pamphill Dairy.
Paul Payne (left) from Knighton Heath Golf Club kindly dropped off a cheque donation for £500 which will go towards this year's Forest Holme Charity Golf Day which fingers crossed - will take place on April 23rd. Abigail Deeble (left) completed an 80 mile Ridgeway Hike in just 4 days and raised £1,587 for Forest Holme, which she describes as "a charity close to my heart and family." Zena and Rebekah Brown (right) kindly raised £173 by holding raffles, selling items on social media and putting gift hampers together to sell over the festive period. Congratulations to Gemma Bryant (left), who braved a charity skydive and raised £522 for the hospice in memory of her Dad, Brian. 19
Fundraising Thank You Thank you to everyone that took part in our Halloween Scavenger Hunt (left) in The Dolphin Shopping Centre. It was lovely to have so many people participating and we were particularly impressed by all the fantastic costumes. Laura Cooper (right) completed the Run to the Sea Ultra Marathon covering a 50km multi-terrain route and raised over £500 for the hospice.
Forest Holme is currently the Charity of the Year for Primark in Poole (above) who, when possible, have supported the hospice with fundraising and an awareness stall both in-store and in the staff canteen. Young Adam Bright (left) raised £12 for the hospice by selling his own sports magazines. Simon Kay (right) entered the Back Of The Net fundraiser prize draw and won a round of golf with ex-Cherries striker Tony Funnell and Harry Redknapp, which raised over £2,000 for the hospice 20
Fundraising Thank You St Edward's School pupil Daniel Crabb (left) kindly donated all these items for our Mystery Boxes.
Staff and students at The Sapphire Stage Academy (right) raised £146 for the hospice during their fancy dress week. The dance school was previously LA Dance, who were great supporters of Forest Holme, and we're so touched that the new school has continued to fundraise for us. Karen's Barbers (left) raised a total of £450 for Forest Holme in the run up to Christmas with an in-store raffle in memory of Karen's Dad, Jock, who was cared for the at the hospice.
Thank you to Sue Austin’s family (right), who once again organised a Family Strictly Sweepstake for Forest Holme, where everyone donated their winnings in memory of Karl Dugmore. 21
Fundraising Charity NewsThank You
Thank you to the Bournemouth Daily Echo for recognising our Community Specialist Palliative Care Team (above) as one of their Dorset Heroes 2020.
The Talbot Village Trust kindly donated £10,000 to the hospice to support our counselling service (above) through these very challenging times. Thank you to everyone that voted for us to be the first recipient of a £1,000 donation from AFC Bournemouth Community Sports Trust (left).
Congratulations to Hannah (below) from the fundraising team, who gave birth to the gorgeous Jude Arthur in November 2020, weighing 7lbs and 13oz.
We are delighted to announce Lewis Hay (above) has joined the fundraising team while Hannah is on maternity leave. Lewis has fantastic experience in the charity sector and we are very pleased to have him as part of the team. 22
Charity News
Our wonderful team of volunteer gardeners (above) made a fantastic job of making the outside of the hospice all festive over Christmas. We are absolutely delighted that Purbeck Ice Cream (left) has once again chosen us as one of its Charities of the Year for 2021. Since they began supporting Forest Holme they have generously donated nearly £4,000 worth of ice cream for our patients, families and staff to enjoy.
Pizza with Love (right) very kindly visited the hospice between lockdowns to cook delicious fresh wood fired pizzas for all hospice staff free of charge during Hospice Care Week. The Charity needed to come to the rescue of our Christmas Prize Draw winner, who accidently shredded her cheque when disposing of the envelope. The slightly embarrassed winner - who shall remain anonymous - was relieved that our Chair of the Board of Trustees was available to issue a new one in time for Christmas. 23
Get Fit For Forest Holme
The Big Brunch
www.forestholmehospice.org/fitforforest Forest Holme is delighted that former Olympic and Commonwealth long -distance runner Liz Yelling is getting behind a new fitness fundraising initiative for 2021. Get Fit For Forest Holme aims to improve people’s physical and mental health, especially during lockdown, whilst raising money to enhance the care and support services provided by the hospice. The main emphasis is that participants can set their own challenge and fundraising target, according to ability and fitness levels, at a time that suits. Liz, who won the bronze medal in the 2006 Commonwealth Games marathon and lives in Poole, is encouraging people to get involved, whether it is running, walking, skipping, hopping, skating, cycling and swimming or doing an online workout. Liz, said, “I am thrilled to be supporting this fantastic fundraising challenge for such a brilliant local charity. It is so important to boost both our physical and mental health, especially during such difficult times, so if we can all do a bit of exercise, no matter how big or small, and raise money to support our local NHS hospice then it’s a win win.” 24
Sky High Challenges Do something amazing for Forest Holme Hospice and take part in one of our next charity Wing Walk days beginning on 21st May 2021.
