Mention the word hospice and most people, myself included, think of it as a place to die.
Well you'd be surprised that this vital service actually accounts for a small part of their operations.
I am going to my local hospice as an outpatient to avail myself of their numerous complementary treatments.
As you are aware I have secondary breast cancer in my spine. Since this flared up about 7 months ago I have done little or no exercise. I used to swim, walk and do yoga. As a consequence my back becomes stiff and achy and is in dire need of a massage. I mentioned this to my oncologist and asked if I could go to the Linda Jackson Centre at Mount Vernon, she suggested that I could go to St.Luke's Hospice which is loads closer. Little did I realise that when we moved to our current house 15 years ago how convenient it would be, both my local hospital and the hospice are less than a mile and a half away.
I had my introductory appointment earlier this week. My daughter came with me and posted on facebook where she was and who she was with. I then had to reassure my facebook friends that I was there as an outpatient rather than to end my days. Much relief all round.
The in-patient service, as well as providing end of life care, also offer respite care and pain control. To quote the nurse, you come in for a short stay while they "mess about with your pain meds". I think this might be a technical term.
The outpatient department appears to account for the greater part of their activities. There is acupuncture, aromatherapy, massage, physiotherapy, reflexology, reiki/healing, excerise, sound therapy, relaxation and various art activities, as well as group activities such as counselling etc.
As you can see I shall be quite busy as I intend to try everything and see what suits me best. I shall certainly be going to the weekly relaxation session as actually "switching off" is very necessary.
On the whole the atmosphere of the hospice is rather jolly and I look forward to using its numerous facilities for many years to come.
What a really excellent sounding hospice - thank you for that post x
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