A new ‘Living Memories’ hub drop-in session was recently launched at Heart of Kent Hospice in Aylesford to provide an opportunity for people with a terminal illness to explore their life, capture their life stories and keepsakes to pass on to loved ones following their death.
This additional support for local people at end of life is a space to reflect and capture precious memories that wish to be preserved. The weekly session is provided completely free of charge as part of the Hub services offered by the hospice.
Each week attendees can expect a mix of activities including practical advice, creative activities to capture memories together and sessions about mindfulness and relaxation techniques.
The new Living Memories Hub sessions take place every Tuesday 10:00am-12:00pm in Magnolia Place at the hospice. Anyone interested is encouraged to pop along to any of the sessions to find out more, no need to book just drop-in and join in.
At the first session last Tuesday, patients and carers considered how they might write letters to loved ones, containing precious thoughts and memories.
The photo above shows Fiona, who was running the session and has a gift for crafting letters (as a former English and Drama Teacher!), helping the attendees understand the benefits of such letters given or left for those special people in your life.
After Fiona’s presentation, the group then spent time, with more help from Fiona, contemplating to whom they might wish to write and the thoughts they might like to consign to paper.
The feedback from the attendees to this first session was wonderfully positive and future sessions will include talks about Anticipatory Grief, Welfare, to include available State Benefits, Wills, and the Lasting Power of Attorney and Advance Care Planning.
The sessions about Mindfulness and Relaxation will show which techniques can be used at home and a resident Complementary Therapist will provide hand, foot, or face massage as required.
John Robinson from the hospice’s Family Support Team said: “These warm and welcoming hub group sessions are open to anyone with a terminal illness, including those with neurological conditions such as dementia, motor neurone disease and Parkinson’s. Anyone under our care is invited to attend with or without their loved one or carer, some may find doing this together is helpful, others may prefer to attend on their own or separately.
“Each session is an opportunity to be with others also thinking about their life journey, finding support and meaning in this project work together.
“The ‘Living Memories’ sessions include ideas for creative projects you may wish to explore throughout the programme including creating memory boxes, recipe books, life journaling, storytelling or milestone cards.”
“Alongside your creative project, each week there will be optional supportive and educative workshops, run on a rolling basis, with themes including mindfulness and relaxation, letters to loved ones, money matters, advance care planning and anticipatory grief.”
Contact the Family Support Team for any further questions on 01622 792 222 ext 260 or email fst@hokh.co.uk
Please check the hub page for dates and times www.hokh.org/hospice-hub/
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Heart of Kent Hospice has been providing free, compassionate, end-of-life care to people living with a terminal illness and their loved ones in Maidstone, Aylesford, Tonbridge and Malling and the surrounding towns and villages for the past 34 years.
The hospice has built an excellent reputation within the local community for the quality of its care, which has been further endorsed by the Care Quality Commission who awarded us with an overall rating of ‘Outstanding’ following an inspection in February 2017.
Our vision is for everyone living with a terminal illness in our community to achieve the best quality of life. We are committed to achieving this by enabling them to live in comfort, with independence and dignity to the end of their lives, and to support those closest to them.
Last year the hospice cared for over 2,000 patients and their families in their own homes or at our Aylesford-based hospice. Our charity needs to raise £6.6 million to deliver all the hospices services, and we depend heavily on our loyal community of supporters, whose generous donations and fundraising activities raise money for us every year.
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