Wing Walk
Flying with some of the most experienced pilots in the country at speeds of up to 130mph on a Boeing Stearman, the adrenaline fuelled flight is organised by the Wing Walk Company, who are regarded as the modern day equivalent of the Barnstorming Pioneers, who would have travelled the country in the 20’s and 30’s as part of a flying circus. To sign up there is an entry fee of £50 to secure your place and we are asking everyone who takes part to pledge to raise a minimum of £800 in sponsorship to support Forest Holme Hospice.
Skydive
Sign up to take part in a Skydive to support Forest Holme and experience the ultimate adrenaline rush as you free-fall from the fastest tandem skydiving aircraft in the UK.
The rush is spectacular as you will literally fall through the air and rush towards the earth at about 125 mph – if you’ve chosen to jump from 10,000 ft this will last approximately 30 seconds or 60 seconds if you’re jumping from 15,000 ft. Skydives are available throughout the year and can be arranged for a date that suits you. To sign up there is an entry fee of £50 to secure your place and we are asking everyone who takes part to pledge to raise a minimum of £350 in sponsorship to support Forest Holme.
Visit www.forestholmehospice.org.uk/events for more details or email charlie.james@forestholmehospice.org.uk
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My Brutal Challenge When my best friend’s mum, Susan Northcott, died, I wanted to do something to celebrate this amazing woman’s life and the impact she had on me. Little did I know then, but this would involve me running from the length of the country with all my belongings in a pushchair! Growing up, Susan was a strong role model for me. She was feisty, funny, and I loved her. A few years back, Susan had bought me a book called ‘The Clock Keeps Ticking” by Sharon Gayter. This was about her incredible, record-breaking run from Land’s End to John o’ Groats in a staggering 12 days and 16 hours! Whilst I could never aspire to running the UK in that time, I started to wonder if I could have my own, unique adventure and dedicate it to Susan’s memory.
Once I had decided to take on this epic challenge, I set about making plans. How would I carry my kit? What route would I follow and how I could navigate? My biggest question was where I would sleep? I had decided to do this without any crew as I wanted it to be a real adventure and a life-changing journey. I knew Susan would have approved of that idea too.
Tree of Remembrance
After many weeks of list-making, testing kit, packing and re-packing, I was finally ready. I had decided to start in Scotland, as I liked the idea of travelling down the country. Also, as I live in Christchurch, Dorset, it would feel like coming home. So, at 5am on Sunday, August 16th, in a cold and deserted car park at John o’ Groats, I started my epic run. 12 26
by Claire Smith
www.brutalclaire.co.uk
Over the days and weeks that followed, I experienced what it was like to sleep in fields with noisy sheep and next to busy roads. I leant how to set up and take down my camp super quickly. I survived Storm Francis and days of rain and high winds. I pushed the buggy up hill after hill, and I was painfully dragged down the other side. I ate too many pork pies, pastries and Pot Noodles. I fixed never-ending punctures on the buggy and blisters on my feet. I took hundreds of photos and met so many amazing people. And I laughed and cried in equal measure.
toenails, but it was one of the best things I have ever experienced. I also raised over £6,000 for the Forest Holme Hospice, who looked after Susan so well.
Finally, on September 8th and after covering 893 miles in 23 days and 8 hours, I finished. I lost over a stone in weight and most of my 9 27 13
Meet the Therapies Technician
Libby Obbard has worked at Forest Holme Hospice for five years as a Therapies Technician, which is role that is funded by the hospice charity. Here, Libby explains more about her work and how it benefits the wellbeing of patients.
