Our Hospice has just published a booklet called ‘The Ground Feels Wobbly’, to help children and young people before and after someone dies. This is to support our wider Hospice care, and the bereavement counselling we offer to families, and in particular to young people who have lost a loved one.

The title of the new booklet was based on a description given by an insightful seven-year-old to one of our counsellors, on finding out that his mum was going to die. To help express how he felt, the young boy drew a picture of himself and under his feet was a wobbly red line with lots of soft squidgy ground. He explained, “Everything has changed, the ground feels wobbly now.”

The booklet guides families through the process of supporting a child through a bereavement. It covers how to break the sad news to a child, what you should tell them and when. The booklet also explores a child’s thoughts and feelings and the questions they might ask.

“Children of different ages will feel and react differently to loss” says Karen Ward, Senior Specialist Palliative Care Social Worker. “We talk through what to look out for and offer you advice to help them through the grieving process.”

To find out more and to view the booklet visit www.birminghamhospice.org.uk or call 0121 472 1191

futureyour

Hospice Newssupport

The ground feels wobbly

Ann’s storyAnn and her two children Niamh, 9 And Nathan, 11, used our Child Bereavement Service after her mother passed away after being cared for by our Hospice.

“Children’s bereavement service has been a lifeline for my children. I honestly don’t know what we would have done without our counsellor Karen.”

My children Nathan and Niamh were in a really bad way when their Nan died. We were very close - me, my mom and my children – and when she passed away the children were devastated.

By talking to Nathan and Niamh regularly, Karen helped to explore their feelings which helped them to grieve. She also helped to build up their self-esteem and their sense of resilience. With no other family member to really talk about their Nan’s death to, Nathan and Niamh relied on Karen and she’s never let them down. They now think of her as a friend who has helped them through a very difficult time.

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Hello and welcome to your Hospice News, where you can find out about some of our work over the last few months, everything from the grand opening of our new boutique to a visit from a team of specially trained donkeys!

There's plenty to read up on. Our lead story takes you through our work supporting families and young children during times of loss and coincides with our newly published

booklet, 'The Ground Feels Wobbly.' You can catch up with one of our Clinical Nurse Specialists, Vicky O'Callagham, as she talks you through a typical day for her and her team. And if you feel like taking up a challenge, there's some great events to look forward to over the coming months.

We hope you enjoy this latest edition and thank you so much for your continued support.

SUMMER 2015

Your Hospice News, Summer 20152

Donkeys welcome!

Donkeys and hospices may not sound like a natural partnership, but through working with the Donkey Sanctuary in Birmingham, teams of specially trained donkeys have been coming into the Day Hospice to offer patients an alternative therapeutic service. It is well-researched that spending time with animals can have a direct calming influence which is beneficial to people, and our patients certainly seemed to think so!

Happy first birthday to our Harry Moseley Family CentreOn 5 May our Harry Moseley Family Centre had its first birthday! The family centre was the result of an exciting partnership between the Hospice and local charity Help Harry Help Others, who donated £100,000 to help build the centre, enabling families living with terminal illness to spend precious time together. Families can stay at the Hospice with a loved one whilst clinical staff care for their relative.

If a patient is admitted to the centre, their families can stay with them as often as they wish. “The family centre has been amazingly well received and patients and families only speak highly of it,” says Lead Nurse for the Inpatient Unit, Nicola Butterfield. “Families find the space, privacy and flexibility that it offers invaluable.”

A pathfinder for the communityOur Hospice has joined up with other local organisations to support the innovative new ‘Dying Well Community Charter’, which aims to raise awareness of the importance of good end of life care and to share our experience and knowledge with other parts of the country.

Birmingham CrossCity Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), which is responsible for commissioning healthcare for more than 742,000 people in the city, held an event on 19 March to launch the Charter. Our Head of Family and Carer Support, Vicky Ross, was there to speak on behalf of the Hospice and discuss the importance of the personal relationships her team develops with our patients and their families and carers.

The Charter is a commitment by individuals, communities and organisations to work together to ensure that people are well supported and cared for through dying, death, grief and bereavement. Our Hospice was chosen as one of nine Birmingham pathfinders by the National Council of Palliative Care.

