Garden House Hospice

I have been volunteering at Garden House, Letchworth, since May 2010 and have found it a valuable experience to understand end of life care both for the patient and their families.

Last Saturday, whilst I was cleaning the small kitchen towards the end of my shift, a lady came in for a chat. Her husband was critically ill and was rapidly going downhill. Previous to admission, he had been cared for at home, with his wife getting up at 4am to attend to his needs. It was a very stressful time for her and they had to rearrange their home and their routine. She explained how although she knew that his condition must be getting worse when he was admitted to the hospice, she felt a great deal of relief and comfort in knowing he was in safe hands. At the hospice he was receiving 24hour nursing care with access to medication for extreme pain relief.

I could see this was a very difficult time for her and tried to reassure her that she was doing the very best she could for him. She told me how the drugs he was on for pain relief had slowed his thinking processes making it harder to interact with him. She said that she really appreciated that there are not set visiting times, alike in a hospital ward, and that she is able to come in at meal times to help feed him. This way she could still feel connected to him.

We shared some moments and I had the opportunity to express how I felt when my Gran had been cared for by Garden House. We took some time to appreciate the successful nature of the hospice. The atmosphere is so calm and it is very clear that the staff are so dedicated to caring for the patients and their families. Being able to contribute to this organisation is such as honour. When my Gran was placed in a nursing home, where until she sadly passed away in January, she continually expressed how she missed Garden House. It was obviously somewhere that she felt safe and loved. As a family we decided to request that all donations at the funeral would go to the hospice as a token of our gratitude.

I think locally we are very lucky to have this service available. People who have no experience of a hospice environment often have a misconception that they are morbid places where people come to die. However from my experiences i have found this is certainly not the place.