As a Therapies Technician what does your role involve and why is it important for patient care? My role focuses on an holistic approach to patient care, with progression towards independence through functional tasks such as washing and dressing. There is an emphasis on mobility with the aim of helping patients to be discharged to a home environment or appropriate discharge destination. Working alongside the nursing team at the hospice to maximise the holistic approach, I spend time working with the patient towards their own goals and any activities they wish to achieve. Therapy has an important part to play in a hospice alongside the Multi-Disciplinary Team (MDT), allowing a patient to regain some independence with functional tasks. Just giving patients the opportunity to have the choice to have Therapy input is an important part of patient care and wellbeing and is a key service that we want to provide for our patients at Forest Holme. 22 28
What matters to the patients you work with and how do you help them achieve it? I spend time with the patient to establish what matters to them and aiding them to achieve this. It may be something very small such as writing a letter or being sat out in a chair to help them feel ‘normal’ again. A larger goal could entail an outing or short trip home for the last time. Working with the patient to facilitate these wishes is a privilege and very satisfying, especially if it is an end-of-life goal that a patient did not think they would be able achieve. I also help patients in a variety of other ways such as those who enjoy crafting and colouring or perhaps want a hand painting their nails, choosing a DVD or need assistance with the TV and headphones.
Describe your average day? My average day will involve many patient assessments including PADL’s and DADL’s (washing/dressing/breakfast tasks) plus mobility, transfers and exercise programmes, as well as cognitive assessments and organising equipment provision for both mornings and afternoons. The role also involves administration and note writing duties, as well as participation with nursing handovers and Multi-Disciplinary Team ward meetings. There also plenty of discharge planning including telephone calls to aid with facilitating discharge, such as speaking with patient relatives.
How do you work with other members of the team? We make a plan at handover to include Therapy input, this may include working alongside a Nurse or Heath Care Assistant to double for the Therapy assessment. I also work alongside the ward co-ordinator to facilitate safe discharges.
What matters to you in your job? To be able to give 100% Therapy input to each and every patient as appropriate. Also to allow a holistic approach for patient comfort, care and rehabilitation, if appropriate, as they approach a difficult time in their life with either symptom control or end of life.
How would you describe working at Forest Holme? Working at Forest Holme is enjoyable and fun. We have a good team and support and care for each other very well - we call it our Forest Holme family. 23 29
Tree of Celebration: Ann’s story This is a photo of my husband Cyril Jarvis and the kind nurses who looked after him during his last weeks fighting cancer. Cyril was always referred to affectionately as “squirrel” or “Jarv”, so we decided to have a squirrel put up on the Forest Holme’s Tree of Celebration in the hospice garden for a donation to the charity. We appreciate times are hard for everyone during this pandemic but we would like to ask everyone who can afford it to donate anything you can to keep this much needed charity going. If you have lost a loved-one at Forest Holme having a leaf with an inscription is a lovely way to remember them, while also helping the hospice to continue providing care, love and support to other patients and their families going through the most difficult time of their lives. Ann Jarvis
Dedicate a leaf in memory of a loved one For a donation to Forest Holme Hospice Charity, you can make a dedication to a loved-one on our Tree of Celebration. Each leaf will be engraved with a personalised message for your loved one and will be displayed within our hospice garden for a year (from the day it is first mounted), after which you will be given the option to renew for another 12 months, or have your leaf returned for you to keep. When visiting restrictions have eased, you are welcome to come and view your leaf and reflect in relaxed and comfortable surroundings. To dedicate a leaf, please complete the form on the next page. We ask for a minimum yearly donation of £60 to dedicate a leaf, which can also be paid in monthly instalments of £5. Each leaf has been kindly handcrafted by Dolphin Marine, and secured on the tree designed and built by Elite Fabrication and Welding Ltd. 30
Charity Number 1038021
Contact Us If you would like more information about the care the hospice provides or how to fundraise for us, we would love to hear from you.
Forest Holme Hospice 5 Seldown Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1TS T: 01202 670644 (Charity) T: 0300 019 8147 (Hospice) E: fundraising@forestholmehospice.org.uk
www.forestholmehospice.org.uk Forestholme
@ForestHolme
@forestholmehospice
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