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How We Care ....
The care that is provided by Saint Catherine’s is called palliative care. Palliative care is about helping someone with an incurable illness live with their disease as well as they possibly can.
Palliative care regards life as being incredibly precious but also regards dying as a normal part of life. Some people with serious illness want and need information about their illness and what treatment options are available. Some people do not want to be burdened with unnecessary information and we respect that choice.
People who get help from Saint Catherine’s Hospice often have a number of complicated problems. This can make that person feel frankly unwell, and may affect how they feel about themselves. It is also true that any serious illness can hurt not just the patient but those who are close to that person. The hospice tries hard to help not just the patient but family members and partners too.
There are a number of highly specialized professional people who work at Saint Catherine’s Hospice. Providing palliative care to someone with incurable illness often means assessment and help from:
Specialist nurse
Doctor
Physiotherapist
Occupational therapist (OT)
Social worker
Chaplain
They can offer help with unpleasant symptoms like pain, breathlessness, and anxiety. There may be guidance too in dealing with financial problems. Sometimes Saint Catherine’s can get a special bed for someone who is stiff and sore, or arrange for adaptations to the person’s own home.
Depending on the problem, this might mean getting palliative care at home, in hospital, or at an outpatient appointment. Some people attend Saint Catherine’s Day Hospice, or come into the hospice for a spell as an inpatient.
There is time for people. Time for talking. Time to be heard. Time for understanding.
Sometimes there is sadness, sometimes there are tears. But, there is quite a lot of laughter, people saying funny things which makes others laugh or smile.
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01723 351421