“THE FAMILY CENTRE HAS BEEN AMAZINGLY WELL RECEIVED AND PATIENTS AND FAMILIES ONLY SPEAK HIGHLY OF IT”

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Did you know our Hospice also delivers an innovative education programme and participates in research? As well as supporting Degree and Masters research, for the first time we have been involved with two national research studies looking at pain and symptom management, which will hopefully inform future Hospice care.

Last year our Education team, supported by Health Education West Midlands, also delivered training on Advance Care Planning and Related Communication Skills through a series of events for healthcare professionals.

You can now follow our Education team on twitter. Follow us @BrumsHospiceEd

OUR BEAUTIFULBOUTIQUE OPENSFOR BUSINESSWe have a new arrival....our latest shop - the Bournville boutique. This exciting new store officially opened its doors in April and is already proving a hit with customers, as well as featuring in the Birmingham Mail! The boutique is a new retail concept for the Hospice and aims to stock high-end second-hand clothing at affordable prices, while supporting a great cause.

I start my Monday morning by allocating my patient caseload for the week ahead and follow up on any phone calls or home visits that may have been made by my colleagues over the weekend. Today I am visiting a new patient to introduce our specialist role within the community and to assess and support with any physical, psychosocial or spiritual concerns. I am also doing some follow up visits, revisiting patients at home to monitor any symptom control issues and provide continual emotional support for the patient and carer.

After visiting these patients I come back to the office to make some calls as I think that one of the patients I’ve just seen needs a medical review from the GP, he’s in pain and struggling with his breathing. I also use this time to liaise with the wider multidisciplinary team.

After I left a patient’s house today his wife said to me “since the hospice has been involved we’ve had a lot more help and support. The people we’ve generally been dealing with about my husband’s illness have been very clinical, but you’ve been there to look after him as a person.”

At the end of a very busy day you always appreciate comments like that and they make the job even more worthwhile.

A day in the life: Vicky O’Callaghan Clinical Nurse Specialist

Hospice contributes to national research

Moonlight Memories – taking to the streets of Birmingham!

On Saturday 11 July we’re urging our supporters to take to the streets and be part of our annual Moonlight Memories Walk. Why not join us in this fun night time event?

For the second year in a row, Sally Brown, pictured above with her fellow fundraisers, will be taking part in the event in memory of her late brother. Sally’s brother, Dave, sadly passed away last year, after suffering from type 2 respiratory failure. She recently went on Radio WM to help us promote the event.

If you would like to help us promote this event to the media please email karen.blanchette@birminghamhospice.org.uk

Volunteers in numbersDid you know that last year Hospice fundraising volunteers helped to raise over £95,000, gave over 7,000 hours of service, delivered over 80 fundraising activities and represented the hospice at another 24 community events?!

With much of our running costs reliant on fundraising we are very grateful for all the amazing work our volunteers do. If you want to make a difference this year by volunteering in your local fundraising group, collection team or by being a hospice ambassador then call on 0121 472 1191 or visit www.birminghamhospice.org.uk.

FIRST CHOCOLATE 5K A SWEET SUCCESS!Last month our first ever Chocolate 5k took place at Rowheath Pavillion in Bournville (the home of chocolate!)

Proving a sweet success over 600 people of all ages completed the 5k route with the mouth-watering reward of a chocolate medal waiting for them at the finish line!

“The event received a real ‘boost’ by raising a magnificent £13k of vital funds for local families living with terminal illness, surpassing its £10k target,” said Lucy Watkins, Events Manager. And if you missed out this time it went so well that there is another Chocolate Run taking place in September in Solihull.

To find out more visit www.birminghamhospice.org.uk/our-events

Go bananas in your pyjamas!Do you have children or grandchildren? Or do you know teachers in local schools? During October – the month of Hospice Care Week and World Hospice Day – we are asking schools across Birmingham and Sandwell to #getcomfy and don their PJs to raise money for local families living with terminal illness. Register for your free PJ Day starter pack and resources at: www.birminghamhospice.org.uk/pjday

DATES FOR THE DIARYJULYMoonlight Memories WalkSaturday 11th July 2015 JOIN THE FUN ON OUR NIGHT TIME WALK IN MEMORY OF A LOVED ONE.

SEPTEMBERChocolate Run Saturday 5th SeptemberA CHOC-FILLED 5K RUN.

Big Birmingham Bucket Collection 25th and 26th SeptemberJOIN OUR TEAM OF OVER 500 VOLUNTEERS

fundraise@birminghamhospice.org.ukRegistered Charity No. 503456

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